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beginnerSource-checked12 min read

The Upper Back: An Overview

The muscles that move the shoulder blades and pull the arms — the balance to the chest.

Before this: Fundamental Movement Terms

You will be able to

  • Name the major upper-back muscles and what they do.
  • Explain scapular retraction, elevation, and depression.
  • Explain why upper-back 'pull' work balances chest 'push' work.
Simplified back view showing the diamond-shaped trapezius over the upper back and neck, the rhomboids between the shoulder blades, and the broad latissimus dorsi fanning up from the lower back.
Upper back — trapezius, rhomboids, and latissimus dorsi (simplified). A beginner-level schematic of the major upper-back muscles: trapezius, rhomboids, and latissimus dorsi.
Illustration: Anatomy Learning Platform (original) · CC0-1.0 (public domain dedication)

⚠ Safety note

Back pain with numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain radiating down an arm needs professional assessment. A trainer coaches pulling technique, not diagnosis or treatment.

Movers of the shoulder blade — and the arm

The upper back has two groups of muscles:

  • Scapula movers: the trapezius (a big diamond that can elevate, retract, and depress the

shoulder blades), the rhomboids (which squeeze the blades together), and the levator scapulae (which lifts them).

  • Arm pullers: the latissimus dorsi ('lats') — the broad muscle that pulls the arm down and

back — helped by the teres major.

The push–pull balance

The chest pushes; the upper back pulls. Programs that only push (lots of bench press and push-ups) without pulling can drift toward a rounded-shoulder posture. Balancing pressing with rows and pulldowns keeps the shoulders healthy and posture upright.

Scapular control

Good pulling starts at the shoulder blade. Retraction (squeezing the blades together), depression (pulling them down from the ears), and elevation (shrugging up) are controlled by the traps, rhomboids, and levator scapulae working together.

Sources for this lesson

“The trapezius, rhomboids, and levator scapulae move the scapula; the latissimus dorsi and teres major move the humerus (extension/adduction).”

Anatomy and Physiology 2e — OpenStax, Rice University · Ch. 11.5 Muscles of the Pectoral Girdle and Upper Limbs

Peer-reviewed textbook · License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Last checked 2026-07-19

Take the quiz (3 questions)Explore the Upper Back

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