The Westside Barbell Conjugate Training System is not only incredibly efficient at developing specific strengths and athletic traits, but it also lets coaches and athletes focus on developing specific muscle groups. Using our three primary training methods, maximal, dynamic, and repeated effort, we can both strengthen and grow all necessary muscle groups.
Two muscle groups we spend significant time focused on developing are the mid and upper back. The muscles that comprise the mid and upper back play a tremendous role in strength, given their impact on spinal stability and bracing. A weak mid and upper back can cause posture and force-production issues in the squat, bench press, and deadlift.
Whether you are a conventional sports athlete or a strength athlete, consistently building a strong, capable mid and upper back is one of the best ways to improve performance and reduce the risk of back injury.
In this article, we discuss how we approach mid- and upper-back training at Westside Barbell.
Identifying the Muscles to Address
The first step in building the mid and upper back is identifying the muscles we want to target. Here is a list of the muscles we will target when developing the mid and upper back, along with their basic function.
Upper Back Muscles:
Upper Trapezius – elevates the scapula, assists with upward rotation of the scapula, and extends and laterally flexes the neck.
Middle Trapezius – retracts the scapulae.
Levator Scapulae – elevates the scapula and assists downward rotation.
Mid Back Muscles:
Lower Trapezius – depresses the scapula and assists upward rotation.
Rhomboid Major/Minor – retracts the scapulae, slightly elevating them, and downwardly rotating them.
Latissimus Dorsi (lats) – shoulder adduction, shoulder extension, shoulder IR.
Thoracic Erector Spinae – extends the thoracic spine, helps maintain an upright posture, and assists lateral flexion.
Now that we have identified the muscles we want to target, we can move on to selecting exercises to address them most efficiently.
Recommended Exercises to Address the Mid and Upper Back Muscles
Here are the recommended exercises to select when seeking to address the mid and upper back muscles.
Upper Back Muscles:
Upper Trapezius – barbell/dumbbell shrugs, upright rows, farmer’s carries, face pulls, overhead press variations.
Middle Trapezius – seated cable rows, chest-supported rows, face pulls, reverse flys, and wide-grip rows.
Levator Scapulae – shrug variations, prone Y raises.
Mid Back Muscles:
Lower Trapezius – chest-supported rows, angled rows, reverse pec-deck, straight-arm pulldowns.
Rhomboid Major/Minor – seal rows, face pulls, band pull-aparts, inverted rows, reverse flys.
Latissimus Dorsi (lats) – vertical and horizontal pulls.
Thoracic Erector Spinae – good mornings, back extensions, deadlift variations.
You will notice that, aside from the thoracic erectors, the recommended exercises to strengthen each listed muscle are considered accessory exercises. This is why we stress the importance of properly selected accessory exercises. Without a comprehensive accessory exercise selection, a coach or athlete risks leaving critical aspects of the mid and upper back undertrained.
Exercise Programming
Now that we have identified the specific muscles we seek to target and discussed the exercises used to address each muscle, we can move on to exercise programming. As mentioned, aside from the thoracic erector exercises, most of these movements will be performed as accessory exercises.
At Westside, we train the mid- and upper-back muscles constantly. Whether it is an upper- or lower-body day, we will address a few (if not all) of the muscles listed in this article.
Here is an example of how we might go about programming mid and upper back training on a max effort lower body training day:
Main Exercise
Giant Cambered Bar Good Morning – work up to a top set of 3 reps (Thoracic Erector Spinae)
Primary Accessory Exercise
Romanian Deadlift – 4 x 5-8 (Thoracic Erector Spinae)
Secondary Accessory Exercises
Leg Press – 4 x 10-12
Standing Hamstring Curl – 3 x 12-15
Standing Abs – 4 x 15-20
Farmer’s Carry – 10 trips, 20-30 yds per trip (Upper Trapezius)
As you can see, three of the six exercises selected address a meaningful aspect of the mid and upper back to some degree.
Here is an example of how we might go about programming mid and upper back training on a max effort upper body training day:
Main Exercise
Push Press – work up to a top set single (Upper Trapezius)
Primary Accessory Exercise
Seal Row – 4 x 8-10 (Latissimus Dorsi, Middle Trapezius, Rhomboid Major/Minor)
Secondary Accessory Exercises
Dumbbell Bench Press – 4 x 10-12
Upright Row – 4 x 10-12 (Upper, Mid, and Lower Trapezius)
Rolling DB Tricep Extension – 3 x 12-15
Hammer Curl – 3 x 12-15
Y Raises – 3 x 12-15 (Levator Scapulae)
Our upper-body training offers many opportunities to develop critical aspects of the mid and upper back. As you can see in this workout, we can target the mid and upper back in 4 of our 7 total exercises.
There are, of course, many different exercises to select and ways to program mid- and upper-back training depending on the day. The two workouts above show how we could program a lower- and upper-body maximal effort day. However, we also have two dynamic effort training days per week, which offer ample opportunity to address aspects of the mid and upper back as well.
Throughout the week, we can select different exercises depending on the training day or modify the set-and-rep scheme to adjust training intensity. Also, keep in mind that many of these exercises hit multiple muscles at once, not just the primary muscle mentioned for the day.
With the Conjugate Training System, there is no excuse for a weak mid and upper back. Our programming gives a coach or athlete all the tools they need to address and develop these critical muscles.
As Lou would say, no strong lifter has a weak back. If you notice issues with posture, bracing, and overall strength, consider increasing your mid- and upper-back training volume, intensity, and frequency.
