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How Do I Strengthen My Upper Back?

Last updated on December 31, 2016 By Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT Leave a Comment

The muscles of the upper back are easily the most neglected in the patient populations that physical therapists see. Why? Two reasons reasons come to mind.

1. Most people sit at a desk all day in a forward-pitched position. The muscles in the front of the body become over worked with reaching movements of the arms, such as with typing at a desk. The posterior muscles of the upper back are constantly in a stretched out position with deskwork and become comparatively weak.

Clinically, we will often see, as a result, shoulder blades that are pulled out to the side to accommodate the forward positions of the arms. The following photo illustrates this.

upper back muscle problems

You can see from this photo the outline of the shoulder blades: In this individual, the resting position of the shoulder blades are too far away from the spine! The normal distance from the spine to the edge of the shoulder blades (depending on the size of the individual) should be about 2-4 finger widths.

2. Many people who work out, especially men, tend to enjoy strengthening the muscles that they can actually see while looking in the mirror. The Biceps, pectorals, and abdominal muscle groups are all cosmetically pleasing to see in magazine photos and at the beach. The muscles of the front and the muscles of the back, however, need to maintain proper balance in order to idealize bodily function.

I have found that using an exercise ball is a fantastic way to strengthen the muscles of the upper back. In particular, the middle trapezium, the lower trapezium, and the rhomboids can be trained effectively without using heavy weights. Take a look at the following demonstration.

The key to this exercise is persistence! Most patients (myself included) had to perform these three exercises 3-4 times weekly for several months to get a noticeable change in shoulder blade strength and control. I have progressed myself over many months to holding two-pound weights in my hands. There is no need to overload your arms with these exercises, as other muscles will try to kick in and substitute for the muscles that we are trying to train.

If you are having a particularly difficult time with these ball exercises, I would try lying on a foam roller for about 5 minutes in order to stretch out the frontal muscles and gently extend the upper back (as pre-work). The following article outlines this: Why Should I Stretch My Back on a Foam Roll?

Filed Under: Exercise & Fitness, Featured Tagged With: Upper Back



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About Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT

Dan is a licensed Physical Therapist in the District of Columbia, license #PT2916. He has a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dan specializes in sports medicine & upper extremity rehabilitation. He is a Certified Hand Therapist, certified by the American Society of Hand Therapists (initial certification date 11/6/2004, certification #1041100023). Dan has extensive continuing education in manual therapy from the Michigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine.
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DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for Educational Purposes Only and is not designed to diagnose, treat, mitigate, prevent or cure any health conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated statements about these health topics or any suggested product compositions. Answers to questions submitted are merely the opinion of the physical therapist and should not be taken as a prescribed course of action. Any advice given by the therapist must be cleared with the treating physician involved in direct patient care. The person posing the question absolves the responder of any liability in regards to opinions given. PhysioDC insists that all patients receive approval from a prescribing physician prior to starting a structured exercise program involving any of the exercises included on this site. PhysioDC.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com; proceeds from product sales help cover the operational & maintenance costs for the site.