15 Best Upper Back Exercises For Maximum Mass and Strength Gains

I’m an experienced ACE personal trainer. As such, I spend a lot of my time writing strength training programs. In fact, it’s one of my favorite parts of my job. Creating workouts gives me a lot of satisfaction, and I love knowing that I’m helping my clients achieve their fitness and body composition goals. 

I typically include at least two different back exercises in all my pulling workouts. This can sometimes raise a few eyebrows. After all, aren’t lat pulldowns or pull-ups enough to build a bigger, stronger back? 

I’ve found that vertical pulling exercises like pull-ups and pulldowns are great for the lats but less effective for the upper back. In other words, they build width, but not thickness. This can cause issues with both aesthetics and function. 

Because of this, my back workouts always include vertical AND horizontal pulling exercises. That way, my clients develop their backs from all the angles. This improves back shape and function. 

In this article, I share my favorite upper back exercises for thickness and strength. 

Which Muscles Make Up The Upper Back?

Your upper back consists of several important muscles. Some are quite large, while others are much smaller. Some are barely considered to be back muscles at all. While you don’t need to know the names of all these muscles, a basic understanding of back muscle anatomy can be useful. 

The main muscles that make up your upper back are: 

Rhomboids

The rhomboids consist of major and minor muscles, which sit under the trapezius muscle and make up the shoulder girdle. The major is quadrangular shaped and located inferior to the minor. Both work together to retract the scapula to the vertebral column while also elevating and depressing the scapula.

Trapezius

The trapezius or traps is a large, flat, diamond-shaped muscle that covers much of your upper back. It comprises three sets of fibers, each with different functions. These are: 

• Upper traps – responsible for elevation of the shoulder girdle 
• Middle traps – work with the rhomboids to retract the shoulder girdle 
• Lower traps – responsible for shoulder girdle depression 

Levator Scapulae

The levator scapulae is a small muscle that starts from the neck, attaches to the scapula, and helps elevate the scapula.

Posterior Deltoids 

While not strictly a back muscle, the posterior deltoids work with your upper back muscles and contribute to upper back thickness. Located on the back of your shoulders, they’re also critical for better posture. 

Upper Back Activation Drills

A lot of exercisers complain that they cannot feel their upper back muscles working. This is because they lack the necessary mind-muscle connection to control these muscles correctly. The good news is that this can be remedied with some muscle activation drills. 

Muscle activation drills help wake up and prepare muscle fibers for strength training. The benefits of muscle activation drills include:

• Increases neuromuscular efficiency by reinforcing the connection between the target muscle fiber and sensory nerves.
• Preparing the muscle fibers and joints for weight training, hence reducing the chances of injuries.
• Enjoy superior muscle pump; muscle activation drills also warm up the muscle fibers and activate them by diverting blood toward them.
• Improves joint mobility before training.

Here are three exercises to activate your upper back before a workout: 

1. Prisoner Shoulder Rotation

Prisoner rotation is a great exercise to activate your upper back, including rhomboids, posterior delts, and traps.

Here is how to do the prisoner shoulder rotation:

1. Lie face down on the floor.
2. Retract your shoulder blades to lift your upper body a few inches off the ground.
3. Start with your hands on the lower back overlapping each other.
4. Make sure your shoulder blades are retracted.
5. Start with palms facing the ceiling.
6. In one motion, extend your elbows, raise your arms straight overhead and then behind your head.
7. Return to the starting position by following the same path while keeping the shoulder blades retracted.

Rep range: 15-20 reps

Pro tip: Keep the tempo slow and controlled.

2. Banded Pull-Apart

This is a great exercise for people with shoulder pain or bad posture. You are going to need a resistance band for this exercise.

How to do it:

1. Grab the resistance band with both hands using an overhand grip.
2. Extend your arms in front of you to make them parallel to the floor.
3. Pull the band apart while keeping your arms straight.
4. You should feel the contraction in your shoulder blades.
5. Perform ten reps.
6. Now change the grip to underhand.
7. Again, pull apart the band while pinching your shoulder blades and keeping your arms straight.
8. Do it for another ten reps.

Rep range: 10-15 reps for two sets.

Pro tip: You can anchor the band to the power rack and now do the same ‘pull apart’ with both arms. You should be able to feel a better contraction in your upper back.

3. Hanging Scapula Shrug

The hanging scapula shrug is a great exercise to strengthen scapula retraction. It is a regression of the conventional pull-up.

