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Upper back Exercises

Build stronger, more defined upper back with these proven exercises

97exercises found

Band Front Lateral Raise

Beginner
Delts

This exercise uses a stretchy band to make your front shoulder muscles stronger. You simply stand up and lift your straight arms out in front of you to work your upper body.

band

Band Front Raise

Beginner
Delts

This exercise works the muscles in your shoulders. You stand on a stretchy band and lift your arms straight out in front of you until they are as high as your shoulders, then lower them. It makes your shoulders stronger and also helps your arms and upper back.

band

Band Shoulder Press

Beginner
Delts

This is a strength exercise for your shoulder muscles that uses a stretchy band for resistance. It also works the back of your arms and your upper back. You simply push the band up over your head starting from your shoulders. This is a basic exercise to build strength in your upper body.

band

Band Twisting Overhead Press

Intermediate
Delts

This is a shoulder exercise that helps your muscles grow strong. It mixes pushing up with turning your upper body. It uses your arm and back muscles. It also makes your tummy muscles work hard to keep you balanced.

band

Barbell Bent Over Row

Intermediate
Upper back

The barbell bent over row is a multi-muscle exercise for the upper back. It involves leaning forward at the hips and pulling a barbell to your body. This movement builds strength and muscle in the back, arms, and forearms while needing strong posture and core control.

barbell

Barbell Incline Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise strengthens your upper back. You lie on your stomach on a slanted bench and pull a weighted bar up to your chest.

barbell

Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise strengthens your upper back using one arm at a time. It requires good balance and strong tummy muscles. To do it, you bend forward at your hips, keep your back flat, and pull the barbell up with one hand while staying steady.

barbell

Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back, biceps, and forearms. You lie face-down on a slanted bench to keep your body steady. While holding the bar, you pull the weight up toward your stomach to build strength.

barbell

Barbell Seated Behind Head Military Press

Advanced
Delts

This is an exercise for your shoulder muscles, arms, and upper back. You need to be flexible and use safe form to prevent injury.

barbell

Barbell Seated Bradford Rocky Press

Intermediate
Delts

The barbell seated Bradford Rocky press is a seated exercise that builds shoulder muscles. It involves pushing a barbell up over your head to work the deltoids. It also uses the triceps and upper back. You need flexible shoulders, a strong core, and pressing power to do it well.

barbell

Barbell Standing Bradford Press

Intermediate
Delts

The Barbell Standing Bradford Press is a standing exercise that makes your shoulders, upper back, and arm muscles stronger. You push a weighted bar from your shoulders straight up over your head. You need good strength and steady movement to do this well.

barbell

Barbell Standing Front Raise Over Head

Intermediate
Delts

This shoulder workout focuses on your deltoids while also helping your triceps and upper back. It involves standing up and lifting a weighted bar from your legs to a position above your head, which requires strong shoulders and steady movement.

barbell

Barbell Standing Wide Military Press

Intermediate
Delts

This exercise works the shoulder muscles. It also uses the muscles in your arms and upper back. To do it, you stand up and push a barbell over your head from your shoulders, holding the bar with your hands widely apart.

barbell

Bodyweight Squatting Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back, biceps, and shoulders. It mixes a squat with a pulling motion. You need to be strong and coordinated to do it.

body weight

Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This is a one-sided exercise for the upper back. It uses body weight to build pulling strength and helps with balance.

body weight

Bodyweight Standing Close-grip Row

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back using your body weight. You stand and lean forward, then pull a bar or handles toward your body. As you pull, you squeeze your shoulder blades together.

body weight

Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise builds strength in your upper back. You work one arm at a time by leaning forward at your hips and pulling a weight up to your chest.

body weight

Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row (with Towel)

Beginner
Upper back

A simple standing exercise that uses a towel to target the upper back muscles. By bending forward and performing a single-arm pulling motion, you strengthen the back while also working the biceps and grip.

body weight

Bodyweight Standing Row

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise uses your own body weight to make your upper back muscles stronger. It also works your arms and shoulders. You stand up and pull a bar or handles to your body, making sure to squeeze your shoulder blades together.

body weight

Bodyweight Standing Row (with Towel)

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise uses a simple towel to help strengthen your upper back, shoulders, and arms. To do it, you pull the towel toward your chest while keeping your body steady and your back straight.

body weight

Cable High Row (kneeling)

Intermediate
Upper back

This is a strength exercise for your upper back. You do it while kneeling in front of a cable machine. It helps you squeeze your shoulder blades together and uses your back muscles. Your arm and shoulder muscles help a little bit, too.

cable

Cable Low Seated Row

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise strengthens your upper back using a cable machine. It also works your biceps and arm muscles. To do it, sit down and pull the handles toward your body while keeping your back straight and squeezing your shoulder blades together.

cable

Cable One Arm Bent Over Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This is a single-arm pulling exercise for your upper back. You use a cable machine to do it. It helps your stomach muscles stay strong and improves how your body moves together. You must move slowly and carefully to do it right.

cable

Cable One Arm Straight Back High Row (kneeling)

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back muscles using a cable machine. It also uses your biceps and shoulders. You do it while on your knees to help focus on your upper back.

cable

Cable Palm Rotational Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back, biceps, and forearms using a cable machine. You pull a handle toward your body while turning your palms up. This helps make your back muscles and grip stronger.

