weight training for lats

ive been doing weight training excercises for several weeks now and wonder about chest routine for the lats.  ive set up a very simple gym in the basement and have used a pulley system along with dumbells.  i have flab on the side of my chest and im hoping theres some excercise to try and improve that.( i'm also on a weight loss routine too, with about 40 more lbs to lose) any suggestions or help will be much appreciated  thanks

Spot reducing is not possible. The only way to reduce flab anywhere on your body is by lowering your body fat %. I wish this wasn't true because I have lost fat everywhere on my body but my love handles and stomach. Apparently "first in, last out" is the story. The first place you put on weight is the last place to lose it. This is true with me. I started noticing love handles and flab on my stomach 8 years ago right out of high school and still have it. My ass got bigger recently in the past year. Since I've lost weight, my ass is gone. I work out each part of my body somewhat equally and all has been true. Do a search for spot reducing in the forums and most people will say the same.

i am interested in finding out any excercise routines for that specific area of the chest.  i havebeen doing the straight presses and inclines and butterflies, but i havent "felt" any thing for my side...and was just asking for some excercises for that....i know my gut will be the last thing to go...lol...but ill keep plugging along

The side of your torso, under your arm or the side of pectoral?

This link will help you with your chest.

http://exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ChestWt.html#anc hor1154604

Any kind of pull ups will work out your lats.  I feel it most when I place my hands on the bar a bit wider than shoulder width.

 Good Luck

the side of my torso under the arms.....thanks

This area would be your Latissimus Dorsi & Teres Major. Pull-downs would be ideal for your lats. I do Front pull-downs one week and then Back Pull-downs the next. However, you stated that you do not have much equipment so you must do pull-ups or chin-ups. I would suggest using different grips each week. Week 1 - wide overhand grip, week 2 - underhand close grip (elbows lined up with sides), Week 3 rear pull-up front grip (behind head). THis will allow you to hit that muscle in different angles to improve your results. Throw one ankle over the other for stability. You should do just as many reps as you would any other muscle, 8-12 reps. If you find that its not enough weight, hang a weight from your waist. I personally am a skinny guy and I can't do very many so good luck.

Try Pendlay rows as well. And chinups/pullups/wide-grip pullups are better overall exercises than pulldowns - they occupy the same "king exercise" spot for upper body as squats do for lower body work.

 Though if you're a bicep monster like me chinups are mostly a bicep exercise you're still getting a back workout - unless you're strong enough to curl your entire bodyweight :)

 Do you have a specific workout program you're following, or are you working to your own schedule?

thanks for the responses...i have been winging  it with what ive been suggested to do.  i go every other day working my chest shoulders back and arms and the rest day i just ride the bike and the elliptical.  i have set up a cable system in the basement for some excercises and also use the dumbells  and an "olympic" bar.  i do 3 sets of 12-15 and push the limit on the third set sometime making only 8-10 reps.  im an old guy (56) who is trying to change some past  bad lifestyle stuff and this site has been pretty helpful.  ive lost 100 lbs but still need to go another 40 or so...i never thought i'd be doing weights, but then again i never thought i would be running either......lol........

i just looked at the videos of this pendlay row.....why do they let the weights hit the ground and rest for the second or so?  and why only 4-6 reps?

 Pendlay rows are an explosive exercise like olympic snatches, cleans, and cleand&jerk, designed to train explosive power. As such you set down the bar and let go the grip to deload the bar and make sure you don't have any momentum or muscle tension left between reps.

 The trick is to pull explosively, moving the bar as fast as you can. In the original Rippetoe starting strength program the exercise performed was the Power Clean, but that one you need in-person coaching to get right.

 Pendlay rows are easier to perform correctly without in-person instruction - for a detailed discussion read this Kethnaab post from bodybuilding.com.

 Like cleans, the Pendlay rows are a highly technical lift and your perfomance and form starts to suffer after just a few reps on the technically demanding lifts - so it's better to terminate the set early while you're still doing it right.

Widen the grip on your bench press

thanks...