Back Exercises

Build Up Your Back

Blast your upper back with these two chest-supported exercises.

What’s the fastest way to build a shelf? To hold up books, it’ll take a drill and some screws. To hold up a barbell when you squat and keep you stable when you bench, however, it’s time to give the chest-supported row and chest-supported shrug their due, because they’re among the most efficient and effective ways to build muscle in your upper back.

How to Do Them:


The machine’s design forces you to keep your chest in contact with the pad, enforcing strict form and lessening strain on your lower back. Let your arms hang straight, then pull the handles up as far as you can.


To squat and bench correctly, you have to retract your shoulder blades as hard as you can. Shrugging the handles of the chest- supported row from a dead hang will replicate this move and build mass in the center of your upper back.