Upper Back- Barbell

Close Grip T-Bar Rows-

Wide Grip T-Bar Rows-

Barbell Rows-

Smith Machine Rows-

Barbell Shrugs-

Upright Rows-

Upper Back- Dumbbell

Dumbbell Shrugs-

Dumbbell Rows-

One-Arm Rows-

Bent Over Reverse Flys-

Dumbbell IT's-

Upper Back- Cable

Lat Pulldowns-

Close Grip Lat Pulldowns-

Wide Grip Seated Rows-

Close Grip Seated Rows-

Straight Arm Lat Pulldown-

Upper Back- Plyometrics

Wide Grip Pull-Ups-

Rope Pull-Ups-

Single Arm Towel Pull-Ups-

Lateral Pull-Up Holds-

Upper Back- Stretches

Hanging Lat Stretch-

Super Band Lat Stretch-

Upper Back Foam Roll-

Lat Foam Roll-

Quadruped Back Stretch-

Upper Back

Your upper back is a complex series of muscles both big and small. The primary muscles are the Trapezius muscle (Traps), Latissimus Dorsi (Lats), Rhomboid, and Teres Major. Other smaller muscles also blend with the Rotator Cuff which help keep the fragile shoulder joint in place. These muscles include the Infra- and Supra- spinatus, the Teres Minor and the Subscapularis.

Muscle Geography

The Upper Back works primarily through the Frontal and Sagittal planes. An exercise like wide grip pullups where the arms stay out to the side of the body is an example of a frontal exercise while T-bar Rows would be considered a saggital exercise because the arms come outward symmetrically from the body. On the frontal plane, any exercises where you are pulling weight upward from your thighs to your chin are going to work your upper Traps and shoulders. The opposite motion of pulling weight down from above your head is going to primarily target the Lats. In the sagittal plane, pulling weight from out in front of you with a wide grip is going to work the middle to lower Traps, the Posterior Deltoid and a lot of the small muscles of the Rotator Cuff. Finally, if you pull weight towards you with a close grip, you will hit the lower Traps and Rhomboid muscles.

Dangerous Motions