“Out of sight, out of mind” won’t cut it if you want a balanced physique with functional strength.
Few muscle groups are more crucial for overall strength, performance, and aesthetics than your back.
In this article, you’ll learn ten of the best upper back exercises you can do, in and out of the gym, to stand taller, perform better, and create a powerful, V-shaped torso.
Click here to jump directly to the upper back exercises.
Upper Back Anatomy and Function
Your upper back consists of several of the biggest and functionally most important muscles in the human body.
They love to work together in harmony, so when you’re training, each of them plays its part to create a symphony of strength.
Your latissimus dorsi, or “lats,” are one of the two largest muscles in your upper body, along with your chest muscles, and help with shoulder extension, adduction, and internal rotation.
They stretch from the lower back up to the armpits and are your go-to muscles for pulling actions. Think of swimming, rowing, doing a pull-up, and even giving a solid high-five – that’s your lats in action.
The major and minor rhomboids are located between your shoulder blades. Their primary role is to retract the scapula, pulling your shoulder blades together.
They’re essential in maintaining good posture and preventing that dreaded office-worker slouch. They also work overtime when you throw something or perform overhead exercises.
Your trapezius, a.k.a. “traps,” isn’t just a single entity; it’s a trio – upper, middle, and lower traps. The kite-shaped muscle spans from your neck to your mid-back and out to your shoulders. It’s a multitasker, helping with shrugging, neck extension, and scapula movement. Whether you’re looking up to catch a glimpse of a shooting star or doing dumbbell shrugs in the gym, your trapezius is there to help.
The teres major is like the sidekick to your latissimus dorsi. Often mistaken as part of the rotator cuff muscles, this little guy is known as the “lat’s little helper.” Located just under the lats, it helps in the internal rotation and extension of the shoulder.
The levator scapulae is a superficial muscle located on each side of your neck. When it contracts, it lifts your shoulder blade upwards. It also helps rotate the shoulder blade downwards, and although not its main gig, it assists in neck extension and rotation, too.
Your posterior deltoids are part of the shoulder but also deserve a shout-out. They assist in almost all moves that train your upper back, like rows and reverse flyes.
Benefits of a Strong Upper Back
A strong and muscular upper back isn’t just for show. It also helps you in many ways in everyday life and sports.
Better Posture
Say goodbye to slouching! A strong upper back keeps your shoulders back and chest up, making you look confident and taller: more like a superhero and less like a hunchback. You also prevent upper back pain and tiredness from having weak muscles in this area.
Injury Prevention
Strengthening your upper back helps prevent injuries by supporting your shoulder joint and taking the load off your neck and lower back. Many lifters focus on what they can see in the mirror – the front of their body – which can create muscle imbalances in the long run.
Improved Everyday Performance
Lifting groceries, carrying kids, or moving furniture? No problem! A muscular upper back means you’ll breeze through daily activities, like turning life’s difficulty setting down a notch.
Better Athletic Performance
Whether you’re swinging a tennis racket, throwing a ball, or arm-wrestling a friend (or enemy), a strong upper back boosts your performance in a wide range of sports.
In addition, a powerful upper back makes a sturdy foundation for everything you do in the gym, like contributing to your deadlift, squat, and bench press.
No More Aches and Pains
Wave goodbye to the back and neck pain and stiffness that comes with aging. A muscular upper back supports your spine better, keeping those annoying aches at bay, like a natural time machine for your muscles.
The 10 Best Upper Back Exercises
These are the ten best upper back exercises. They are not listed from best to worst, as there are no “worst” exercises on this list. Instead, we start with pulldown movements and follow up with row-type exercises before finishing with isolating exercises that target smaller areas but are no less important.
1. Pull-Up
Most of us have at least tried to do a pull-up in our life. It is a classic upper-body exercise and a staple in upper back workouts around the globe. Don’t confuse this exercise with chin-ups, in which you use an underhand grip (palms facing toward you) rather than the overhand grip used in the pull-up.