cable

Cable Reverse-grip Straight Back Seated High Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise uses a cable machine to build strength in your upper back. You sit on the bench with a straight back and hold the handle with your palms facing up. Then, you pull the cable toward your body to squeeze your back muscles.

cable

Cable Rope Elevated Seated Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise builds strength in your upper back. You sit on a raised seat and use a cable machine with rope handles. It helps you squeeze your back muscles together while also working your arms and grip.

cable

Cable Rope Seated Row

Beginner
Upper back

This is a strength exercise for your upper back. You do it sitting down on a cable machine using a rope handle. It also works the muscles in your arms.

cable

Cable Seated One Arm Alternate Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This is an exercise for your upper back using a cable machine. You sit down and pull a handle toward your body using one hand at a time. Move slowly and focus on squeezing your shoulder blade back.

cable

Cable Shoulder Press

Intermediate
Delts

This exercise uses a cable machine to strengthen your shoulder muscles. You push handles from your shoulders straight up over your head. This helps your shoulders, the back of your arms, and your upper back get stronger.

cable

Cable Standing Twist Row (v-bar)

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back, biceps, and shoulders. You stand up and use a special V-shaped handle on a cable machine. While you pull the handle toward you, you also twist your body. This twisting helps make your tummy muscles stronger and improves your balance.

cable

Cambered Bar Lying Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise builds muscle in your upper back. To do it, you lie on your stomach on a bench and pull a curved bar up to your chest. This motion helps you squeeze your shoulder blades together.

barbell

Chin-ups (narrow Parallel Grip)

Intermediate
Upper back

This is a bodyweight exercise that makes your upper back and arms stronger. You hold the bar with your hands close together and pull your body up.

body weight

Dumbbell Cuban Press V. 2

Intermediate
Delts

This exercise works your shoulder muscles, the back of your arms, and your upper back. It mixes pushing weights up with turning your wrists. This movement helps make your shoulder joints strong and steady.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Incline Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise strengthens your upper back. You lie face-forward on an angled bench and pull dumbbells up. It works your back muscles, shoulders, and arms.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Incline Y-raise

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back and shoulders. You lie face down on a slanted bench and lift your arms to make the letter Y. This helps keep your shoulders strong and healthy.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Lying Rear Delt Row

Intermediate
Upper back

You do this exercise while lying on your stomach on a bench. It works the muscles in your upper back and the back of your shoulders by pulling weights up.

dumbbell

Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise builds strength on one side of your body. It focuses on your upper back muscles, but also works your biceps and forearms. To do it, you bend forward at your hips and pull a weight up to your chest while keeping your back straight.

dumbbell

Dumbbell One Arm Shoulder Press

Intermediate
Delts

This exercise works your shoulder muscles by pushing a weight up with just one arm. It also strengthens your arm and upper back. Because you are only lifting on one side, you must use your stomach muscles to keep your body steady and balanced.

dumbbell

Dumbbell One Arm Shoulder Press V. 2

Intermediate
Delts

This exercise uses a dumbbell in one hand to push weight up above your head. It strengthens your shoulder muscles. It also uses your arm muscles and back muscles to keep you steady. Because you only use one arm at a time, your tummy muscles have to work hard to keep you standing straight.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench One Arm Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This is a strength exercise for your upper back. You do it while leaning on a slanted bench. You use one dumbbell and hold it with your palm facing forward.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Two Arm Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise builds strength in your upper back. You do it by leaning your chest against a slanted bench and holding weights with your palms facing up. It also works the muscles in your arms.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Seated Alternate Shoulder

Beginner
Delts

This exercise builds strong shoulders. You sit on a bench and press one dumbbell up while the other comes down. It works your shoulder muscles and helps your upper arms and back too.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press

Beginner
Delts

This exercise strengthens your shoulder muscles. You sit down and push dumbbells straight up over your head.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press (parallel Grip)

Beginner
Delts

This exercise builds shoulder strength while you sit down. You hold dumbbells with your palms facing each other. It works your shoulder muscles and also helps your arms and upper back.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Side Plank With Rear Fly

Advanced
Upper back

This exercise combines a side plank with a shoulder movement. You hold your body steady on your side to work your core, while lifting a weight with your top arm to strengthen your upper back and shoulder. It tests your balance and strength.

dumbbell

Dumbbell Standing Overhead Press

Intermediate
Delts

The dumbbell standing overhead press is a strength exercise for your shoulder muscles. You perform it by standing up and pushing dumbbells from your shoulders straight up over your head.

dumbbell

Elbow Lift - Reverse Push-up

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise uses your body weight to strengthen your upper back. It also works your arms and shoulders. You lie on your stomach and push your chest up from the floor. Keeping your elbows close to your sides helps you squeeze your back muscles tightly.

body weight

Elevator

Beginner
Upper back

This exercise uses your own body weight to strengthen your upper back. You simply lean forward from your waist while keeping your spine flat, then return to standing. Doing this regularly helps improve your posture and back strength.

body weight

Ez Bar Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

Intermediate
Upper back

This exercise works your upper back muscles. It also helps strengthen your biceps and forearms. You will bend forward and pull a curved barbell toward your lower chest using an underhand grip.

ez barbell

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