Upper back exercise advice

Visit any gym and it's soon clear that upper back exercises are popular among athletes.

Along with chest and shoulders they are the bedrock of a strong, developed torso, providing strength and definition to the area.

There are loads of great upper back exercises to choose from. Among the most popular upper back exercises are:

• Lat pulldowns
• Low cable rows
• One arm rows
• Upright rowing
• Pull-ups

Of these, the ultimate exercise is undoubtedly pull-ups - so why do you see so few people doing them? Quite simply, they are so difficult! If you want to learn how to do pull-ups, there are several steps you can take to get yourself moving:

• Perform lat pulldowns: This is the closest exercise to pull-ups, and so will build the muscles.
• Bar hanging: The next stage is bar hanging. Even if you can't perform a pull-up, practice hanging from the bar. The secret is to not let all your weight hang from your joints, but rather to pull yourself up a little so that your muscles take the load.
• Negatives: Once you can perform at least one pull-up, it's time to work on negatives. Perform a pull-up, then take as long as possible to descend. Even if you use a bench to help get up, performing these negatives will build your strength.

Once you can do a couple, you simply have to keep doing more and more.

Before you know it you'll be cranking out sets of 10 to 12 reps!