Almost all bodybuilders and athletes have incorporated pull-ups into their workout routine at some point for a good reason: they work. Despite the many advanced back machines you can find in a gym today, the pull-up is still one of the best exercises you can do to build muscle and strength in your upper back.
In addition, pull-ups involve large portions of the rest of your upper body. When you heave yourself up, your lats aren’t the only muscle group working; your biceps, shoulders, and even your core all get in on the action.
In theory, the pull-up is very simple to do. You hang from a bar and pull your body as high as you can. In practice, however, it is significantly more challenging, and if you haven’t done them before, you might struggle to complete the first rep.
Fortunately, there are ways you can do this excellent upper back exercise, even if it feels too heavy at the moment. You can either use an assisted pull-up machine, have a training partner hold your feet and provide you with just enough of a boost, or loop a resistance band over the pull-up bar and stand on the other end of the band. All these options reduce the weight you have to pull.
How to Perform Pull-Ups
- Stand beneath a pull-up bar and reach up to grasp it with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you), slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Ensure your grip is secure and comfortable.
- Hang freely from the bar, fully extending your arms. Your feet should be off the ground.
- Engage your core muscles by squeezing your abs and glutes.
- Inhale and initiate the movement by pulling yourself up towards the bar by bending your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Focus on using your back muscles rather than relying on your upper arms.
- Continue pulling yourself up until your chin reaches or clears the bar. Keep your torso upright and avoid excessive swinging or kicking with your legs.
- Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position while maintaining control and stability, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.
2. Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown is very similar to the pull-up exercise, but more accessible, adjustable, and friendly to all fitness levels. It’s one of the top five overall most popular exercises for both men and women.
The lat pulldown machine provides a consistent resistance and allows you to adjust the weight to your liking. It’s great for beginners or those who aren’t able to do pull-ups yet, but even advanced athletes and bodybuilders often prefer the stability of the lat pulldown as it allows them to focus more intently on their latissimus dorsi muscles.
Also, if you want to do pull-ups but haven’t got the strength yet, the lat pulldown is perfect for building up to the main event.
True to its name, lat pulldowns primarily target your lats but also your lower trapezius and your biceps. In fact, one study found it to be just as effective as barbell curls for building bigger biceps, at least in novice lifters.1 That means that with lat pulldowns, not only are you doing one of the best upper back exercises, you’re also giving your biceps a good workout.
How to Perform Lat Pulldowns
- Sit on the lat pulldown machine and adjust the thigh pad to fit snugly against your thighs.
- Reach up and grasp the wide bar attachment with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you), slightly wider than shoulder-width. Ensure your grip is secure and comfortable.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and sit with your back straight and chest up.
- Take a deep breath and engage your core strength to maintain a stable torso throughout the exercise.
- Begin the movement by pulling the bar down towards your upper chest while keeping your elbows pointed to the sides. Imagine bringing your shoulder blades together as you pull down.
- Continue pulling until the bar is below your chin or touches your upper chest. Maintain control and avoid using momentum to swing or jerk the weight.
- Squeeze your lats in the contracted position, slowly release the tension, and allow the bar to rise until your arms are fully extended. Maintain control and proper form throughout the entire range of motion.
- Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.
3. Barbell Row
A true compound exercise, the barbell row works all muscles in your upper and middle back, including your lats, rhomboids, trapezius, posterior deltoids, and the erector spinae muscles that run along your spine.
If you perform the exericse the old-school way, with your torso almost parallell to the floor, barbell rows target your lower back muscles more.2 To shift the work to your upper back and traps, you can stand more upright with your torso at a 45-degree angle. This version of the barbell row is often called a Yates row, as it was popularized by former Mr Olympia Dorian Yates, who used it to build one of the best backs in bodybuilding history. It also allows you to use heavier weights to overload your back muscles into growth.