Here is how to do it:

1. Grab the chin-up bar with an overhand grip. Place your hands a little wider than shoulder width.
2. Without flexing the elbows, pull the scapula down. Hold the contraction for a couple of seconds.
3. Return to the starting position.
4. Perform 10-12 reps.

Rep range: 10 reps for two sets.

Pro tip: Focus on the tempo; it should be slow and controlled.

15 Best Upper Back Exercises

Looking for the best exercises to target your upper back? Then you have come to the right place. Based on my research and extensive personal experience, these are the 15 best exercises for building a stronger, more muscular upper back!

1. Inverted Row

Also known as the Australian pull-up, the inverted row is an accessible and effective upper-back exercise. You can do it using a barbell in a squat rack or Smith machine, gymnastic rings or a suspension trainer, or any other waist-high handle or bar you can find. This is one of my favorite upper-back exercises, and my clients love it, too! 

How to do it:

1. Set the barbell at around waist level.
2. Get underneath the barbell and grab it with an overhand grip. Your hands should be shoulders width apart. Extend your arms.
3. Pull your shoulders down and back to engage the target muscles. Brace your core. Your body should be in a straight line at the starting position.
4. Bend your elbows to pull yourself towards the bar. Your chest should touch the bar at the top.
5. Hold the contraction for two seconds before slowly returning to the starting position.

Pro tip: Alternate between wide, neutral, and narrow grips to target the back from different angles. A narrow grip will emphasize more on the mid-trapezius, and a wider grip will emphasize more on the rear delts.

Benefits:

• The inverted row is a compound exercise that targets multiple muscle groups. It will also improve core stability and muscle coordination.
• It’s a beginner-friendly workout that can help you gain upper body strength.
• For people who can’t do the bodyweight pull-up, the inverted row is a great exercise to work towards your first pullup.

Target muscles: Trapezius, rhomboid, lats, and rear delts.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: AMRAP (as many reps as possible)

Difficulty: Beginner

Progressions: Weighted inverted pulls, feet-elevated inverted rows, single-arm inverted rows 

2. Standing One-Arm High Cable Row

The standing one-arm high row may be the best standing cable exercise for targeting the upper back. It’s a unilateral movement, which means you’re working each side at a time which is beneficial for preventing and correcting imbalances. 

How to do it:

1. Set a cable pulley to the highest setting and attach a D-handle bar.
2. Then, grip the handle in your left hand and assume a staggered stance with your right leg behind the right.
3. Pull the handle to your side until your elbow is behind your torso. Simultaneously twist to the left and squeeze your lats. Exhale during this portion of the exercise.
4. Return to the starting position. Inhale during this portion of the exercise.
5. Complete the ideal number of reps and then repeat the exercise with your right arm. But this time, place your left foot in front and right foot behind.

Pro Tip: Feel free to bend forward slightly to better engage your lats.

Benefits:

• Unilateral movements can help correct muscle and strength imbalances.
• This exercise makes your core work harder to stabilize your torso.

Target muscles: Rhomboids, erector spinae, trapezius, latissimus dorsi.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-15 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Bird-Dog row

3. I-Y-T Row

The I-Y-T row is one of the more unconventional back exercises, but research shows superior muscle activation in the middle and lower trapezius with this movement. In fact, this exercise beats out many of the most common back exercises during electromyographic testing, which determines the degree of muscle activation in a muscle. [1]. 

However, this is not an exercise for building strength – it doesn’t work well with heavy weights. Instead, go light and really focus on your mind-muscle connection for the best results. 

How to do it:

1. In your chosen position, while holding a dumbbell or plate in each hand, retract your scapula and raise both arms directly up in front of you until the dumbbells reach just above shoulder height. Lower your arms back down to the starting position.
2. Raise both arms to form a ‘Y’ and then lower them back down.
3. Raise your arms to form a ‘T’ and return them to the starting position.

Pro tip: Do with lightweight dumbbells and control the momentum.

Benefits:

• Isolates upper back for better mind-muscle connection.
• Unique exercise that strengthens stabilizer muscles present around rotator cuffs.

Target muscles: Traps, rear delts, rotator cuff muscles, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-15 reps

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Incline I-Y-T raises

4. Bent-Over Row

The bent-over row is a superior exercise that works the back muscles from top to bottom and side to side. [2][1] However, doing this exercise with too much weight or poor form can lead to injury. So, with that in mind, avoid going too heavy too soon, don’t round your lower spine, and make sure you pull the bar to your chest and lead with your elbows to target your upper back muscles. 

