wow, i had no idea that overhead press would hit lats...

[jopezu]

watchoo talking about? i do db presses all the time and my lats always feel it. how was the weight in comparison to your db presses:?

i've always done db presses with 50-60lbs dumbbells. same exact technique that i used this weekend with the bar loaded with 110lbs. the only thing different is touching the db's together during lockout, so with db's it's not a straight vertical movement like with the bar.

i never even felt a budge in my lats doing db's, but like i said, i was sore as hell in my lats after using the bar.

 

[Sakmongkol]

This is only partially correct.

The elbows should be in front of the bar mostly for bar path of travel, and secondly for the cushion. Not setting up like is suggested in that article is a bad idea - you need to have a stable base/racked position, and that can help a lot.

However, the reason your lats are sore is not as much from a several second semi-contraction at the bottom in the racked position, but more from the stabilizing they do partly on the way up, but mostly as you're lowering the weight. Another reason they get sore, especially the first time a trainee uses a barbell, is just from the stretch under tension they get when the barbell is fully locked above and BEHIND the head. Most people rarely put our arms that far over and behind us, and when we do it with heavy weight and require the lats to stabilize - soreness ensues. They more than likely won't be as sore after the first time or two.

Interesting post, good explanation.