You may be thinking… what’s the difference between upper back exercises and any other movement that targets the back muscles?
The back consists of several muscles that can be targeted using different exercises. Nonetheless, each one is activated to some degree regardless of the exercise.
However, because the back has multiple segments (muscles), you have to target each one a little differently for maximum results. So, allow us to show you the way of utilizing certain exercises to build mass and strength in this part of the back specifically.
- Which Muscles Make Up The Upper Back?
- Upper Back Activation Drills
-
15 Best Upper Back Exercises
- 1. Inverted Row
- 2. Standing One-Arm High Cable Row
- 3. I-Y-T Row
- 4. Bent Over Row
- 5. Lat Pulldown
- 6. Seated Row
- 7. Seal Row
- 8. Face Pull
- 9. Pull-Up
- 10. Modified Shrug (Scapular Upward Rotation and Arm Abduction)
- 11. Meadows Row
- 12. Elevated Plank Row
- 13. Dumbbell Reverse Fly
- 14. Chest-Supported T-bar Row
- 15. Farmer’s Carry
- How To Improve The Quality Of Upper Back Training
- Why Do We Need A Strong Upper Back?
- Wrapping Up
- References:
Which Muscles Make Up The Upper Back?
Two upper back muscles—rhomboids and trapezius—are responsible for scapulae functions (shoulder blades). But let’s break them down a little further.
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 consist of thin fibers that span a wide portion of the upper back.
The main function of the traps is postural, meaning it supports an upright torso when standing. The middle trapezius is responsible for the upward rotation and scapular retraction. The lower trap depresses the scapulae, while the descending muscle fibers in the trapezius helps internally rotate the arms.
Levator Scapulae
The levator scapulae is a small muscle that starts from the neck, attaches to the scapula, and helps elevate the scapula.
Upper Back Activation Drills
A muscle activation drill helps 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.
- Muscle activation drills prepare 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 activates them by diverting blood towards 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:
- Lie face down on the floor.
- Retract your shoulder blades to lift your upper body a few inches off the ground.
- Start with your hands on the lower back overlapping each other.
- Make sure your shoulder blades are retracted.
- Start with palms facing the ceiling.
- In one motion, extend your elbows, raise your arms straight overhead and then behind your head.
- 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
It’s 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:
- Grab the resistance band with both hands using an overhand grip.
- Extend your arms in front of you to make them parallel to the floor.
- Pull the band apart while keeping your arms straight.
- You should feel the contraction in your shoulder blades.
- Perform ten reps.
- Now change the grip to underhand.
- Again, pull apart the band while pinching your shoulder blades and keeping your arms straight.
- 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:
- Grab the chin-up bar with an overhand grip. Place your hands a little wider than shoulder width.
- Without flexing the elbows, pull the scapula down. Hold the contraction for a couple of seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
- 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
We’ll first start off by saying that, yes, the deadlift will work the upper back amazingly. But it is a full-body movement, and we’re just focusing on exercises that mainly target the upper back muscles (although other muscles will assist as well, which is unavoidable).
1. Inverted Row
Also known as the Australian pull-up, the inverted row is one exercise that we would bet some of you have never seen being performed at your gym or anywhere, for that matter.
It may not be a popular movement, but that doesn’t make it any less of an effective upper-back option.
And what makes it an excellent upper back builder? Well, the setup is ideal for targeting the upper back muscles because when you pull yourself up, your chest touches the bar and creates a path that optimizes upper back muscle contraction.
Now, this is a bodyweight exercise in its most basic form, but for a more advanced version, you can always elevate your feet on a bench to increase the difficulty. But to take things further, you can place a weight plate on your frontside for even more added resistance.
It’s best performed with a smith machine or a power rack where you can set up the barbell for the inverted rows.
How to do it:
- Set the barbell at around waist level.
- Get underneath the barbell and grab it with an overhand grip. Your hands should be shoulders width apart.
- Extend your arms.