How to Perform Barbell Rows
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than feet hip-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and hinge forward at your hips, maintaining a neutral spine curve.
- Brace your core and keep your back straight. Inhale and pull the barbell towards your lower chest or upper abdomen, keeping your elbows close to your body. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
- Lower the barbell back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Seal Row
The seal row targets your upper back muscles just like the standard barbell bent-over row. We’re talking about the lats, traps, rhomboids, and rear deltoids.
For the seal row, you need an elevated bench high enough to allow a full range of motion as you row a barbell or a pair of dumbbells towards your belly. You’re like a seal sunbathing on a rock, except you’re about to lift some serious weight.
Got a cranky lower back? Unlike traditional barbell rows, seal rows are super kind to your lower back. Since you’re lying down, your lower back gets to take a breather. You can’t hunch over even if you try, and your spine stays happy in a neutral position the entire time, making it a great option if you have lower back pain.
Also, because you’re lying down, you can’t use momentum to cheat. The seal row hones in on your upper back muscles and forces them to do the heavy lifting all by themselves.
How to Perform Seal Rows
- Lie on your stomach on a bench, with a barbell placed on the floor below you.
- Grip the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Inhale and pull the bar in a straight line towards you.
- Pull the bar as high as you can, so that it touches the underside of the bench if possible.
- With control, lower the bar back to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
Note: you can use a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells instead of a barbell.
5. Dumbbell Row
The rowing fun continues with the dumbbell row, another of the best upper back exercises, offering a ton of benefits. When doing single-arm dumbbell rows, you’re like a majestic lumberjack, chopping down the tree of weakness, one row at a time.
It’s a compound exercise, targeting many muscles in your back at the same time. It gives your lats a fantastic workout in addition to your traps, rhomboids, rear delts, traps, and even your biceps.
Because the dumbbell row is a unilateral exercise (you train one side of your body at a time), it allows you to focus maximally on the working side. In addition, it’s easier to get a full range of motion, letting you feel the burn where it counts.
Dumbbell rows are also great for improving a poor posture. Sitting all day at a desk? Good news! The dumbbell row is like your personal good posture coach.
Got a bench? Great. No bench? No problem. You can do this exercise with a variety of setups:
- The first is like in the video above, supporting your body with a hand and a knee on a bench.
- The second is standing with both feet on the floor, feet shoulder-width apart, with your upper body hinged forward at the hip and your free hand on a bench or a dumbbell rack for support.
Both ways are equally effective, so go with what feels best to you.
How to Perform Dumbbell Rows
- Place a dumbbell on the floor beside a bench or some other sturdy object. Stand facing the bench and place your left hand and left knee on top of it.
- Grip the dumbbell with your right hand. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat and your torso roughly parallel to the floor.
- Engage your core muscles to stabilize your torso throughout the movement.
- While maintaining the position of your upper body and keeping your elbow close to your side, inhale and pull the dumbbell up towards your torso by retracting your shoulder blade. Focus on squeezing your back muscles as you lift.
- Continue pulling the dumbbell until it reaches the side of your torso. Row it closer to your hips to target your lower lats. Squeeze your lats at the top of the movement, ensuring a strong contraction in your back muscles.
- Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position while exhaling, maintaining control and good form throughout the descent.
- Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions, switch sides, and perform the above steps rowing with your left arm.
6. Cable Seated Row
Another of the ten best upper back exercises, the seated cable row works your lats, rhomboids, and teres major and minor, with your traps and biceps giving a helping hand. It’s easy to do right and suits beginners and advanced trainees alike.
Unlike some exercises that can put a lot of strain on your lower back (I’m looking at you, deadlifts), seated cable rows are much gentler, making it a great option for those with back concerns.
You can mix it up with different grips and attachments. Wide, narrow, overhand, or neutral grip: all are effective for upper back strength and muscle growth. The narrow grip is the most common variant, but switching it up and using a wider grip shifts the focus slightly from your lats and works your rhomboids and traps a bit more.
