Lats Vs. Pecs

Lats and pecs are two large, opposing muscles that make up the torso. The lats, or latissimus dorsi, are the broadest muscles in the back, and the pecs refer to the pectoralis major, or the biggest of the two chest muscles.

Pecs: Muscle Location and Function

• The pecs are often referred to as the chest muscles. feel fit image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com

  The pecs are often referred to as the chest muscles. The chest is actually made up of the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor, which lies beneath the major muscle. The main function of the pecs is to move the shoulder joint. Pecs also help you take deep breaths.

Lats: Muscle Location and Function

• The latissimus dorsi originate in your lower spine and end at your shoulders, forming the letter V. dos2 image by Cyril Comtat from Fotolia.com

  Two latissimus dorsi originate on either side of your lower spine and lead up to your shoulders. These are broad muscles that, together, form the letter V. These muscles are responsible for shoulder joint movements as well as flexion and extension of the lower back.

Training Pecs

• A chest press is a great way to strengthen your pecs. lady iron 14 image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com

  Bench presses, flys, push-ups and variations of all these exercises will help strengthen the pec muscles.

Training Lats

• Pulldowns are one of the exercises you can use to strengthen your lats. Workout image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com

  You can strengthen your lats with pullovers, pulldowns, chin-ups and variations of these exercises (i.e. close-grip chin-ups and wide-grip pulldowns).

Stretching Pecs

• Stand in a doorway, and place your outstretched arm against one of the walls. Turn your body away from the positioned arm until you feel a stretch in your chest. Repeat with the opposite arm.

Stretching Lats

• Stretch your lats with the prayer pose. Kneel on the ground, and extend your arms on the floor in front of you. Sit back while your arms are still on the ground.