What is a good exercise to build strength in the upper back?
When it comes to correcting things like poor posture, rounded shoulders or an achy mid-back, we can’t always resort to smashing it with a foam roller or stretching. To be honest these things bring more of a mental relief than an actual structural long-term change.
So instead let’s take more of a strengthening approach.
If you’re looking to build a stronger upper back this exercise is a great way to do just that.
I call these the Shoulder Field Goals…I know, a super creative name but they are great for building better control, strengthening and increasing overall endurance in the posterior shoulder and upper back.
You can do them the way you see here in the video with no weight or add small amounts of weight as your strength increases. For more advanced lifters I have found using small barbell plates work the best for challenging this position.
How much should I do?
A great start with this exercise would be to program these ahead of any major lifts. So doing 2-3 sets of 8-10 without weight is perfect.
If you want to use this as one of your primary exercises that’s totally fine as well. The rep and set scheme can stay the same and weight can be added for more difficulty.