How to do it:

1. Grab the loaded barbell with an overhand grip.
2. Bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward until it is almost parallel to the floor.
3. Keep the back straight and elbows close to the body while you row the barbell towards your body.
4. Hold the contraction for a second before returning to the starting position.
5. Repeat for 10-12 reps.

Pro tip: Choose your grip wisely. The overhand grip will let you emphasize more on the upper back, and the underhand grip emphasizes more on the lats and arms.

Benefits:

• It’s an excellent compound exercise that targets the whole posterior chain.
• It helps in building strength.
• Improves back strength and hypertrophy.

Target muscles: Lats, mid and lower trapezius, rhomboids, rear delts.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 8-12 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Yates row, Pendlay row 

5. Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown is a popular latissimus dorsi exercise, so it’s good for building upper back width. However, it also targets the lower traps, and when you pull the bar toward your chest, it hits your mid and upper back, too. As such, this is a very time-efficient back exercise. 

How to do it:

1. Grab the bar with an overhand grip and get into a seated position.
2. Retract your shoulder blades and tilt back slightly to get ready for the pulldown.
3. While keeping the elbows slightly forward, pull the bar down towards your chest.
4. Control the negatives to experience greater hypertrophy benefits.

Pro tip: Perform fast concentric and slow eccentric motion.

Benefits:

• Lat pull-down is a great exercise for those who can’t do bodyweight pull-ups.
• Targets the lats and upper back simultaneously 
• Improves body posture.

Target muscles: Lats, lower traps.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-12
• Strength: 1-5

Difficulty: Beginner

Progression: Neutral grip lat pulldown, pull-ups

6. Seated Row

The seated cable row is another popular exercise and viable option for working the upper back muscles effectively. Not to mention, you can get away with moving a lot of weight in this exercise to contribute to your mass and strength gains progress. The seated row is also a good exercise for practicing scapular retraction in the upright position, which simulates a proper, erect body position for better posture. 

How to do it:

1. Sit on the seated row machine and place your feet on the foot platform.
2. Bend the knees slightly to bring the torso to an upright position.
3. Grab the bar with an overhand or neutral grip without rounding the back.
4. Pull your shoulder blade inward.
5. Flex at your elbows to pull the bar close to the body.
6. Squeeze the contraction for a second.
7. Return to the starting position.

Pro tip: Avoid using momentum to pull the bar; keep your torso straight to let the back muscles do all the pulling. 

Benefits:

• It’s a beginner-friendly compound movement that trains almost the whole back.
• Seated rows put less pressure on the lower back and also encourage good body posture.

Target muscles: Lats, mid traps, teres major, teres minor, rhomboids.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-15 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Beginner

Progression: Single-hand seated row

7. Seal Row

Bent-over rows are an excellent way to work your upper back, but they also put a lot of stress on the lower back. This can be a real problem for some exercisers, especially those suffering from lower back pain. Seal rows take your lower back out of the equation, leaving you free to focus on working your upper back. This exercise is also all but cheat-proof! 

How to do it:

1. Lie face down on a bench so your feet are hanging off the opposite end.
2. Grip the weight so that your hands are wider than shoulder width.
3. Pull the weight to your lower chest (sternum area) and contract your back muscles.
4. Return the weight back down until it touches the floor or comes just short.
5. Keep your head slightly up or more neutral based on whichever is more comfortable for you.

* If you want to focus on concentric strength, let the weight touch the floor for a second or two between each repetition.

Pro tip: Squeeze your back with every rep and let the bar touch the floor for maximum stretch.

Benefits:

• Relieves pressure from the lower back.
• Isolates the whole upper back.
• Excellent workout to add size and strength to the back.

Target muscles: Traps, lats, posterior delts, and rhomboids.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 8-12 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Intermediate

Regression: Inverted row

8. Face Pull

The face pull is another of my all-time favorite upper back exercises. I often prescribe a set of face pulls between bench presses to ensure equal muscular development. They strengthen and build your rear delts, traps, and rhomboid muscles and help improve posture while teaching you to maintain scapular retraction. In short, they should be at the top of your to-do list on upper back day! 

How to do it:

1. Set the pully to around your chest height.
2. Grab the rope with an overhand grip, and take a couple of steps back.
3. Make sure your shoulder blades are retracted.
4. Brace your core to pull the rope towards your face while flaring your elbows.
5. Squeeze those shoulder blades together while keeping the elbows high.
6. Return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for reps.

