takeaway: By strengthening the latissimus dorsi, bodyworkers can improve posture, body strength, and range of motion.

Do you ever experience pain in the neck? Tight shoulders? Upper or mid-back discomfort? As bodyworkers, many of us walk away from our sessions with tension in these areas, and it’s common sense to stretch, massage, or otherwise release the usual suspect: the trapezius.
However, if you or your clients are experiencing neck, shoulder, or back pain, or even sinus and jaw tension, there may be an area of weakness you haven’t suspected yet. Consider the golden rule of pain according to Ida Rolf, founder of structural integration: “Where you think it is, it ain’t.”  And what if the skeleton key to unlock these upper body aches and pains is as simple as relaxing the trapezius by learning to engage the latissimus dorsi?
It’s time to give the trapezius a break from unnecessary pain and tension by instead learning to activate and strengthen the powerhouse of the latissimus dorsi. By turning on the latissimus dorsi, we free the trapezius from overworking and innervate the latissimi dorsi to do the work they were meant to do. In his superbly practical new book, Foundations for Health, Eric Goodman, DC, outlines the common reasons people experience pain and shares reliable practices to get out of pain. Goodman argues that “Pain is the price we pay for weak muscles.” Here, we share strategies to strengthen, lengthen, and activate the biggest and broadest muscle on your back, the latissimus dorsi.
The latissimus dorsi is the beautifully V-shaped muscle arising from the spine (T7 down to the L5 vertebra), extending down to the iliac crest via the thoracolumbar fascia, wrapping around the lower part of the scapulae and inserting into the humerus underneath the biceps. The latissimus dorsi extends, pulls together, and internally rotates the shoulder joint. It not only assists in scapular stability and movement but also acts as an accessory breathing muscle. It even plays a key role in both extension and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine. And because the latissimus dorsi attaches to the pelvis, Goodman and others argue it should be classified as a core muscle. All in all, your latissimi dorsi are huge and mighty muscles involved in pretty much every compound movement of your upper body—whether that be as a primary mover or stabilizer. The latissimi dorsi contribute to just about every push and pull we make with our arms and shoulders, and they support good posture and happy alignment.
It has been our experience that the body loves to move, especially in the ways it was designed to. If we learn to strengthen, lengthen, and regularly check in with the latissimus dorsi, we can create new patterns of alignment that diffuse pain and give a well-deserved respite to the overworked trapezius. You can start with a simple muscle relationship test.

Assess and Address the Latissimus Dorsi

Stand in front of the mirror, with your arms down by your sides and palms facing your body. Raise one or both arms out in front of you, extend overhead as far as possible, and then release back down. Now bring your arms straight out lateral and bring your biceps next to your ears, and then lower down. Can you perform this movement without lifting your shoulders up or tensing your trapezii? Watch and notice if and when your trapezii get involved with this simple range of motion.
If you notice your shoulders creeping up to your ears as you move your arms overhead, then try performing this exercise with an added cue to activate the latissimus dorsi. This time, slowly raise one or both arms out in front of you and overhead while you slide your armpits down to your side pockets. Or try bringing your arms out to the side and overhead while you slide your shoulder blades down to your back pockets. Practice 6–12 repetitions at the start of your day, between clients, and again at the end the day to retrain the latissimus dorsi to move without the trapezius leading the way.

Stretch the Latissimus Dorsi

Tabletop Wall Stretch. Stand about 2 feet away from and facing an open area of the wall. Place your palms flat on the wall shoulder-width apart, and your fingers pointing up toward the ceiling. With your hands pressing into the wall, hinge at your hips until your spine is approximately parallel to the ground with your arms straightened. Your body will begin to take on a tabletop shape. If this is too difficult, you can back off or take a less intense version by keeping your spine and hand positions at a higher inclined level. Hold for 30 seconds or three deep breaths and work up to 3 minutes. And remember, when you add stress to the body (as in a sustained stretch), you also begin to encourage the building of more collagen, and thereby more tensile strength in the area. Stretching has the bonus feature of both lengthening and strengthening muscles over time.

Cue the Latissimus Dorsi

Postural adjustments, coaching the breath, and other body cues help build awareness so new options and habits can come to life. Here are a few body cues and adjustments to try on throughout the day to stay in touch and gently nudge the latissimus dorsi to activate.
First, we recommend a “presencing” move. Pause, breathe, and notice. How do you feel and where do you feel it? Now, give your body your attention, and notice the position of your shoulders, ribs, and hips. Is there room to lower your ribs down and draw them in and back? Explore and see if you can combine these movements as you broaden your chest, drop your rib cage, and engage into your back. These are friendly ways to activate the latissimus dorsi over time. When at the massage table, a body cue that has revolutionized our ability to engage the latissimus dorsi and release unnecessary neck tension is to “squeeze your armpits down.” Like a mantra, repeat and practice: “Armpits down, release, armpits down, release, armpits down, release.” Repeat for three sets of three whenever you feel pain or tension in your shoulders or to offer your future shoulders some loving attention.
Now that you have your brain in your latissimus dorsi, you may find with each repetition and practiced body cue it becomes easier to connect and activate the largest muscle on your back. As bodyworkers, we can’t afford to ignore the latissimus dorsi any longer. A weakness there can leave us vulnerable to painful projects not only in the upper body but also in the hips and low back. The latissimi dorsi are powerful muscles that support us best when we actually use and rely on them. Activating and stretching these muscles is essential in building upper-body strength, improving range of motion, and preventing injury—with the added bonus of bigger and wider breaths, better posture, neck, jaw, and shoulder relief, and possibly the ability to perform a chin-up or more. Getting curious and active with pain and tension in our bodies is the first step in starting to resolve and dissolve the reoccurring stress habits we may be enduring.