Muscle group
Upper back Exercises
The muscles between your shoulder blades — rhomboids, mid-traps and the rear shoulder they work with. They pull your shoulder blades together and hold them there, which is most of what people mean by posture.
Rowing is the whole category, but the angle matters: pulling toward your sternum hits this differently from pulling toward your hips. Horizontal pulling wants roughly as much volume as your pressing, and most people are well short of that.
38 upper back exercises in Gym Journal
31 compound and 7 isolation, each with a default rep range and rest interval already set. Everything here is in the free app.
| Exercise | Equipment | Type | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band Face Pullalso Shoulders | Other | isolation | 15–20 |
| Band Pull-Apartalso Shoulders | Other | isolation | 15–20 |
| Band Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Other | compound | 12–20 |
| Barbell Rear Delt Rowalso Shoulders, Biceps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Barbell Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Dumbbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Rear Delt Flyalso Shoulders | Cable | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Rope Rear-Delt Rowsalso Shoulders, Biceps | Cable | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Cable | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Single Arm Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Cable | compound | 10–12 |
| Chest Supported Dumbbell Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Dumbbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Chest Supported Row Machinealso Lats, Biceps | Machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Chest Supported T-Bar Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Plate-loaded machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Dumbbell Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Dumbbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Facepullalso Shoulders, Traps | Cable | isolation | 10–15 |
| Incline Bench Pullalso Lats, Shoulders | Barbell | compound | 10–15 |
| Incline Dumbbell Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Dumbbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Inverted Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Bodyweight | compound | 8–15 |
| Kettlebell Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Kettlebell | compound | 8–12 |
| Landmine Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Landmine Single Arm Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Machine Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Meadows Rowalso Lats, Biceps, Forearms | Plate-loaded machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Pendlay Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Barbell | compound | 5–10 |
| Plate-Loaded High Rowalso Lats | Plate-loaded machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Plate-Loaded Low Rowalso Lats, Biceps, Forearms | Plate-loaded machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Plate-Loaded Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Plate-loaded machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Rear Delt Machinealso Shoulders | Machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Renegade Rowalso Lats, Abs, Biceps | Dumbbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Reverse Flyalso Shoulders | Dumbbell | isolation | 12–15 |
| Reverse Grip Barbell Rowalso Biceps, Lats, Shoulders | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Reverse Pec Deckalso Shoulders | Machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Seal Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Seated Cable Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Cable | compound | 8–12 |
| Single Arm Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Dumbbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Smith Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Smith machine | compound | 8–12 |
| T-Bar Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Plate-loaded machine | compound | 8–12 |
| Wide Grip Seated Cable Rowalso Lats, Shoulders, Biceps | Cable | compound | 10–15 |
Log them, and watch the numbers move
Every exercise here is in the free app, with form instructions, its own progression chart and PR tracking. No account needed to start.