Your upper back muscles are supposed to hold you upright. When they’re weak, you slouch. It’s that simple.
Modern life—sitting, screens, forward-reaching activities—doesn’t demand much from your upper back. Without that demand, the muscles weaken. Without that strength, gravity wins, pulling your shoulders forward and your upper back into a rounded hump.
The solution is strengthening. Not your whole back (though that helps)—specifically the muscles between and around your shoulder blades that pull your shoulders back and down. These exercises target exactly those muscles.
The Upper Back Muscles That Matter
When we talk about “upper back” for posture, we mean:
Rhomboids: Connect your shoulder blades to your spine. Pull your shoulder blades together.
Middle and lower trapezius: The middle and lower parts of your trap muscle. Pull shoulder blades together and down. (The upper traps, which shrug your shoulders up, are usually overactive and tight—those don’t need more work.)
Posterior deltoids: The back of your shoulders. Help pull shoulders back.
Rotator cuff muscles: Especially the external rotators. Help maintain shoulder alignment.
These muscles are typically weak in people with rounded shoulders and excessive upper back curve (kyphosis). Strengthening them is essential for posture correction.
Upper Back Exercises for Posture
Band Pull-Aparts
Simple, effective, can be done anywhere with a resistance band.
How to do it:
- Hold a resistance band in front of you at chest height
- Arms straight, hands shoulder-width apart
- Pull the band apart by squeezing your shoulder blades together
- Bring the band to your chest
- Return slowly with control
Key points:
- Lead with your elbows going back, not your hands going out
- Focus on the squeeze between your shoulder blades
- Keep shoulders down (don’t shrug)
Do: 15-20 reps, 3 sets
Face Pulls
Targets the rear delts and rotator cuff along with the rhomboids and lower traps.
How to do it:
- Attach a resistance band to a fixed point at face height
- Grab the band with both hands
- Pull toward your face, separating your hands as you pull
- Finish with hands beside your ears, elbows high
- Squeeze shoulder blades together at the end
- Return with control
Key points:
- External rotation at the finish (rotating shoulders outward)
- Shoulders stay down throughout
- Control the return—don’t let the band snap back
Do: 12-15 reps, 3 sets
Prone Y Raises
Strengthens the lower trapezius, which is weak in almost everyone with posture issues.
How to do it:
- Lie face down on the floor (or on a bench)
- Extend arms overhead in a Y position, thumbs up
- Lift arms off the floor by squeezing shoulder blades together
- Hold 2-3 seconds
- Lower with control
Key points:
- The lift comes from shoulder blade retraction, not arm strength
- Keep neck neutral (don’t crane to look up)
- Movement is small—quality matters more than height
Do: 10-15 reps, 3 sets
Prone T Raises
Same setup as Y raises, but arms straight out to the sides.
How to do it:
- Lie face down
- Extend arms straight out to sides in a T position, thumbs up
- Lift arms by squeezing shoulder blades together
- Hold 2-3 seconds
- Lower with control
Do: 10-15 reps, 3 sets
Prone W Raises
Adds external rotation to the movement.
How to do it:
- Lie face down
- Arms bent at 90 degrees, elbows at your sides, forearms forward (like the top of a push-up)
- Rotate forearms up while squeezing shoulder blades together
- Hold 2-3 seconds
- Lower with control
Do: 10-15 reps, 3 sets
Do Y, T, and W together as a series for a complete posterior shoulder workout.
Bent-Over Reverse Fly
Works the rear delts and rhomboids with dumbbells or bands.
How to do it:
- Hinge at hips, back flat, knees slightly bent
- Hold light dumbbells or band handles, arms hanging down
- Lift arms out to the sides, squeezing shoulder blades together
- Pause at top
- Lower with control
Key points:
- Keep core engaged, back flat
- Don’t use momentum
- Shoulders stay down (no shrugging)
Do: 12-15 reps, 3 sets
Seated Cable Row (or Band Row)
Can be done with a cable machine or a resistance band anchored in front of you.
How to do it:
- Sit with band or cable anchored at chest height
- Grab handles with arms extended
- Pull toward your lower ribs, squeezing shoulder blades together
- Elbows pass your body
- Return with control
Key points:
- Initiate with shoulder blades, not arms
- Keep chest up, don’t round forward
- Pause and squeeze at full contraction
Do: 12-15 reps, 3 sets
Wall Slides
Combines stretching and strengthening.
How to do it:
- Stand with back against a wall, feet a few inches out
- Press lower back, upper back, and head into wall
- Raise arms to goalpost position against wall
- Slide arms up overhead while maintaining wall contact
- Slide back down
Key points:
- Keep everything against the wall (this is the hard part)
- Go only as high as you can while maintaining contact
- Focus on lower trap activation as you raise arms
Do: 10-15 reps, 2-3 sets
Supermans
Full back extension that works the entire posterior chain.
How to do it:
- Lie face down, arms extended overhead
- Lift arms, chest, and legs off the floor simultaneously
- Hold 3-5 seconds
- Lower with control
Key points:
- Don’t over-extend the neck (look at the floor, not forward)
- Squeeze glutes to protect lower back
- Movement can be small—don’t force height
Do: 10-12 reps, 2-3 sets
Sample Upper Back Routine
Do this routine 3 times per week:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Band Pull-Aparts | 3 | 15-20 |
| Face Pulls | 3 | 12-15 |
| Prone Y Raises | 2 | 10-15 |
| Prone T Raises | 2 | 10-15 |
| Wall Slides | 2 | 10-15 |
Time: About 15 minutes
Programming Notes
Frequency
These muscles recover relatively quickly. 3-4 times per week is fine. Some people do a few sets of pull-aparts and face pulls daily.
Weight/resistance
Start light. These are often weak muscles that haven’t been trained. Form is more important than load, especially initially.
Progression
Add reps before adding resistance. Once you can do 20+ clean reps, increase resistance. But these aren’t power exercises—moderate reps and controlled movement matter more than heavy weight.
Balance with stretching
Strengthening your upper back works better when combined with stretching your chest and front shoulders. See fix rounded shoulders for the complete approach.
Integration
These exercises fit well into a larger routine. Do them as part of:
- 10-minute posture workout
- Regular strength training (do these on upper body days)
- A standalone posture routine 3x per week
The Bigger Picture
Upper back strength is crucial for posture, but it’s part of a system:
- Weak upper back → strengthen (this article)
- Tight chest → stretch (doorway stretches)
- Weak core → strengthen (core exercises)
- Forward head → address separately (chin tucks, etc.)
- Daily habits → fix ergonomics (desk setup)
For the complete approach, see how to fix bad posture.
Upper back exercises alone won’t solve everything. But without upper back strength, nothing else you do will fully work. These muscles are the foundation of upright posture.
For a complementary stretching routine that opens the shoulder and chest area, try this Shoulder Mobility Starter with wall stretches and chest openers.
Related articles:
The Posture Workout app includes progressive upper back routines that build strength over time. Download it free →