Upper Back Stretch

Muscles worked

The muscles under tension are the rhomboids and mid-trapezius, which draw the shoulder blades together and back down the ribcage.

A stretch loads them at the far end of the range they normally work in, so the position you hold is itself the resistance.

Every exercise for:Middle back

How this movement works

Nothing travels once you are in position. The muscle holds a length under tension instead of working through a range, so effort is measured in seconds rather than repetitions — and the honest progression is more time in a good position, not a deeper one forced early.

It is filed under stretching, so the target is range of motion rather than force — a position you can settle into and breathe in, held long enough for the tissue to give.

What you need

These train the middle back too, using equipment this one does not:

• Alternating Kettlebell Rowkettlebell
• Bent Over Barbell Rowbarbell
• Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Rowdumbbell
• Leverage High Rowmachine
• Rhomboids-SMRfoam roll

Difficulty

Listed at beginner level: the pattern is simple enough to pick up without coaching, and a position that goes wrong mid-set is obvious enough to correct on the next repetition.

Of the 37 middle back exercises in this database, 21 are listed at beginner level.