When I pull out the old typer and begin transcribing my thoughts to paper I always begin with the same question; why should the reader care about this and what is in it for them?

 A strong, healthy upper back will help you lift heavy ass weight, press heavy ass weight and keep your shoulders free of pain. If that isn’t enough to keep you from clicking away, a well-built upper back looks impressive as hell in a backless dress, on the beach and even in a well fitting t-shirt. There, something for the meatheads AND you training nerds.

 There are many muscles, large and small, at work in the upper back and to keep things clean lets talk about the Lats, Traps and Rhomboids.

 The lats are, from what I have read, the biggest muscle in the upper body. If you aspire to world-class pullup performance, you need strong Lats. A key to Lat training is to learn how to pull with the lats first and then the arms. When your arms are fully extended at the bottom of a pulldown or a pullup, you need to think about pulling the shoulder blades back and down in order to put your Lats in position to engage fully. The biggest mistake I see is people trying to pull way too much with their arms, it is like trying to do a bodyweight bicep curl.

 If want to get better at pullups, try this heavy/light approach. One day per week you will perform your heavy pullup work, this could be with a light band assist, bodyweight or added weight. Perform 3 sets of max reps. 2 to 3 days later, perform some higher rep, light weight work in the form of a heavy band assist or bodyweight only depending on your strength level. Perform 3 sets of max reps. Repeat this process over 4 to 6 weeks and attempt to add a rep or two ever workout. Keep track of each workouts total volume.

 Strong Lats can contribute to shoulder pain due to how they pull the shoulder into internal rotation.  Pressing exercises also drive internal rotation at the shoulder and, when combined with a ton of Lat work, can cause some pain and irritation at the shoulder. You can prevent shoulder discomfort by performing a high volume of horizontal pulling exercises. Which brings us to…….

 The Traps and Rhomboids pull the shoulder blades back and down. These muscles help keep the shoulders happy and they look friggin terrific when well developed. Rows and band pullaparts are staple exercises that train these muscle groups.

 Just like the Lats, these muscles need to be actively engaged in order to train them correctly. When performing rows or band pullaparts, you need to think about pulling the shoulder blades back and together, think of pinching a pen between the shoulder blades. This action will keep the stress on the upper back and away from the shoulders and bicep tendons. Strong, engaged Traps and Rhomboids can help you avoid the shoulder destruction caused by an overemphasis on pressing exercises.

 Want to train like a hero? Take your current 8 rep max dumbbell row and work like hell to make it your new 20 rep max. Perform horizontal pulling exercises like dumbbell rows, cable rows, band rows, band pullaparts, inverted rows, chest supported rows or sled rows during all of your training sessions. Focus on engaging the right muscles. Form is king. Feel every rep.

 Improving the strength of all the muscles in the upper back will help you improve your deadlift strength, squat strength, bench press strength and your shoulder health. If nothing else, a well developed upper back will keep you from looking like the douchebag who is jacked in the front and waiflike in the posterior!