9 Best Middle Back Exercises for Strength & Mass

A strong mid-back is one of those boring-sounding “details” that ends up being a total game changer. For lifters, it is the difference between feeling locked in on big lifts and feeling like your shoulders are on a roller coaster. When your mid-back is strong, your scapulae stay stable on bench press, you can keep your torso position cleaner on squats and deadlifts, and your rows stop turning into an arm workout.

And yes, it looks awesome too. A thick mid-back is one of the easiest tells that someone actually trains hard. Before you sprint to the gym and spam rows, let’s cover why the mid-back gets weak in the first place and the best middle-back exercises to fix it.

Quick answer: The best way to build your mid-back is to prioritize scapular retraction and depression on rows and pulldowns, train a mix of heavy horizontal pulls and controlled, chest-supported work, and use enough variety (grips, angles, and unilateral work) to hit the rhomboids plus the middle and lower traps without letting your biceps hijack every rep.

Table of Contents:

• Common reasons for a weak mid-back
• The 9 best middle back exercises
• Middle back anatomy and functions
• Benefits of strengthening the middle back
• How to warm up the middle back

COMMON REASONS PEOPLE HAVE A WEAK MID-BACK

Besides not training it at all, the most common reasons your mid-back is weak (or just not living up to its potential) come down to these four issues.

1. Poor mind-muscle connection

Mind-muscle connection can be tougher for the mid-back because you cannot watch it working in the mirror. The fix is simple: focus on pulling the shoulder blades together and squeezing at the peak of rows. If you feel it mostly in your biceps, slow down, lighten the load, and own the squeeze.

2. Bad form

In a nutshell: stop “arm rowing.” Start leading pulling exercises with scapular retraction and depression. Let your shoulder blades move first, then let your elbows follow.

3. Sitting and standing with poor posture

If you live in a slouch, your mid-back muscles spend all day lengthened and underused. Over time, that can lead to weakness, stiffness, and a shoulder position that makes pressing and overhead work feel sketchy.

4. Not enough exercise variety

Yes, you need rows. But you also need different kinds of rows. Change your grip (underhand, overhand, neutral), change your support (bent-over, chest-supported, seated), and include unilateral work so one side does not quietly do all the work while the other side watches.

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9 BEST MIDDLE BACK EXERCISES

Now that we have established the middle back matters for performance, health, and aesthetics, here are nine exercises that train the region from multiple angles and setups.

Note: You do not need to do all of these in one session. The win is rotating them over time so you get different stimuli without grinding the same pattern forever.

1. Bent-Over Barbell Row

If you only did one movement on this list, the bent-over barbell row would be the pick. It builds the mid-back, upper back, biceps, grip, and posterior delts. Holding the hinge position also builds posterior chain endurance, which carries over well to deadlifts.

Want another staple? We also love the dumbbell row.

How to do the Bent Over Barbell Row:

• Set up a loaded barbell near your shins.
• Hinge at the hips and grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width using an underhand or overhand grip.
• With chest up, shoulders down, and a neutral spine, row the barbell toward your lower ribs or stomach.
• Keep elbows angled about 45 degrees and squeeze your shoulder blades at the top.
• Pause briefly, then lower under control.

Note: You can use a variety of grips and hand positions for the barbell bent-over row.

Best rep range: 6-12 (moderately heavy loads)

2. Seal Row

The seal row takes momentum out of the equation. Because you are supported, it is harder to “cheat” and easier to actually load the rhomboids and mid traps.

How to do the Seal Row:

1. Elevate the bench so the barbell can hang freely underneath when your arms are straight.
2. Lie face down with your torso supported and brace your core.
3. Row by driving elbows toward your hips until the bar reaches the bench.
4. Lower under control, reset at the bottom, and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-12 (moderate load)

3. Meadows Row

The Meadows row is a single-arm landmine row created by John Meadows. It is a great option for loading hard while addressing side-to-side imbalances and hitting lower trap fibers that can be stubborn on standard rows.

How to do the Meadows Row:

1. Stand in a staggered stance with your lead foot closer to the bar end.
2. Hinge forward and grip the sleeve/end of the barbell with an overhand grip.
3. Brace with your non-working arm on your front leg.
4. Row by pulling the elbow back and retracting the shoulder blade.
5. Lower until the arm is straight and repeat for reps.

Best rep range: 6-12 (moderate to heavy loads)

4. Seated Chest Supported Row

A chest-supported row keeps your torso pinned so the mid-back does the work. You can use a chest-supported row machine, or set up an incline bench with a cable or dumbbells. The big advantage is clean reps and a consistent squeeze without body English.

Note: You can also use dumbbells with an adjustable bench for chest supported rows.

How to do the Chest Supported Row:

1. Set the pad so your chest stays glued to it while your arms reach full extension.
2. Plant your feet and keep shoulders down and chest up.
3. Pull elbows back and squeeze shoulder blades together.
4. Lower slowly until arms are straight and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-15 (moderate to heavy load)

5. Kroc Rows

Kroc rows are heavy, high-rep dumbbell rows with controlled “cheating.” The goal is to move a big load for big reps and build an absurdly strong upper back, grip, and biceps, while still getting real mid-back work.

More here: Kroc rows.

How to do the Kroc Row:

1. Stand beside a bench with a heavy dumbbell on the floor.
2. Hinge with one hand braced and grab the dumbbell without rounding your lower back.
3. Row hard and high, allowing some body English while keeping control.
4. Lower until the arm is extended, then drive up again.
5. As fatigue climbs, range of motion can shorten slightly, but keep the effort high.

