# Kneeling Lat Stretch

A kneeling floor stretch for the lats and upper back. Your hips stay over your knees while both arms reach forward, so the stretch runs along the sides of your back rather than the lower back.

- Beginner · Mobility
- Equipment: 
- HD video: https://media.seto.fit/exercises/kneeling-lat-floor-stretch/video/male.mp4
- HTML: https://seto.fit/exercises/kneeling-lat-stretch/

## Muscles worked

- Lats: 8/10
- Teres major: 6/10
- Upper back: 4/10
- Triceps: 3/10

## How to do the Kneeling Lat Stretch

1. Begin on hands and knees, hands under shoulders, knees under hips.
2. Walk both hands forward, arms straight, palms flat on the floor.
3. Keep hips over knees and let your chest sink toward the floor.
4. Hold and breathe, then walk your hands back to kneeling.

### Full technique — 6 steps

1. Start on your hands and knees with knees under hips and hands under shoulders.
2. Walk both hands forward on the floor, keeping your palms flat and your arms straight.
3. Keep your hips over your knees as your hands move forward.
4. Let your chest and head sink toward the floor until you feel a stretch along your sides.
5. Relax your neck and breathe slowly, letting your chest sink a little further on each exhale.
6. Hold the position for time, then walk your hands back and return to kneeling.

## Common mistakes

- Sitting hips back toward heels
- Bending elbows to shorten the reach
- Shrugging shoulders toward ears
- Holding tension through the neck

## Form cues

- Reach long through fingertips
- Hips stay over knees
- Breathe into your back
- Relax your neck

## How much to do

- **Strength**: 2–3 sets of 20–30 reps · rest 20 s · 6 reps in reserve
- **Muscle growth**: 2–3 sets of 30–45 reps · rest 20 s · 5–6 reps in reserve
- **Endurance**: 2–3 sets of 30–60 reps · rest 15 s · 6 reps in reserve

Reps in reserve: how many more you could still do when you end the set.

## Where to start and where to go next

Same muscles, same movement. Too hard for now — step down; once it gets easy — step up.

- **This exercise: Kneeling Lat Stretch — Beginner**
- Harder: [Side Lying Stability Ball Lat Stretch](https://seto.fit/exercises/side-lying-stability-ball-lat-stretch/) — Beginner

## Quick answers

### What muscles does the Kneeling Lat Stretch work?

Primary: Lats 8/10. Also works: Teres major 6/10, Upper back 4/10, Triceps 3/10.

### When should I do the Kneeling Lat Stretch in a workout?

Warm-up. Done at the start to get the body ready. ≈ 3 min with rest.

### How many sets and reps of the Kneeling Lat Stretch?

Strength: 2–3 sets of 20–30 reps, rest 20 s, 6 reps in reserve. Muscle growth: 2–3 sets of 30–45 reps, rest 20 s, 5–6 reps in reserve. Endurance: 2–3 sets of 30–60 reps, rest 15 s, 6 reps in reserve.

### What is a harder version of the Kneeling Lat Stretch?

Side Lying Stability Ball Lat Stretch (Beginner).

How we rate exercises: https://seto.fit/guides/methodology/

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