Lats exercise
Kneeling Lat Stretch (Bench)How to do it, with form in numbers
How to do it
How do you do the Kneeling Lat Stretch?
- Kneel in front of a bench and rest your elbows on it, shoulder-width apart, palms together.
- Keep your back flat and your knees under your hips.
- Breathe out and push your hips back so your chest sinks below the bench.
- Bend your elbows to bring your hands behind your head and hold for 30–45 seconds.
Cues
- Hips back, chest down.
- Keep your back flat.
- Tuck your chin slightly.
Common mistakes
- Arching your lower back: tighten your stomach and keep your ribs down.
- Letting your head drop: keep it in line with your arms.
- Elbows drifting apart: keep them shoulder-width and pressed into the bench.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Kneeling in front of a flat bench, elbows resting on the bench shoulder width apart, palms pressed together, sitting the hips back so the chest sinks below the bench, then bending the elbows so the hands drop towards the back of the head. This follows Physitrack's bench lat stretch (done there with a stick, here with palms together) and uses ACE's kneeling set-up and sit-back cue; the bent elbows add the triceps stretch listed for this exercise. ACE's straight-arm version (hands on the bench) is the easier option.
Starting position
Kneeling on a mat facing the long side or end of a flat bench (bench pad about 45 cm high), knees hip width apart, toes pointing back, knees about 60–70 cm from the bench edge. Hinge forward with a flat back and rest both elbows on the bench, shoulder width apart, forearms vertical, palms together. Knees under the hips, back flat, core braced.
The movement
Breathe out and push the hips back towards the heels while the elbows stay planted, so the chest and head sink below the level of the bench and the arms end up overhead in line with the torso. Bend the elbows further to bring the pressed palms back behind the head. Tuck the chin slightly so the head stays in line with the spine. Hold, then ease the hips forward to release. Elbows and knees do not move.
Breathing
Breathe out as you sit back; slow, deep breaths into the sides of the ribs in the hold.
Tempo
Real sets: hold 30–45 s, repeat 2–4 times.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Shoulder flexion about 160–175° at the end; upper arms beside the ears.
- Chest 5–15 cm below the bench top; back flat, no sagging or arching.
- Head in line with the spine, chin slightly tucked.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Kneeling Lat Stretch is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
