Upper back exercises

The upper back is the unglamorous group that makes everything else work. It holds your shoulder blades steady when you press, it keeps the bar travelling in a straight line when you deadlift, and it works against the rounded-forward posture that desk work builds by default.

It also handles more work than most muscle groups, and probably needs it. Rows, band pull-aparts and face pulls can be trained often and at high reps without leaving you wrecked for the next session. If you are unsure whether to add upper-back work, add it. Almost nobody does too much.

Train it two ways. Heavier rows build strength and thickness. Lighter, higher-rep pull-aparts work the smaller muscles around the shoulder blades that heavy rowing tends to skip. Both are in this library, and the generator deliberately tilts the balance toward pulling for this reason.