- Retract the scapula to create tension within the upper back. This should be the starting position for the exercise.
- Your body should be in a straight line at the starting position.
- Now flex your elbows to pull yourself towards the bar. Your chest should touch the bar at the top.
- Hold the contraction for two seconds before slowly returning to the starting position.
Pro tip: Alternate between wide, neutral, and narrow grip 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
Progression: Weighted inverted pulls
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. Then you have a huge stretch component during the eccentric motion.
How to do it:
- Set a cable pulley to the highest setting and attach a D-handle bar.
- Then, grip the handle in your left hand and assume a staggered stance with your right leg behind the right.
- 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.
- Return to the starting position. Inhale during this portion of the exercise.
- 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, lattisimus 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 there has to be something said for the research that shows superior muscle activation in the middle and lower trapezius with this movement.
In fact, this movement beats out many of the most common back exercises during electromyographic testing, which determines the degree of muscle activation in a muscle. [1]
And when you actually try this movement, you’ll see just how much you’ll feel the tension in your upper back.
Now, there are several different ways to execute the I-Y-T row: chest-supported, standing, seated, bent-over, TRX, etc. So you may have to do a little experimenting to determine which one you feel best works the target muscles.
Also, you’ll want to use relatively light to moderate dumbbells or weight plates depending on your experience level because you’ll be raising your arms up while extended, although you can have a slight bend in your elbows.
So, using a higher rep range is an ideal way to utilize the I-Y-T raise because you’ll be able to better focus on contracting the upper back.
How to do it:
- 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.
- Raise both arms to form a ‘Y’ and then lower both back down.
- 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 non-negotiable if you truly desire maximum back development. And there’s actually sufficient evidence that shows the bent-over row is a superior exercise for symmetrically working the back muscles from top to bottom. [2][1]
But… only if done correctly and the lower back is not compromised. Many people perform this movement with way too much weight, and technique gets thrown out the window.
But in a perfect scenario and when you’ve built a stronger lower back, a huge benefit of this variation is that you can train with very heavy loads when using a barbell, which helps gain muscle and strength.
Also, being strong in a bent-over position has carryover effects on athletic performance, which is one huge reason why the person who desires to become strong and functional for sports needs to add this exercise to their arsenal.
And if you want to take it a step further, you can implement the Pendlay row, which requires a more explosive concentric. So, you’ll basically allow the barbell to sit on the floor for a second or two between each rep which takes the stretch reflex out of the equation.
How to do it:
- Grab the loaded barbell with an overhand grip.
- Bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward until it is almost parallel to the floor.
- Keep the back straight and elbows close to the body while you row the barbell towards your body.
- Hold the contraction for a second before returning to the starting position.
- 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
5. Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown is a cable exercise that does a great job at targeting the lower trapezius, although it’s effective for the latissimus dorsi as well, which is why many people include it in their back routine.
But it’s effective for the traps because the bar path is ideally higher up near the mid-chest. So, you’re getting a really good contraction in this area, therefore, emphasizing the fibers located in the lower portion of the trapezius muscle.
How to do it:
- Grab the bar with an overhand grip and get into a seated position.
- Retract your shoulder blades and tilt back slightly to get ready for the pulldown.
- While keeping the elbows slightly forward, pull the bar down towards your chest.
- 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.
- Isolates lats and lower traps.
- Improves body posture.
Target muscles: Lats, lower traps.
Best rep range:
- Hypertrophy: 10-12
- Strength: 1-5
Difficulty: Beginner
Progression: Neutral grip lat pulldown
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.
But, the seated row is also a good exercise for practicing scapular retraction due to the upright position, which simulates a proper, erect body position.
How to do it:
- Sit on the seated row machine and place your feet on the foot platform.
- Bend the knees slightly to bring the torso to an upright position.
- Grab the bar with an overhand or neutral grip without rounding the back.
- Pull your shoulder blade inward.
- Flex at your elbows to pull the bar close to the body.
