Electromyographic Analysis of Latissimus Dorsi Activation During Common Resistance Training Exercises: A Narrative Review

Background: The latissimus dorsi (LD) is a primary muscle involved in pulling exercises used in resistance training, contributing to shoulder extension, adduction and internal rotation, with relevance to athletic performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation as well as to upper-body aesthetics. Aim: to identify which exercise configurations are most consistently associated with greater latissimus dorsi electromyographic (EMG) amplitude. Methods: This SANRA-informed narrative review synthesized surface and high-density EMG evidence across major pulling exercises, for the lat pull-down, pullover, seated row, barbell row, bent-over row and pull-up. Twenty-three eligible studies were included and appraised using a six-criterion methodological checklist. Results: In the lat pull-down, an anterior bar path was the configuration most consistently associated with greater LD EMG amplitude, whereas the effects of grip width were inconsistent. In the seated row, a narrower grip and a lower shoulder-abduction angle were each associated with greater LD amplitude in separate studies; these two variables have not been tested in combination and should not be read as a single validated configuration. Among rowing variants, the inverted row produced the highest LD amplitude in a single, small preliminary study that requires replication. Pull-up variations showed broadly similar LD activation across grip configurations, while the pullover appeared to preferentially activate the pectoralis major rather than selectively target the LD. Conclusions: Current evidence tentatively supports the anterior lat pull-down and, within the seated row, a narrower grip and a lower shoulder-abduction angle (evaluated independently) as the configurations most consistently associated with greater LD EMG amplitude; these findings reflect acute EMG amplitude rather than longitudinal training outcomes and should be treated as an evidence-informed starting point rather than a definitive exercise prescription. Across pulling exercises, the humerus-to-trunk relationship may be a key biomechanical determinant of muscular load distribution.