By far, one of the most difficult areas to stretch is the middle back and upper back. Some people think it’s because the back muscles are too thick to effectively target. The truth is that many people do get tight in this area, and even develop “knots” that never seem to go away. They try to stretch their mid and upper back muscles, but unfortunately they’re using the wrong back stretches. And they’re hitting the wrong back muscles!
The back is very unique when compared to other muscles since it is NOT JUST ONE MUSCLE! So why do we think a few sets of pullups or rows is enough to get the job done? It's not. There are two main problems with typical lat focused training. One is that it trains simply a fraction of the back muscles and doesn’t tap into the complete strength of the back. The other is that many people choose repetitive exercises that work the back in the same plane.
Utter the words "Rack Pulls" and you are sure to strike a nerve with at least someone. Well, RACK PULLS! There, I said it. Now see what I have to say about them here.
Does this ever happen to you? Your back feels stiff and you know that it would feel so much better if you could just crack or pop it?? If so, you're in luck today!
This may come as a surprise to some, BUT, the most important exercise you can do is a face pull. The problem is most teach it wrong!