- Squeeze the contraction for a second.
- 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
The seal row is a very useful upper back exercise because it allows you to focus on the rowing movement rather than having to balance or stabilize anything while also preventing lower back stress.
Your body is forced into a neutral position along with your head which makes this variation an excellent movement for targeting more of the back and less of any assisting muscles.
So, you’ll basically lie face down on a bench and then row your choice of training tool (barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, etc) from the floor.
But the catch here is that the flat benches you see in most gyms won’t be high enough for you to fully extend your arms while performing this exercise. Now, some gyms do have benches specifically designed for movements like the seal row.
However, many don’t. So people commonly place each end of a bench on an elevated surface like a box or even a few 45-pound plates stacked to make a flat bench seal row compatible.
You can use a barbell for maximum overload and dumbbells, which are great for the unilateral benefit, to identify and correct muscle and strength imbalances.
How to do it:
- Lie face down on a bench so your feet are hanging off the opposite end.
- Grip the weight so that your hands are wider than shoulder width.
- Pull the weight to your lower chest (sternum area) and contract your back muscles.
- Return the weight back down until it touches the floor or comes just short.
- 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
You probably already know how much we love the face pull, but it really is a necessary addition for maximizing the health of your upper posterior chain.
It strengthens and builds your rear delts, traps, and rhomboid muscles and helps improve posture while teaching you to maintain scapular retraction.
It’s very important with the face pull to not use momentum. Every single repetition needs to count in order to reap the benefits.
How to do it:
- Set the pully to around your chest height.
- Grab the rope with an overhand grip, and take a couple of steps back.
- Make sure your shoulder blades are retracted.
- Brace your core to pull the rope towards your face while flaring your elbows.
- Squeeze those shoulder blades together while keeping the elbows high.
- Return to the starting position.
- 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
The pull-up is truly the best bodyweight exercise for developing the pulling muscles. It’s one of the most effective exercises for developing the lats (found to be superior over other back muscles in this case) but it’s right there with the bent-over row for overall best back exercises.
So, it’ll naturally hit the upper back muscles to a pretty good degree.
And if you want to add even more resistance, then you can wrap a weight belt around your waist, and another option is to place a dumbbell between your feet.
How to do it:
- Grab a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
- Exhale and pull your body towards the bar and as high as possible.
- Lower yourself while breathing in.
- 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.
And it makes sense since it’s a movement that allows the traps to perform their natural function most effectively. So with that said, you’re not only stimulating the traps (although you will for the most part with the information we’re about to provide) as the rhomboids and levator scapulae muscles will be engaged as well.
When performing the shrug, it’s common to lift your shoulders in a straight line toward the ears. This involves more of a focus on scapular elevation.
Research shows that performing a shrug with an upward rotation of the scapula elicits more muscle activity in the upper and lower trapezius muscles than when you’re only elevating the scapula. [3]
This also places more focus on the traps than the other assisting muscles during the shrug.
And to ensure you’re performing the shrug with optimal scapular upward rotation, your arms should be at about 30 degrees of abduction (lifted away from the body).
Now to get the best possible contraction during this exercise, you want to lean your torso forward just slightly by hinging at the hips. Then, of course, you’ll shrug through a full range of motion with optimal elevation, upward rotation, and abduction. But there should also be a slight scapular retraction.
The best shrug variations to accomplish what we’ve discussed are the trap bar, dumbbell, and even cable shrug because these allow for a more natural 30 degrees of arm abduction and many people find that they feel the muscle working much better by making this modification.
However, a standard barbell will do just fine in most cases if the proper technique is used.
How to do it:
- Take a hip-width stance and grip the bar just outside your shoulders.
- Unrack the bar while maintaining a neutral spine and look straight ahead.
- Engage a little bit of scapular retraction, then flex your glutes and core muscles.
- Lean just slightly forward (about 10 degrees) by hinging at your hips.
- 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.
