What are the lats called?

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The lats is called the latissimus dorsi. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a broad, flat, triangular muscle of the back.

Summary

The lats is called the latissimus dorsi. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a broad, flat, triangular muscle of the back.

What it is

  • A broad, flat, triangular muscle of the back.
  • Its name is Latin for 'broadest of the back'.
  • Pulls the arm downward and backward and rotates it inward.

Where it is

  • Covers the lower half of the back and wraps around the lower ribs.
  • Arises from the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, and iliac crest.
  • Inserts into the front of the humerus.

Sources

According to Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918, public domain):

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