Exercises that target the latissimus dorsi are staples of any good bodybuilding routine. Moves like the pulldown, the pullup, and the row—and their many variations—are essential for any guy trying to build back muscle. (That presumably means you.)

Surprisingly enough, though, lots of guys simply get lat exercises wrong—or if they do them correctly, they're simply not getting as much out of them as they could be. Here's how to make the most out of your lat exercises.

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1. When doing pulldowns, keep your torso upright and pull the bar as low on your torso as possible. Pretend you are pulling the bar toward your belt, not your chest. Too many times, people lean way back as they do this movement. Don't bother—you're just working your glutes, not your lats.

2. It’s not about moving the weight, it’s about making the muscles work, so make sure you don’t swing. As you swing backwards, you're using momentum to help move the weight. The other issue with leaning backward is the tendency to pull the bar right to your chest, which then engages more of your rear deltoids, resulting in less isolation on your lats.

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3. In the most simple terms, one of the functions of your lats is to help pull your arms down toward your sides. To get a good visual for the plane of movement is to imagine a jumping jack. With that in mind, put your focus on the path of your elbows, not your hands. A mental trick is to imagine your hands and forearms only as hooks that hold the bar. As the bar goes up, your elbows are going to move away from your body, and as the bar comes down they will go toward your body. The lower you pull the bar, the closer your elbows get to your sides. The more range of motion, the greater the muscle activation, the more muscle development.

4. When doing a row, make sure to keep your elbows tight to your body to get that proper arm extension. If you bring your elbows out, you are going to engage more of your rear deltoids. Like the pulldown, bring the bar to your belt, not your chest. Careful using a reverse grip, since it allows your biceps to assist in the motion, putting less focus on the lats.

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5. Another great lat exercise is the bar row or dumbbell row, and tip applies to both: Besides pulling your arms towards your sides, your lats also pull your arms down and back. A good way to visualize the movement: using both hands to close the trunk of your car. This definitely over-simplifies the motion, but it should give you a picture, and emphasizes why you should not swing backward to complete even heavy reps.

Everyone has their go-to's when it comes to cocktails—vodka soda, whiskey sour, a martini—but it's always a good idea to shake free of your comfort zone once in a while.

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This summer drink combines bourbon with tarragon and serrano pepper for a boozy treat that's unlike anything you've ever had.

Add all ingredients to blender with a cup of ice, and process until smooth.

This two-ingredient chicken dish is a perfect weeknight meal providing a whopping 34 grams of protein. If you’re buying bottled salsa, check the nutrition facts panel to ensure you’re buying the one with the least amount of sugar and sodium. Better yet, whip up your own salsa so you can control the ingredients.

Nutrition Information (per serving)

Calories: 208; Total Fat: 4 grams; Saturated Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 34 grams: Carbohydrates: 9 grams; Sugar: 5 grams; Fiber: 2 grams; Cholesterol: 103 milligrams; Sodium: 977 milligrams

Recipe and photo by Dixya Bhattara, R.D., of Food, Pleasure and Health.

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Arrange chicken on a baking pan then generously pour salsa all it.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink on the inside. Let it cool for little bit then shred it using forks.

The bachelor's greatest struggle is finding a recipe that's both easy to make and healthy for you, but we've got you covered. This six-ingredient chicken dish has zero grams of carbs and plenty of muscle-building protein. Better yet, it's supremely easy to make, but it has an impressively tasty payoff.

Recipe and photo by Dana Angelo White, M.S. R.D., A.T.C.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place rosemary in the bottom of a baking dish. Place chicken pieces on top; drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and then season with salt and pepper.

Roast chicken for 45 to 55 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Dwayne Johnson is the highest-paid actor in the world. He’s also one of the most shredded.

The Rock may not have much time to sleep between shooting major movies like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Baywatch, and Rampage, not to mention his TV work (the HBO series Ballers) and YouTube videos (via his Seven Bucks Productions digital channel). He also, y'know, works out a ton.

But no matter how busy he is, Johnson certainly makes time to eat. (He also really loves his cheat meals—including one with French toast and apple pie.)