How to Perform Cable Seated Rows
- Sit on the seated row bench, facing the cable machine. Your feet should be flat on the footrest, knees slightly bent, and your torso upright with your chest out, shoulders back, and core engaged.
- Grab the handle with a neutral grip (palms facing together) and ensure your arms are fully extended and your back straight in the starting position.
- Pull the handle towards your abdomen by retracting your shoulder blades (squeezing them together). Focus on driving your elbows backward and keeping them close to your body.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and contract your lats before extending your arms and leaning forward again. Maintain a controlled motion throughout the movement and avoid using excessive momentum.
- Stretch your lats out without letting your shoulders slump forward, then repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.
7. Inverted Row
The inverted row is one of the best upper back exercises simply because you can do it anywhere; it requires no equipment except for your body weight and a sturdy bar or table. Something that doesn’t budge when you pull on it.
Like other rowing exercises, inverted rows target your lats, rhomboids, teres major and minor, traps, rear delts, and biceps. If you train at home, it allows for a complete back workout if you combine it with pull-ups without any expensive training equipment besides a pull-up bar.
You can make the exercise easier or harder as needed without using weights.
- Bend your legs and use them to assist you, or row from a higher position to make it easier.
- Conversely, keep your legs straight or elevate your lower body by placing your feet on a bench or chair to make the movement significantly more challenging.
How to Perform Inverted Rows
- Place a barbell in a rack, high enough for you to be able to hang below it in straight arms, with your heels on the floor. It you don’t have a bar, anything sturdy like a heavy table than won’t flip over will do.
- Grip the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Inhale, and pull yourself up as high as you can, or until your chest touches the bar.
- Exhale, while lowering yourself back to the starting position with control.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Seated Machine Row
The final rowing exercise in this list of the best upper back exercises is the one that requires the most specialized equipment: the seated machine row. It’s a great way to build big and strong upper back muscles with a highly controlled movement.
The seated machine row is like a sniper for your upper back muscles. It zeroes in on the target muscles, your lats, rhomboids, and traps, making it easier to focus on muscle contraction and mind-muscle connection. That’s why many advanced bodybuilders prefer doing rows using a machine rather than free weights.
Machine rows are welcoming to newbies while still offering challenge and benefits for gym veterans, making it a great exercise for anyone looking to build a strong back.
How to Perform Seated Machine Rows
- Sit on the machine with your chest against the pad. Your feet should be flat on the floor or on the footrests, and your knees slightly bent.
- Reach forward to grab the machine’s handles. Your grip should be neutral (palms facing each other) or overhand (palms facing down), depending on the machine design.
- Take a breath, and pull the handles towards your torso while exhaling. Keep your elbows close to your body and pull until your hands are near your lower ribs.
- At the end of the pulling motion, squeeze your shoulder blades together for a moment to maximize the contraction in your back muscles.
- Extend your arms to return to the starting position while inhaling. Make sure to control the weight as you extend your arms.
- Throughout the exercise, keep your back straight and chest pressed against the pad. Avoid jerking motions or using momentum to lift the weight.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Straight Arm Lat Pulldown
The straight arm lat pulldown is the first and only isolation exercise of the ten best upper back exercises. While compound exercises are the bread and butter of your back workout, an isolation movement like straight arm pulldowns guarantees you hone in on your lats and nothing else.
Research shows the lat pulldown to be more effective for your lats than the traditional barbell or dumbbell pullover.3 In addition, it doesn’t seem to matter if you place your hands shoulder-width or wider apart, so use the grip width that feels the most comfortable.
This exercise also improves your posture by strengthening the muscles responsible for keeping your shoulders down and back.
Straight arm lat pulldowns make for a tremendous final exercise to a back session for a finishing pump, and you get a nice stretching motion in your lats at the same time. It’s not an exercise for hoisting as heavy weights as possible; select a relatively light weight that lets you fully control the movement.
