The X-Men’s Size-Exercise Shuffle

Q: You list V-handle pulldowns as the Ultimate Exercise for lats [in the Basic X-traordinary X-Rep Workout]. I do those for the power pyramid, then wide-grip pulldowns for a density drop set, but I feel the wide-grips in my lats more. Can I reverse the order and do the wide pulldowns for the pyramid and the V-handle pulldowns for a density drop set?

A: Absolutely. Your question is very similar to one we had for chest. In that case we suggested switching the order at every workout to emphasize a different line of force. You could do that with lats also (and it will help your arms look huge too, as you’ll see in a moment).

Lat Workout 1

V-handle pulldowns

(pyramid) 3 x 9, 7, 5

Wide-grip pulldowns

(drop set) 1 x 10(6)

Lat Workout 2

Wide-grip pulldowns

(pyramid) 3 x 9, 7, 5

V-handle pulldowns

(drop set) 1 x 10(6)

For even more variation, when you do workout 1 with V-handle pulldowns first, try V-handle chins instead. Pulling your bodyweight through space is a different move and better at directly targeting your lats because you can’t cheat as you can on V-handle pulldowns.

On chins you don’t have to add weight in a pyramid. Simply do as many reps as you can on each of the three sets. Your reps should drop on each successive set so you get a varied rep range.

As for making your arms bigger, building your lats will push your triceps out when your upper arms are down at your sides. That will make them look fuller and much larger. (That’s another reason to get your lats huge!)

So try alternating lat routines. The frequent change should ignite bigger gains—and help your arms look insane!

—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com