Don’t feel lats#1660

I don’t have any pull up bars or rings yet, but wall pull ups are too easy.So I’m trying my best to do horizontal pull ups, but I don’t feel my lats at all if anything I feel it in my grip more.

Hey. This is Chrys, one of the trainers at Hybrid.

That’s a super common issue when starting horizontal pulls—the grip and arms kick in first while your lats stay quiet. To fix that, start by focusing on scapular control. Before each pull, retract your shoulder blades (pull them down and back) and keep them there as you pull your chest toward the bar or surface. Think of driving your elbows down and back instead of just pulling with your hands. That mental cue usually wakes your lats up fast.

You can also raise your setup slightly—if your body is too horizontal, it might be too much load right now to keep form tight. A bit more upright angle lets you focus on activation instead of just surviving the rep. If you’re still mostly feeling your forearms, pause at the top and hold the squeeze for a second or two—your lats will start to engage more as you control that part of the movement.

Basically scap retraction first, elbows down and back, chest up at the top. Once that connection clicks, you’ll finally start to feel your back doing the work instead of your grip.