Best rep range: 8+ (go high reps and push near failure)

6. Yates Row

The Yates row uses a more upright torso angle and an underhand grip. This often lets you load heavier than a strict bent-over row while still hitting the mid traps and rhomboids from a different line of pull.

How to do the Yates Row:

• Set up a loaded barbell near your shins.
• Grip underhand slightly wider than hip width.
• Stand up, then hinge slightly so your torso is midway between vertical and horizontal.
• Row toward your lower stomach with power while keeping elbows tucked.
• Lower under control and repeat.

Best rep range: 6-15 (heavy)

7. Unilateral Dead Stop Row

Dead stop rows help you stay honest. Pausing the weight on the floor reduces stretch reflex and can give your grip a micro-break so you can do quality reps. It is also a great option for evening out left-to-right differences.

How to do the Unilateral Dead Stop Row:

1. Stand beside a bench with a dumbbell or kettlebell on the floor.
2. Hinge and brace with one hand, keeping the lower back neutral.
3. Row by pulling the elbow behind you while keeping shoulders down.
4. Lower to the floor, pause, reset, and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-16 (moderate to heavy load)

8. Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown

Yes, it is a lat movement, but it also trains mid-back control through scapular depression and helps you build cleaner pulling mechanics. The half-kneeling position also makes it harder to cheat. If you lose balance, your form is telling on you.

If you want more lat options: best latissimus dorsi exercises.

How to do the Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown:

1. Set the cable pulley high and grab the handle.
2. Get into a stable half-kneeling position with ribs down and glutes engaged.
3. The down knee is on the same side as the working arm.
4. Keep shoulder down and chest up, then pull the elbow toward your hip.
5. Extend back to full reach and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-16 (light to moderate load)

9. TRX Inverted Row

TRX rows let you rotate your grip freely, which is a big deal if your elbows or shoulders get cranky with fixed bars. The instability also forces your upper back to work harder to keep your body lined up.

How to do the TRX Inverted Row:

1. Grip the handles with an underhand, overhand, or neutral grip and position yourself under the straps.
2. Squeeze glutes and brace so your body stays in a straight line.
3. Row your chest toward the handles and pause briefly.
4. Lower until arms are straight and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-16

MIDDLE BACK ANATOMY AND FUNCTION

When we say “middle back,” we are mainly talking about the muscles between your shoulder blades: the rhomboids plus the middle and lower fibers of the trapezius. These muscles control scapular movement, which is a big part of keeping shoulders healthy and lifting heavy with better mechanics.

Rhomboids: The rhomboids are two superficial muscles located between the shoulder blades: rhomboid minor and rhomboid major. The rhomboid major originates from thoracic vertebrae T2-T5 and inserts on the medial border of the scapula. The rhomboid minor originates from C7-T1 and inserts on the spine of the scapula.

Major functions of the rhomboids include:

• Scapula adduction (shoulder blades coming together).
• Downward rotation after overhead movements.
• Scapula elevation.

Middle and Lower Trapezius: The traps are a large triangular muscle group broken into upper, middle, and lower fibers. For mid-back strength, the middle and lower fibers matter most. The middle fibers originate from the lower cervical region and upper thoracic spine and insert on the spine of the scapula. The lower fibers originate from mid-to-lower thoracic vertebrae and insert near the medial end of the scapular spine.

Major functions of the middle and lower traps include:

• Scapula adduction.
• Scapula elevation.
• Scapula upward rotation.
• Scapula depression (lower fibers).

There is overlap in what the rhomboids and mid/lower traps do, which is good news. Most quality mid-back exercises train both at the same time.

BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE MIDDLE BACK

A developed mid-back looks great, but the real wins show up in how you move, how you lift, and how your shoulders feel.

1) IMPROVED “BIG 3” PERFORMANCE

A strong, engaged mid-back helps you keep a more neutral spine and better torso position during squats and deadlifts. It also helps keep the bar path cleaner and the upper back tighter.

On the bench press, mid-back strength supports scapular stability, which can improve shoulder comfort and make your setup feel more locked in.

2) BETTER POSTURE

Modern life pushes you into a forward head, rounded shoulder posture. Over time, the middle back becomes lengthened and underactive. A commonly cited stat is that for every inch your head shifts forward, the load on your neck increases substantially. One reference notes an added 10 pounds per inch of forward head posture. (1) Training the mid-back helps pull your posture back toward neutral and supports healthier shoulder mechanics.

3) STRONGER PULLS AND BETTER BACK DEVELOPMENT

A stronger mid-back improves your ability to row and pull heavy without compensating by yanking with your arms. It is also a key piece of building a bigger back overall. Think bent-over rows, T-bar rows, and single arm dumbbell rows.

WARMING UP YOUR MIDDLE BACK BEFORE TRAINING

A good warm-up for the middle back is not complicated. You want blood flow, scapula control, and shoulders that move cleanly before heavy pulls and presses.

Foam rolling the upper back can help you loosen tight spots and prep your thoracic spine. Then use a few low-intensity, scapula-focused movements like face pulls, band pull-aparts, and wall slides. Here is a good reference list: scapular stabilization exercises.

BEST HYPERTROPHY PROGRAM

SFS Hypertrophy Program

Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...

View Now

WRAPPING UP

Training the mid-back keeps your shoulders healthier, your big lifts more stable, and your posture less “laptop goblin.” It also makes your entire back look thicker, which is always a win.

Related: Best Upper Back Exercises

References:

1. Forward head posture discussion and associated loading considerations

Medical note: This article is for educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical advice. If you have shoulder pain, numbness, or a prior injury, consult a qualified clinician or physical therapist before starting a new program.