- 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:
- Grows 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
Meadows row is named after late bodybuilder and coach John Meadows. It is a unilateral rowing movement that targets the upper back.
The Meadows row is performed with a T-bar or in a landmine setup.
How to do it:
- Connect a barbell to a landmine attachment or wedge it in a corner.
- Assume a staggered stance and bend forward until your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
- Maintain a slight arch in the back.
- Grab the end of the barbell with an overhand grip.
- Retract your shoulder blades and drive your elbows behind the body while squeezing your back.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
- 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.
- Let’s you enjoy 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
Elevated plank row is a functional exercise that improves core stability while targeting traps, rhomboid, posterior delts, and lats.
How to do it:
- Get into a low plank position while keeping your elbows on a bench.
- Grab a dumbbell in one hand.
- Pull the dumbbell to your side by contracting your shoulder blades. Keep the working elbow close to the body for better back contraction.
- 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.
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
Rear delts play an important role in creating a strong back.
Although a majority of back exercises train and strengthen your posterior delts, having an exercise that specifically trains the rear delt is always a great idea.
The reverse dumbbell fly is an incredible exercise for building round delts.
How to do it:
- Grab a pair of dumbbells with a pronated grip.
- Slightly bend your knees and hinge at your hips so that your torso is almost parallel to the ground.
- Let your hands hang towards the ground with a slight bend in elbows.
- Contract your scapula and spread your arms to your sides without flexing your elbows.
- Contract your rear delts before returning to the starting position.
- Repeat for recommended reps.
Pro Tip: Hold the contraction for two seconds before you lower down the dumbbell.
Benefits:
- Develop well-defined 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
Chest-supported t-bar rows are a great way to strengthen back muscles without overworking the lower back. We recommend you choose a wide overhand grip to prioritize upper back development.
Those who don’t have access to a chest-supported t-bar machine can choose chest-supported barbell rows.
How to do it:
- Grab the bar with an overhand grip.
- 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.
- Exhale as you pull the bar towards your body and hold the contraction for a couple of seconds.
- Return to the starting position using a slow and controlled motion.
- 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
Let’s talk about an unconventional exercise that is not so common at gyms. Farmer’s walk is a functional exercise that builds strength and size.
Farmer’s walk is also known as ‘farmer’s carry’ or ‘loaded carry’. It targets almost every muscle from top to bottom and helps the lifter build raw strength.
How to do it:
- Grab a heavy dumbbell in each hand.
- Pull back your scapula, brace your core, and straighten your spine before lifting the dumbbells.
- Begin walking while keeping your chest up, shoulders retracted, and core engaged.
- Walk for the desired time or distance.
Pro Tip: Keep the shoulders retracted, and the core braced.
Benefits:
- Develop 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 Improve The Quality Of Upper Back Training
Training the back is a little more complicated than other muscle groups. Your back contains muscle fibers positioned vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. 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:
- Establish a mind-muscle connection
- Slowing down the rep tempo
- Performing pause reps
1. Establish mind-muscle connection
Here are some tips for those who find it difficult to feel the back muscles while training:
1) Wake up the supporting muscles: Before you do the deadlift, you could do a single-leg Romanian deadlift to stimulate your glutes and hamstrings, planks to fire up the core, and some hanging scapula pulls to prepare your upper back for the lift.
Waking up the supporting muscle improves the quality of the workout by improving the mind-muscle connection.
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 muscle 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.
Have you ever tried pausing at the bottom of a pull-up? Pause for a couple of seconds at the bottom to experience greater muscle recruitment and hypertrophy.
One can implement pause reps in exercises like the lat pulldown or chest-supported bent-over row. Pause at the end of the eccentric part, when your muscle fibers experience the maximum stretch.
Why Do We Need A Strong Upper Back?
The upper back muscles play a big role in many functions like 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 to also effectively assist in the pull upward.
You simply could not pull heavy weight 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:
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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
good tips shoulder workouts