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Exercises

Exercises for rounded shoulders: rows, rear delts and shoulder blade strength

Published October 29, 2026

The best exercises for rounded shoulders strengthen what pulls the shoulders back and turns the arms out: chest-supported and band rows for the mid back, the reverse pec deck, incline rear delt raises and band face pulls for the rear shoulders, cable Y raises, plank IYTWs and band retractions for the lower traps, and lying external rotations for the rotator cuff. Add push-up plus to keep the shoulder blades moving well. Do 16 to 24 of these sets a week across two or three sessions, more pulling than pressing, 1 to 2 reps short of failure.

  1. Chest-Supported Row Upper Back, Lats
  2. Reverse Pec Deck Shoulders
  3. Band Face Pull Shoulders, Upper Back
  4. Cable Y Raise Shoulders, Upper Back
  5. Dumbbell Lying External Rotation Shoulders
  6. Band Scapular Retraction Upper Back

Rows that finish with the blades back

A row only helps here if the shoulder blades actually travel back at the end of each rep. Chest support stops you from leaning back to cheat, and a short pause at the top makes sure the mid back does the last part.

Mid back, machine row

Chest-Supported Row

Upper Back, Lats

With your chest on the pad, you cannot lean back or use your legs, so the mid back has to squeeze the handles in. It is the most direct way to load the muscles that hold the shoulders back.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles are at chest height and rest your chest on the pad.
  2. Pull the handles back until your elbows pass your torso.
  3. Let the handles return until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward.

Cues

  • Chest stays on the pad
  • Squeeze, then reach

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the pad to move more weight: the pad is there so your back can rest.

Swap for: Machine Row, Seated Cable Row, Incline Dumbbell Row

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Mid back, band row at home

Band Bent-Over Row

Lats, Upper Back

A band gets hardest at the end of the row, exactly where the shoulder blades should finish squeezed together. A good home substitute for the machine row.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of a band, hold an end in each hand, and hinge forward with a flat back.
  2. Row your hands to your lower ribs with the elbows tucked near your body.
  3. Straighten the arms slowly and keep the hinge.

Cues

  • Elbows to your hips
  • Hold the hinge

Common mistakes

  • Standing up as you row: keep the same torso angle every rep.

Swap for: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Inverted Row, Seated Cable Row

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Rear shoulders

The rear delts pull the upper arm back and out. They are small and usually undertrained next to the chest and front shoulders, so they respond well to frequent, moderate sets of 12 to 20.

Rear delts, machine fly

Reverse Pec Deck

Shoulders

The machine guides the arms on a wide arc, so you can load the rear delts heavier than with dumbbells and keep them working without your back joining in.

How to do it

  1. Set the handles to the rear position, sit facing the pad, and adjust the seat so the handles are at shoulder height.
  2. Hold the handles with arms straight in front of you, palms down or facing in.
  3. Sweep your arms out and back in a wide arc until they are in line with your body.
  4. Return slowly, stopping just before the weight touches the stack, and repeat.

Cues

  • Wide arc, not a row
  • Arms almost straight
  • Keep the stack off the rest

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the elbows back like a row: the arms move out to the side.
  • Too much weight with jerky reps: these grow on 12 to 20 controlled reps.

Swap for: Face Pull, Rear Delt Cable Fly, Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

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Rear delts, chest-supported raise

Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

Shoulders

Lying on an incline bench takes your lower back out of it and gives the rear delts a full range with light dumbbells. Use it when there is no machine.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench to about 45 degrees and lie chest-down with a light dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging and palms facing each other.
  2. Keep your elbows softly bent and sweep both arms out wide until they reach shoulder level.
  3. Pause for a second at the top with your shoulder blades pulled together.
  4. Lower under control to a full hang and repeat.

Cues

  • Chest stays on the pad
  • Arms out wide, not back
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows more as you tire, which shortens the lever and cheats the rep: keep the angle fixed and lower the weight.
  • Using so much weight that the dumbbells stop short of shoulder height: full range with a light pair beats half range with a heavy one.

Swap for: Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly, Dumbbell Chest-Supported Y Raise, Face Pull

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Rear delts and upper back, band pull

Band Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pulling toward your face with the hands turning back trains the rear shoulders and the rotator cuff together. A door anchor makes it a daily option at home.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a band at about face height in a door and hold an end in each hand, palms facing down.
  2. Step back until there is tension with your arms reaching forward.
  3. Pull the band toward your forehead, splitting your hands apart and lifting your elbows high and wide.
  4. Pause, then let the band return under control.