Pro tip: Make sure the elbows are always positioned higher than your wrist to feel a better contraction in your upper back.

Benefits:

• Creates a well-defined upper back.
• It improves scapular stability.

Target muscles: It isolates your traps but also strengthens teres major, teres minor, and posterior delts.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-15 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Half-kneeling face pull

9. Pull-Up

Like lat pulldowns, pull-ups are mostly considered to be a lat exercise. However, if you lead with your chest and retract your shoulders, they’ll also hit your upper back. However, needless to say, this requires a significant amount of strength and is only possible if you already have a strong, well-developed upper back. Consequently, this is an exercise for experienced lifters. 

How to do it:

1. Grab a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
2. Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core. 
3. Exhale and pull your chest towards the bar as high as possible.
4. Lower yourself while breathing in.
5. Repeat for recommended reps.

Pro tip: If you find it difficult to pull yourself up, use resistance bands to assist your pull-ups. Practicing inverted rows will also help your pull-up strength. 

Benefits:

• One of the greatest upper-body strengthening movements that require only your body weight.
• You can do a pull-up anywhere: at home, at the gym, or at the park.

Target muscles: Traps, posterior delts, lats, teres major, and biceps. 

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: AMRAP

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Weighted pull-up

10. Modified Shrug (Scapular Upward Rotation and Arm Abduction)

The shrug is undoubtedly the king of trap exercises. That said, there is a right way and a wrong way to do them.  Research shows that performing a shrug with an upward rotation of the scapula elicits more muscle activity in the upper and lower trapezius muscles compared to just elevating the scapula. [3] To that end, here is how to do shrugs so you emphasize those all-important upper traps. 

How to do it:

1. Take a hip-width stance and grip the bar just outside your shoulders.
2. Unrack the bar while maintaining a neutral spine and look straight ahead.
3. Engage a little bit of scapular retraction, then flex your glutes and core muscles.
4. Lean just slightly forward (about 10 degrees) by hinging at your hips.
5. Shrug the weight while lifting your arms out to the sides at about 30 degrees for optimal upward rotation, and you can even bend your elbows a little bit more to get a bigger contraction in your traps.
6. Squeeze your traps for a second and lower the weight while making sure to maintain a good posture with slight retraction of the shoulder blades for optimal movement and safety.

Pro tip: Control the eccentric movement and focus on contracting the target muscles.

Benefits:

• Builds and strengthens mid-traps.

Target muscles: Mid traps and grip.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-12 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Rack pull

11. Meadows Row

The Meadows row is named after late bodybuilder and coach John Meadows. It is a unilateral rowing movement that targets the upper back. Performed with a T-bar or in a landmine setup, this exercise will hit your upper back from a unique angle, making it ideal for plateau busting and overcoming training ruts. 

How to do it:

1. Connect a barbell to a landmine attachment or wedge it in a corner.
2. Assume a staggered stance and bend forward until your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
3. Maintain a slight arch in the back.
4. Grab the end of the barbell with an overhand grip.
5. Retract your shoulder blades and drive your elbows behind the body while squeezing your back.
6. Slowly return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Pro Tip: Use a resistance band on the bar for variable resistance throughout the motion.

Benefits:

• It’s an excellent unilateral movement that strengthens the upper back.
• Provides a deep stretch in your upper back.
• Meadows row is a great anti-rotational exercise that improves core stability.

Target muscles: Rear delts, traps, and lats.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-12 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Advance

Progression: Chest-supported row

12. Elevated Plank Row

The elevated plank row is a functional unilateral exercise that improves core stability while targeting traps, rhomboids, posterior delts, and lats. This is a challenging exercise, and perfect for more experienced lifters. As an added benefit, it makes light dumbbells feel really heavy, so it’s ideal for home workouts, too. 

How to do it:

1. Get into a low plank position while keeping your elbows on a bench.
2. Grab a dumbbell in one hand.
3. Pull the dumbbell to your side by contracting your shoulder blades. Keep the working elbow close to the body for better back contraction.
4. Complete eight reps before switching sides.

Pro tip: Try not to rotate the torso while performing single-hand dumbbell rows.

Benefits:

• Strengthens your core.
• Improves core stabilization and muscle coordination.
• A challenging exercise for more experienced lifters. 

Target muscle: Core, trapezius, rhomboid, posterior delts, lats, and arms. 