How to Perform Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns
- Grip the bar with a pronated grip (palms facing away from you), slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keep your back straight and core engaged.
- With straight arms, push the bar down in front of you by contracting your lats. Your torso should remain stationary throughout the movement.
- Slowly return the bar to the starting position.
- Ensure that your arms are fully extended and your lats are stretched at the top of the movement.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Face Pull
Often used as a rear delt exercise (for a good reason: it’s one of the best!), the face pull also works your upper back – your traps and rhomboids in particular.
Face pulls are fantastic for improving shoulder stability and posture, reducing the risk of shoulder injuries, and balancing out all those push exercises you, like many lifters, might be overdoing.
The face pull isn’t the exercise to show off how much you can lift. Correct form is far more essential than pulling the entire weight stack. Instead, target those smaller muscle groups with a lighter weight and more reps. Using too much weight can lead to using momentum rather than muscle engagement.
How to Perform Face Pulls
- Fasten a rope handle in a high position on a cable pulley. Grip the ropes with an overhand grip, and take a step or two back. Your arms should be almost straight with only a slight bend.
- Pull the rope towards you by letting your upper arms move straight out towards your sides at shoulder height while simultaneously rotating your forearms up. Your elbows should be high and wide, like you’re showing off your impressive wingspan.
- Don’t neglect scapular retraction. Your shoulder blades should move during the exercise. Think of them pinching together at the peak of the movement.
- Return with control to the starting position by letting your arms move forward again.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
The Best Upper Back Workouts for Strength and Muscle Growth
Let’s put theory into practice by combining these upper back exercises into workouts. As good as these upper back exercises are, you won’t get stronger by reading about them!
Beginner Upper Back Workout
Workout 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Row | 3 | 8–10 |
Workout 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8–10 |
Alternate between these two upper back exercises every other workout, along with exercises for the rest of your body. Like in our Beginner Barbell Training Program, which gives you a fantastic introduction to strength training and will make you stronger, fast. It is available for free in our workout tracker, and you can read more about it here:
>> Beginner Barbell Workout Plan & Training Program
StrengthLog’s Back Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 | 5 |
| Pull-Up or Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10 |
| Back Extension | 3 | 12 |
| Reverse Fly | 3 | 15 |
This is a complete back workout with both lower and upper back exercises, intended for intermediate-level trainees. You can find it in our workout log, where it is 100% free, and you can read more about it here:
>> How to Train Your Back Muscles
Bodybuilding Back Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Rack Pull | 3 | 5 |
| Pull-Up or Lat Pulldown | 4 | 10–12 |
| Barbell Row | 4 | 6–8 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10 |
| Cable Rows | 3 | 12–15 |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 2 | 10-15 |
This is a high-volume back workout for intermediate and advanced bodybuilders looking to add as much muscle mass as possible. It requires a premium subscription if you want to follow it in StrengthLog.
You can read more about it here:
>> Bodybuilding Back Workout for Mass
Track Your Workouts and Progress with StrengthLog
All these workouts and 80+ other strength training workouts and programs are available in the StrengthLog workout app. Regardless of your fitness level or goals, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.
In addition to providing workouts and training programs, our workout log is the best way to keep track of where you’ve been in your training, your current progress, and your future goals.
Download StrengthLog to start tracking your workouts and your progress:
Final Words
You have reached the end of this guide to the best upper back exercises. Thank you for reading!
Now, whether you aim to build strength, improve posture, or look amazing in a tank top, it’s time to hit the weights and build some muscle!
Good luck with your training!
Click here to return to our list of strength training programs and workouts.
Click here to return to our full list of strength training exercises.
References
- Asian J Sports Med. 2015 Jun; 6(2): e24057. Single vs. Multi-Joint Resistance Exercises: Effects on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy.
- J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Mar;23(2):350-8. Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness.
- Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(21), 11138. Comparison of Electromyographic Activity during Barbell Pullover and Straight Arm Pulldown Exercises.
