How to Add Thickness to the Upper Back?
Building a thick, powerful upper back isn't just about aesthetics—it's a cornerstone of functional strength and good posture. When your upper back lacks development, it affects everything from your shoulder health to your overall physique. In this guide, I'll walk you through the most effective exercises and strategies to transform your upper back from flat to formidable.
Face Pulls
Face pulls might be the most underrated exercise for building upper back thickness. This exercise primarily targets your rear deltoids, upper traps, and rhomboids—the muscles creating that 3D look in your upper back. Set a cable machine with a rope attachment at upper chest height to perform face pulls correctly. Grab the rope with both hands, palms facing each other. Step back until your arms are fully extended, then pull the rope toward your face, keeping your upper arms parallel to the floor. Your hands should end up beside your ears, with elbows flared out. Face pulls are so effective because they hit muscles that most people neglect. While everyone's busy with bench presses and curls, these smaller upper back muscles get minimal attention. Yet they're crucial for that thick, dense look. Aim for 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps with lighter weight, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together at the peak of each rep. The key is constant tension and proper form rather than heavy weight.
Deadlifts
There's a reason deadlifts are called the king of mass-building exercises. They build thickness throughout your entire posterior chain, including your upper back. When performing deadlifts, many focus only on the lower back and legs. But if you consciously engage your upper back by pulling your shoulders back and down at the top of the movement, you'll trigger significant growth in your traps and rhomboids. This creates that powerful, dense look between your shoulder blades. I recommend conventional deadlifts with a shoulder-width grip for overall back development. Start with the loaded barbell on the floor, hinge at your hips, grab the bar with an overhand grip, and stand up by driving through your heels while keeping your back flat. At the top, squeeze your upper back muscles for 1-2 seconds before lowering the weight. For optimal upper back development, incorporate deadlifts 1-2 times weekly, performing 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps. Remember, form trumps weight—a properly executed deadlift with moderate weight builds more muscle than a heavy, sloppy one.
Dumbbell Reverse Flies
This exercise specifically targets the rear deltoids and middle traps—muscles that give your upper back that wide, thick appearance when developed. To perform reverse flies, grab a pair of light dumbbells, hinge forward at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, and let your arms hang down. With a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights to your sides until your arms parallel the floor, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top. The magic of reverse flies lies in the mind-muscle connection. Rather than swinging the weights, focus on feeling your upper back muscles do the work. Start with lighter dumbbells than you think you need—most people go too heavy and use momentum instead of muscle. Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps, twice weekly. Try them on an incline bench to change the angle and hit the muscles differently for variety.
T-Bar Rows
T-bar rows are one of my favorites for building serious upper back thickness. They allow you to handle heavier loads safely while still targeting the right muscles. This exercise simultaneously hits your middle and upper traps, rhomboids, and rear delts. The beauty of T-bar rows is that they provide a more natural arc of motion than strict barbell rows, putting less stress on your lower back while still allowing you to move significant weight. To perform T-bar rows, position yourself over the bar with bent knees and a flat back. Grab the handles and pull the weight toward your chest, focusing on driving your elbows up and back. At the top, squeeze your shoulder blades together for maximum contraction. I suggest 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps with a weight that challenges you but allows proper form. Experiment with grip width—a wider grip emphasizes the upper back more, while a closer grip hits the mid-back. Either way, focus on pulling with your back muscles, not your arms.
Seated Cable Rows
Seated cable rows are exceptional for building thickness because they allow constant tension throughout the entire range of motion. Unlike free weight exercises, where tension varies, the cable machine maintains resistance from start to finish. This maximizes time under tension—a key factor in muscle growth. To perform seated cable rows, sit at the machine with feet braced against the platform and knees slightly bent. Grab the attachment (I recommend a wide grip handle for upper back focus), sit tall, and pull the handle toward your lower chest. Most people miss the key technique point: the setup. Before pulling, sit perfectly—chest up, shoulders back and down. This position already engages your upper back muscles before you begin the movement. Then, initiate the pull by driving your elbows back, not by pulling with your hands. For optimal upper back development, perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps, focusing on a full stretch at the beginning and a complete contraction at the end of each rep.