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Johnson fuels his gains and makes sure he has the size he needs for his film roles by sometimes eating up to 5,000 calories per day. That can change depending on the movie role, but, either way, Johnson is all about eating right and getting the right amount of protein.

Johnson shared one of his favorite meals with his fans on social media, preparing to get a day off for the first time in “weeks.” The superstar actor chowed down on “spinach salad, baked potato, and a big sexy hunk of dead cow.”

 

Just past midnight. Saturday. DJ time. Spinach salad, baked potato, double shot of tequila, movies on my Mac and a big sexy hunk of dead cow. Been workin' for weeks without a day off so this Saturday night celebrating my one day off tomorrow (Sunday) was a long time coming. Enjoy your weekend my friends and make sure you're finding your balance. And dead cow. #DJTime #AwayFromTheMadness #Moo ?

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Jun 25, 2017 at 7:44am PDT

Muscle & Fitness broke down Johnson’s diet, which sometimes can consist of up to seven meals per day, including portions of steak, cod, chicken, salmon, rice, vegetables, and potatoes.

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If you’re looking to fuel up and eat right like Johnson, check out our gallery of recipes from Men’s Fitness that would fit right in with The Rock’s meal plan.

Eiza González may not be a household name in the U.S. just yet, but trust us—she will be soon.

The stunning actress and talented singer already has a well-established career in the Mexican television and film industry. And thanks to a starring role in the critically acclaimed Baby Driver, she's guaranteed to make one hell of an entrance into the American market.

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Along with her name, she's got a face you won't want to forget either. Here are 15 photos that prove it.

Everybody needs a break from the weights. You can't expect to build muscle and burn fat without allowing your body to recover and repair—and those who think otherwise are making a huge mistake.

But, if you're following something like our total-body Redemption Plan, you still want to be as aggressive as possible, while being smart about it at the same time. That's the thinking behind this bodyweight, core-focused workout.

It's a solid challenge to your body, but it's not as exhausting as deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. You're only going to work through between 5–10 rounds (depending on your ability), but you'll get a tremendous pump while elevating your heart rate and metabolism for the fat-burning effect.

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The workout

Complete 5-10 rounds of the following as quickly as possible:

1. Pushups

Reps: 10

2. Pullups

Reps: 10

3. Situps

Reps: 10

4. Hip Thrusts

Reps: 10

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Follow Mike Simone on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

It's that time of year again when elite athletes let it all hang out for ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue.

The ninth edition of the famous roundup of tastefully posed nude athletes doesn't hit ESPN.com until July 5, but The Worldwide Leader has already released a behind-the-scenes video and the issue's star-studded roster. The Body Issue is meant to show that "athletic" isn't limited to one body type, and that every athlete has a story.

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A total of 23 athletes will be featured in the issue, including tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, professional softball player A.J. Andrews, and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who already shared one of his shots on Instagram:

 

ESPN Body Issue 2017

A post shared by Ezekiel Elliott (@ezekielelliott) on Jun 26, 2017 at 5:03am PDT

The issue features athletes from a variety of sports, including Olympic figure skater Ashley Wagner, Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, and UFC fighter Michelle Waterson.

Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs infielder and World Series Champion, also shared a photo from the issue on his Instagram:

 

Every body has a story #espnbodyissue #shotoniphone7 #portraitmode #JB9 #ElMago #TeamBaez #VoteBaez

A post shared by Javier Báez (@javy23baez) on Jun 20, 2017 at 8:06am PDT

The list goes on, including two NHL players, six members of the U.S. women's national hockey team, and the husband-and-wife team of Zach Ertz (who plays tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles) and Julie Ertz (who plays for the U.S. women's national soccer team and the Chicago Red Stars).

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The full roster was posted on ESPN's Instagram on Sunday:

 

Your 2017 Body Issue athletes are...

A post shared by espn (@espn) on Jun 25, 2017 at 7:14am PDT

The behind-the scenes feature gives us a glimpse of the photoshoots and personal interviews, where athletes get serious about their stories and their motivation.

Check out the video below to go behind-the-scenes of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, which will be on ESPN.com on July 5 and hit newsstands on July 7.

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