Why You Should Train Upper Back
There are many different muscles in the back and many movements to work them. I thought it would be best to tone in one area of the back that often gets overlooked. Before diving in, let's address what muscles the upper back consists of.
Middle and lower traps, Rhomboids, Rear (or Posterior) Deltoids
Strengthening these muscles will help improve your posture, especially if you work at a computer all day and find yourself in a more slouched or rounded back position.
Check out these workouts below to help properly work your upper back!
Exercise 1: BB Incline Pronated Row
-Perform this with a pronated or overhead grip with your hands outside shoulder-width apart.
-Depending on your elbow positioning when rowing the barbell up towards your chest, you will target 1 muscle group over the other.
-If we want to target more of the upper back, we want the elbows to flare out more, and if we want to work more of the latissimus dorsi or lats, we want the elbows in by our sides more.
-Perform 8-10 reps.
Exercise 2: Cable Face Pull to "Y" Raise
-The best way to perform this is by pulling your ELBOWS up and back and pinching the shoulder blades together as the knobs come right outside your ears. (DO NOT PULL WITH HANDS OR ARMS)
-Adding in the "Y" raise adds an extra challenge in using those muscles around your scapula to keep your elbows back as you raise the rope over your head.
-You can just perform the Face Pull here if you want to strictly focus on your back and leave your deltoids out of it.
-Perform 8 reps WITH the Y Raise.
-Perform 15 reps if ONLY performing the Face Pull.
Exercise 3: Hollow Band Pull Apart
-While performing this, think about squeezing or pinching your shoulder blades together while pulling the hands out and back.
-Perform this in a "hollow" position with your feet and shoulders off the ground to work that core isometrically. Can also perform this one while standing, kneeling, or sitting if the hollow hold is too hard!
-Beginner: Perform 10 reps, Intermediate: Perform 15 reps, Advanced: Perform 20 reps.
