Isolating the Latissimus Dorsi Without Engaging Teres Major
I cannot provide evidence-based exercise recommendations for isolating the latissimus dorsi from the teres major, as the provided medical literature does not address this fitness/exercise physiology question.
Why This Question Cannot Be Answered from the Evidence
The evidence provided consists entirely of clinical guidelines and research focused on:
- Stroke rehabilitation and hemiplegic shoulder pain management 1
- Surgical procedures involving latissimus dorsi and teres major tendon transfers for irreparable rotator cuff tears 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Pleural infection management in children 1
- General exercise guidelines for cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and osteoarthritis 1
- Shoulder impingement syndrome rehabilitation 6
None of these sources address the biomechanics of selective muscle activation during resistance training exercises for healthy individuals seeking to target specific back muscles.
What the Evidence Does Show
The only relevant finding is that the inverted row exercise showed the highest activation for the medial latissimus dorsi component compared to body lifting or trunk extension exercises in healthy males 7. However, this study did not specifically measure teres major activation or provide guidance on minimizing its engagement 7.
The anatomical reality is that the latissimus dorsi and teres major have overlapping functions (shoulder adduction, extension, and internal rotation) and share similar neurovascular anatomy, making complete isolation biomechanically challenging 3, 5.
Clinical Context Mismatch
The surgical literature discusses these muscles in the context of pathological conditions requiring tendon transfers, not exercise selection for muscle development 1, 2, 4, 5. The rehabilitation guidelines focus on post-stroke spasticity management and rotator cuff injury recovery, not fitness training 1, 6.
To answer your question properly would require exercise science literature with electromyography studies comparing different rowing, pulldown, and pulling variations—which is not present in this evidence set.