Dynamic Warm-Ups
I've found that dynamic movements that activate the upper back before your main lifts can increase muscle recruitment by up to 20%. Start with band pull-aparts: hold a resistance band in front of you with straight arms, then pull it apart by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Perform 15-20 reps. Next, try scapular wall slides: stand with your back against a wall, arms in a "W" position, then slide your arms up while keeping contact with the wall. These activate the often-neglected lower traps crucial for balanced upper back development. Finally, include some light face pulls as part of your warm-up—not heavy enough to fatigue the muscles, but sufficient to wake them up for the work ahead. Spend at least 5-7 minutes on these dynamic warm-ups. They'll pay dividends in your main lifts by improving mind-muscle connection and increasing blood flow to the target areas.
Progressive Overload
Progressive overload means gradually increasing the demands on your muscles over time. For upper back development, this doesn't always mean adding weight. You can increase reps, sets, decrease rest time, or improve form quality. The goal is consistent progress in some form. I recommend meticulously tracking your workouts. Note the weight, reps, and sets for each exercise and how the movement felt. Every 1-2 weeks, try to improve one variable. For example, if you did 3 sets of 10 reps on T-bar rows with 135 pounds last week, aim for 3 sets of 11 reps this week. Once you can complete 12 reps with perfect form, increase the weight slightly and drop back to 8-10 reps. This systematic approach ensures continued growth without plateauing or risking injury from adding weight too quickly.
Frequency and Recovery
Training frequency and recovery are often missing in the upper back development puzzle. I've found that most people don't train their upper back frequently enough for optimal growth. Unlike smaller muscle groups, your back can handle—and benefits from—more frequent stimulation. Aim to train your upper back 2-3 times per week through dedicated back workouts or by splitting the volume across different days. However, more training demands smart recovery strategies. Ensure you get nightly 7-8 hours of quality sleep, as this is when most muscle repair occurs. Include mobility work between training sessions to maintain healthy shoulder function. Foam rolling your upper back can improve blood flow and reduce tension in chronically tight areas. Nutrition is equally important—aim for a slight caloric surplus (about 200-300 calories above maintenance) and ensure you're getting 1.6-2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight daily to support muscle growth.
How can I increase my upper body thickness?
Increasing upper body thickness requires a multi-faceted approach beyond just the abovementioned exercises. First, ensure you're training all planes of motion—horizontal pulls (rows), vertical pulls (pull-ups), and rear deltoid work. Second, don't neglect your nutrition; muscle growth happens in the kitchen as much as in the gym. Third, prioritize compound movements that allow heavier loads, as these trigger the most significant hormonal response for growth. Finally, be patient—significant upper back development typically takes 4-6 months of consistent training to become visibly noticeable.
How can I bulk up my upper back?
Bulking up your upper back requires explicit strategic nutrition and training adjustments. From a nutrition standpoint, you'll need a caloric surplus—aim for 300-500 calories above maintenance level, with protein intake around 2g per kilogram of bodyweight. Training-wise, focus on exercises that allow progressive overload in the 6-12 rep range, which is the sweet spot for hypertrophy. Incorporate variation in grip (wide, narrow, neutral) and equipment (barbells, dumbbells, cables) to hit all the upper back muscles from different angles. Finally, don't neglect time under tension—slower, controlled eccentric phases (lowering the weight) have significantly increased muscle growth in the upper back.
Conclusion
Building a thick, powerful upper back isn't complicated, but it requires consistency, proper exercise selection, and attention to technique. The exercises and strategies outlined above provide a comprehensive approach to developing your upper back muscles from multiple angles. Remember that visible progress takes time—usually 8-12 weeks before you notice significant changes. Focus on progressive overload, proper recovery, and patient persistence. Track your workouts, take progress photos every 4 weeks, and make adjustments as needed. Implement these recommendations, and you'll be well on your way to developing the thick, impressive upper back that serves as the foundation for aesthetic physique and functional strength.
