Upper Back Workout

Strengthening the back muscles is as important as 'carving' out the abs, biceps, triceps, etc. These muscles are under pressure and stress throughout the day as one performs the routine tasks. The upper back muscles bear the weight of the head and shoulders. The sedentary life that we live today takes a heavy toll on our bodies. Spending long hours in front of the computer screen, lack of exercise and continuous traveling affects the body posture. It also weakens the muscles owing to lack of enough movement and stretching. Strong back muscles also help maintain the spinal cord in perfect shape.

The workouts used to shape and strengthen the upper back fall under categories such as pull-ups & pull-downs, rows and pullovers. There are few stretching exercises too, for the upper back to remain supple.

Pull-downs and Pull-ups
The pull-up exercise is performed with the help of an overhead fixed bar. One has to grip the bar and suspend his body by means of extended arms. The position in which the palms face the person is known as 'chin-up', while in the 'pull-up' the palms face away from the body. In this back exercise, the body is lifted until the face is raised above the bars and lowered thereafter. The exercise works up the upper back muscles to a great extent. There are three different types of pull-up exercises. The method used in a 'Standard pull-up' is explained above. The next type of pull-up is 'Behind-the-neck-pull-up'. In this exercise, the face isn't raised above the bar; however, the neck touches the bar. The third type is the 'Weighted pull-up' in which a weight is attached to the body with the help of a dipping belt.

Pull-down, as the name suggests involves pulling down a weight in order to strengthen the lats. A bar attached to a pulley loaded with weights is pulled down.

Rows
In this exercise, the hands move to and fro which resemble the rowing of a boat. The exercise is generally performed with the help of dumbbells.

The dumbbell rows are performed by kneeling down. If one is using the right hand to hold the dumbbell, the left leg should be knelt on a platform or table. The left hand should rest on the platform. The right foot rests on the floor with a slight bent in the knees. The dumbbell is lifted by the right hand and pulled to the sides until it touches the ribs. Then lower it back to the original position i.e. to the floor.

Pullovers
The pullover exercise is considered to be the best exercise, to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscles. It gives a good exercise to the lats, however, the chest is also exercised with this workout. The pullover exercise is used as a transitional exercise between the upper back exercise and the chest exercise.

Stretching
Shoulder stretching provide a good exercise to the shoulders as well as the upper back. The exercises such as Suryanamaskar, which comes under the category of yoga exercises, stretches the upper back muscles, and relieves them of stress. The half spinal twist or Ardh Matsyendrasana is also used to strengthen the upper back along with the spinal cord.

The upper back workouts are necessary for those who want to build up muscles, for supporting the spinal cord, to maintain an upright posture, and also to maintain the overall health of the body. The exercise routines which consume hardly 20-30 minutes, should be followed regularly and sincerely to keep ourselves fit.