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-12 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Dumbbell renegade row  

13. Dumbbell Reverse Fly

As I mentioned in the anatomy section of this article, the rear deltoids are part of your upper back despite technically being a shoulder muscle. As such, it makes sense to target them directly with isolation or single-joint exercises. The dumbbell reverse fly is a low-tech but high-effect exercise for your posterior deltoids, mid-traps, and rhomboids. 

How to do it:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells with a pronated grip.
2. Slightly bend your knees and hinge at your hips so that your torso is almost parallel to the ground.
3. Let your hands hang towards the ground with a slight bend in elbows.
4. Contract your scapula and spread your arms to your sides without flexing your elbows.
5. Contract your rear delts before returning to the starting position.
6. Repeat for recommended reps.

Pro Tip: Hold the contraction for two seconds before you lower down the dumbbell.

Benefits:

• Develop well-defined shoulders.
• An excellent exercise for better posture and balanced shoulders. 

Target muscles: Rhomboid, mid traps, and posterior delts.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-12 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Intermediate

Progression: Bent-over cable rear delt raise  

14. Chest-Supported T-bar Row

T-bar rows are something of a bodybuilding staple. They’re a popular lat exercise that many lifters perform regularly. However, the unsupported version can be hard on the lower back. The chest-supported variation is much lower-back-friendly, and using a wide grip maximizes upper-back engagement. In my experience, this is the best option when you want to train your upper back more than your lats or lower back. 

How to do it:

1. Grab the bar with an overhand grip.
2. Keep the elbows wide for better upper back activation. You can keep the elbows close to the body if you want to emphasize more on lat development.
3. Exhale as you pull the bar towards your body and hold the contraction for a couple of seconds.
4. Return to the starting position using a slow and controlled motion.
5. Repeat for recommended reps.

Pro Tip: Slow down the tempo, follow three seconds of eccentric motion, and pause for two seconds at peak contraction.

Benefits:

• Chest-supported rows reduce lower back strain.
• Works well with the drop sets or super sets.

Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, posterior deltoid, rhomboids.

Best rep range:

• Hypertrophy: 10-12 reps
• Strength: 1-5 reps

Difficulty: Beginner

Progression: Single-arm dumbbell row

15. Farmer’s Carry

The farmer’s carry is a very unconventional upper-back exercise. However, it’s one of the best movements for adding slabs of muscle to your upper back. As you walk, you’ll need to engage your upper traps and rhomboids to stabilize your shoulder girdle. You’ll also challenge your grip. All in all, this is a very functional upper-body exercise. 

How to do it:

1. Grab a heavy dumbbell in each hand.
2. Pull back your scapula, brace your core, and straighten your spine before lifting the dumbbells.
3. Begin walking while keeping your chest up, shoulders retracted, and core engaged.
4. Walk for the desired time or distance.

Pro Tip: Keep the shoulders retracted, and the core braced. 

Benefits:

• Develop a monstrous upper back with the farmer’s walk.
• It strengthens the grip and forearms. Those who struggle with grip strength should regularly practice the dumbbell farmer’s walk.
• Farmer’s walk will enhance core stabilization and improve your deadlift and squat performance.

Target muscle: Shoulders, upper back, arms, quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core.

Intensity range:

• Light day: long distance (100 meters)
• Medium day: med distance (40-50 meters)
• Heavy day: short distance (10-20 meters)

Difficulty: Beginner

Progression: Single-hand farmer’s walk, overhead walk, bear hug

How To Get More From Your Upper Back Workouts 

Training the back is a little more complicated than other muscle groups. Your back contains muscle fibers positioned vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Therefore, you must train the back from different angles to maximize hypertrophy.

Muscle positioning makes it really important to incorporate horizontal and vertical pulling in the back routine. Vertical pulling exercises help build back width, and horizontal pulls improve back thickness.

Here are a few key tips to enhance your upper back training quality:

1. Establish a stronger mind-muscle connection 
2. Slowing down the rep tempo
3. Performing pause reps

1. Establish a stronger mind-muscle connection

You cannot build a muscle you cannot feel working. A stronger mind-muscle connection will make every rep and set you to perform more effectively. Can’t feel your upper back working? Here are a couple of tips to reconnect your mind with your muscles: 

1) Wake up the supporting muscles: Get your upper back working by tensing the muscles you are about to train. You can use the muscle activation exercises listed at the start of this article, or simply flex like a bodybuilder until you feel your back muscles working. Isometrics are also an effective option. 

