Strengthening the upper back is important for shoulder health as well as health of the lower back.

By having a strong upper back, this can help carry over to daily life tasks such as lifting something from the floor to gym related movements such as the deadlift to helping to build resiliency in athletes when they are pushing, pulling, or going overhead.

The way to build upper back strength is through gradual progressive overload and challenging the body and muscles just enough to improve, but not too much loading where the body isn’t in a position to handle it.

So, now that you know why having a strong upper back is important, where do you go from here?

Well, there are different exercises to build upper back strength, including:

Vertical Pulling

Pull-Ups

Chin-Ups

If you having difficulty performing pull-ups or chin-ups, try performing iso-holds at varying positions.

Pull-Up Progressions

Typically, we have our athletes hold these different positions x 5 sec holds. We have will have them perform them on their own and superset them into their workouts typically for 5 reps x 2-3 sets.

If you are still having difficulty doing a pull-up, try performing Band Assisted or TRX Assisted Pull-Ups.

Band Assisted Pull-Ups

TRX Assisted Pull-Ups

Tall Kneeling Cable Pull-Downs

Other movements we like to perform are horizontal pulling variations.

Horizontal Pulling

Some horizontal pulling exercies that help strengthen the upper back are:

Chest Supported Row Iso Holds/Barbell Bent Over Row

Pronated Inverted Row

1-Arm Cable Row

TRX Rows

If you feel like your upper back strength is not where you want it to be, it is a limiting factor in your lifts and sport, or have been dealing with any type of low back or shoulder injuries, try giving these vertical and horizontal pulling a try to help build your upper back strength.

Move Strong Physical Therapy is offers physical therapy in Hudson, MA, and surrounding areas. Schedule an appointment today.