[Artemis__]

Can you recommend some great lats exercises?

I mostly workout at home with free weights - so lats pulldown machine not available a lot of the time.

I'm starting to feel some tone in pretty much every muscle,except lats and I have that really awful lump of fat and saggy flesh over my bra strap on both sides of my spine!

Thanks

[Mel]

Hmmm....the fat is only going to go away with nutrition, but there are a couple of ways to work on some muscle.

You can buy easily installable chin-up bars at most sporting goods stores. You just need a good doorway and a few screws. You probably won't be able to do pull-ups or chin-ups (same thing) at first, so put a chair under the bar, and work on "negatives"- start at the top and slowly lower yourself down. Take a look at www.stuptuous.com for a description of how to use negatives to work toward a pull-up.

Another exercise is a lying dumbbell pullover...I made up the name Lie with your head and shoulders on a bench, and hold a single dumbbell in both hands with your arms straight, behind your head. Slowly, with straight arms, raise it up over your face, then lower it back behind your head again. This also works chest and abs, to some extent. Let me see if I can find a picture somewhere.....here ya go: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...BPullover.html
They use a barbell in the picture, but a single dumbbell works fine. Just hold the plate and distribute the weight over both hands.

Mel

[Artemis__]

Thanks Mel thats great.

I am dieting but I do need to feel some tone too whilst I'm losing - did the pullover one this morning and it was hitting just where I wanted it to!
Thanks again