2) Start with lightweight and high-reps: The first set of every exercise should be focused on activating the muscle and not hitting a PR. Choose a light weight and perform a higher number of reps until you start to feel the burn in the target area. Whether it’s lat pull-down, bent-over rows, dumbbell shrugs, or rear-delt flies, you should always start with a light weight and high reps. 

2. Slow down the rep tempo

Many times lifters use momentum to complete a repetition, which is why they can’t feel optimal muscle activation. Slowing down the rep tempo increases the time under tension, resulting in greater muscle fiber recruitment. Three seconds of concentric and three seconds of eccentric movement can work great to optimize performance. Additionally, slowing down the tempo also helps the lifter avoid cheat reps.

3. Incorporate pause reps

There are hundreds of ways to make your training harder, but pause rep is a technique that improves the quality of the lift. Many lifters depend on momentum to complete the reps, especially while lifting heavy.

When you pause at the bottom of a movement, you eliminate momentum and allow your muscles to do maximum work.

Example: While doing pull-ups, many lifters try to do as many reps as possible without a pause. However, most end up using momentum to get through the reps. If you pause at the start of each rep, you’ll remove momentum from each rep. And, if you pause mid-way, you’ll engage the target muscles more, and extend your time under tension. In short, paused reps make your workout harder and more challenging. 

The Benefits of A Strong Upper Back

The upper back muscles play a big role in many functions. They’re critical for maintaining good posture, pulling (e.g., deadlift and other movements), and scapular stability during heavy lifts. That’s why incorporating upper back exercises is so valuable for your overall training progress, performance in any aspect, and general day-to-day functions/activities.

So one example is when you deadlift, and you have to be able to maintain scapular retraction to not only protect your back but also effectively assist in the pull upward.

You simply could not pull heavy weights safely and effectively without adequate scapular control and strong upper back muscles.

But having that scapular stability and control is essential for controlling your big lifts, too, because if you don’t have a stable base, you lose the effectiveness of the movement.

And posture is another big reason why we need to strengthen this area because it’s becoming a bigger problem due to technology and sedentary lifestyles. This is the reason behind all the new information and concern about the undesirable effects of bad posture.

Constantly looking down and moving your neck forward while having an arched back when engaged in certain activities (or no activities) not only strains the neck and back muscles, it causes pain and weaker muscles, and increases your risk for injury. Plus, it can also cause a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome.

This results when your nerves and blood vessels between your collarbone and first rib are compressed. And this can cause numbness in your fingers along with pain in your neck and shoulders.

You definitely don’t want to encounter this issue, as it’ll severely put a damper on your progress and health. So, take preventative measures while you can, especially if you have a bad posture and tend to do a lot of pressing movements without a healthy balance of pulling exercises.

As for the forward head posture issue, the human head can be pretty heavy. It weighs 10 plus pounds. Leaning forward all day can place a lot of stress not only on the surrounding muscles but also on the spine.

Research also shows that it affects respiratory function. [4]

So, utilizing pulling movements such as upper back exercises mentioned in this article can be very beneficial for your overall health.

Wrapping Up

The upper back should be your focus if you plan to maximize your lifts and posterior chain-related issues. Although many of the exercises on our list are well-known to work the entire back to a degree, it’s important to know which ones are best for shifting more of the focus to one area.

Sure, your big lifts are great for strengthening the scapular area and forging a good posture, but that’s not the case for everyone. Focusing on upper back exercises that are proven to target this area effectively should be a part of everyone’s back workout routine.

References:

1. By Holly Edelburg, B.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Clayton Camic, Ph.D., Attila Kovacs, Ph.D., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Daniel J. Green. ACE-SPONSORED RESEARCH: What Is the Best Back Exercise.
2. Chad M J Fenwick, Stephen H M Brown, S M McGill. Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Mar;23(2):350-8. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181942019. PMID: 19197209
3. Pizzari T, Wickham J, Balster S, Ganderton, Watson L. Modifying a shrug exercise can facilitate the upward rotator muscles of the scapula. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2014 Feb;29(2):201-5. Doi: 1016/j.clinbiomech.2013.11.011. Epub 2013 Nov 26. PMID: 24342452
4. Koseki T, Kakizaki F, Hayashi S, Nishida N, and Itoh M. Effect of forward head posture on thoracic shape and respiratory function. J Phys Ther Sci. 2019 Jan; 31(1): 63–68. 2019 Jan 10. doi: 10.1589/jpts.31.63. PMID: 30774207

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