Weight Lifting for Upper Middle Back Posture

Sitting at a desk all day, driving long distances or slouching can damage your posture. Rounded shoulders and a forward slump are usually the the result of overly tight chest muscles and weak middle back muscles. This hunched posture, commonly called hyperkyphosis, not only looks bad but it also can feel bad. A rounded upper back and forward head position places an inordinate amount of stress on your neck and can result in a buildup of tension in the supporting muscles, resulting in headaches. Fix your posture by stretching your chest muscles, strengthening your middle back and trying to sit and stand tall.

  1. Target Muscles

    • The main muscles responsible for holding your upper back and shoulders in good posture are your middle trapezius and rhomboid muscles, located across and between your shoulder blades, respectively. These muscles pull your shoulder blades together in a movement called retraction. In addition, your posterior deltoids, the rear shoulder muscles, help prevent your upper arms from rotating inward. Most middle back posture exercises work these three muscles together.

      Postural muscles are required to generate low amounts of force for extended periods of time, so use light to moderate weights and perform moderate to high repetitions; 15 to 20 is about right. Because you are using light weights, you can do postural exercises most days of the week.

    Cable Exercises

    • Weight training cable machines and elastic resistance cables provide an effective way to train your middle back muscles. You can perform these exercises standing upright, as the resistance is not solely reliant on the effect of gravity. Face pulls performed using an adjustable cable machine and band pull-aparts using an elastic resistance cable work all of the important middle back muscles.

      To perform face pulls, stand facing a shoulder-high cable machine, and use a rope handle. Hold the handles and stand in a staggered stance for balance. Pull your hands toward your face while keeping your elbows at shoulder height. Slowly extend your arms and repeat. For band pull-aparts, hold a resistance band at arm's length in front of you at shoulder level. Pull your arms apart, and stretch the band across your chest. Return to the starting position and repeat.

    Barbell Exercises

    • Barbell bent over rows are a powerful upper, middle and lower back strengthening exercise. The bent over position, which also strengthens your glutes and hamstrings, means you must have good body awareness and flexibility to perform this exercise correctly. With your feet together, grasp a barbell with a wider-than shoulder-width grip. bend your knees slightly and hinge forward from your hips until your upper body is about parallel to the floor. Do not allow your lower back to become rounded. Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and lower back slightly arched, pull the barbell up and in toward your chest. Lead with your elbows, and keep your wrists straight. Return to the starting position and repeat.

    Dumbbell Exercises

    • Dumbbells allow you to exercise your limbs individually, which means you can highlight and address any left-to-right strength imbalances. The reverse fly and single-arm bent over rows are good middle back exercises.

      To perform a reverse fly, take a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet together. Bend your knees slightly, and bend over at the hips. Raise your arms out to the side at shoulder level; when viewed from behind, your arms should form a T shape with your body. Lower your arms and repeat. For single-arm rows, take a dumbbell in one hand and adopt the same position as for the reverse fly. Rest your free hand on a bench or sturdy chair for support. Bend your arm and pull the weight up and in toward your armpit, keeping your elbow lifted out to the side. Lower the weight and repeat.