Cues

  • Elbows high and wide
  • Hands finish beside your ears
  • Pause at the face

Common mistakes

  • Pulling to the chest with the elbows low, which turns it into a row: aim the hands at your eyes.
  • Leaning back to move the band: stand tall and use a lighter band.

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart, Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly, TRX Face Pull

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Lower traps and rotator cuff

The lower traps draw the shoulder blades down and back, and the rotator cuff turns the arm out. Both work best with light weight, a slow tempo and a pause at the end of the range.

Lower traps, cable raise

Cable Y Raise

Shoulders, Upper Back

Raising the arms up and out into a Y trains the lower traps through a long range, and the cable keeps tension at the bottom where dumbbells go slack.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at the bottom and cross the cables so each hand holds the opposite handle.
  2. Step back to center with your arms crossed low ahead of your hips.
  3. Raise both arms up and out into a Y, thumbs pointing up.
  4. Bring the arms back down and across in front of your hips.

Cues

  • Thumbs up
  • Up and out
  • Light weight

Common mistakes

  • Raising straight forward: your arms should travel up and out into a Y, wider than your head.
  • Arching your lower back at the top: brace and stop when your arms are overhead.

Swap for: Dumbbell Chest-Supported Y Raise, Plank IYTW, Band Face Pull

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Lower traps and trunk, body-weight raises

Plank IYTW

Abs, Upper Back

Each arm traces I, Y, T and W shapes while the other holds a plank, so it trains the shoulder blades and trunk together with no equipment. Slow down and hold each shape.

How to do it

  1. Start in a high plank on your hands with your feet a little wider than your hips.
  2. Shift your weight onto one hand and raise the other arm straight overhead in line with your body for the I.
  3. Return it, then raise it out at a 45 degree angle for the Y, straight out to the side for the T, and with the elbow bent and pulled back for the W.
  4. Repeat the four shapes with the other arm. That is one rep.

Cues

  • Hips level
  • Thumb toward the ceiling
  • Reach long each time

Common mistakes

  • Rotating your hips toward the lifted arm: widen your feet until your hips stay square.
  • Rushing the shapes: hold each one for a second so the upper back actually works.

Swap for: Superman, Dead Hang, Archer Pull-Up

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Mid traps, shoulder blade squeeze

Band Scapular Retraction

Upper Back

Arms stay straight and only the shoulder blades move, so you learn to pull them back without your arms doing the work. Easy enough to do between other exercises or at a desk.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band at chest height with straight arms.
  2. Without bending your elbows, draw your shoulder blades back and together.
  3. Let them spread forward again slowly, keeping the arms straight the whole time.

Cues

  • Arms stay straight
  • Move the blades only

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows to pull: then it becomes a row and the blades do less.

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart, Band Bent-Over Row, Inverted Row

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Rotator cuff, external rotation

Dumbbell Lying External Rotation

Shoulders

Rounded shoulders usually come with the upper arms turned in. This trains the small muscles that turn them out, with almost no weight and lying on your side so nothing else helps.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one side with a very light dumbbell in the top hand and that elbow bent to 90 degrees against your ribs.
  2. Rotate the forearm up toward the ceiling, keeping the elbow on your side.
  3. Pause at the top of your range.
  4. Lower slowly and repeat, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow stays on the ribs
  • Slow down
  • Small weight

Common mistakes

  • Rolling your body back to lift higher: stay stacked on your side.
  • Dropping the weight on the way down: take two seconds.

Swap for: Dumbbell External Rotation, Band Face Pull, Band Pull-Apart

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A press that moves the blades

You do not need to stop pressing. The push-up plus adds a reach at the top that trains the muscle holding the shoulder blade flat against the ribs, which keeps your pressing in balance with the pulling work.

Chest and serratus, push-up with reach

Push-Up Plus

Chest

The extra push at the top spreads the shoulder blades around the ribs, which trains the serratus and keeps the shoulder blade moving through its whole range.

How to do it

  1. Set up in a high plank with hands under shoulders.
  2. Do a push-up, then at the top keep pushing the floor away so your upper back rounds slightly.
  3. Let the shoulder blades come back together before the next rep.

Cues

  • Push the floor away at the top
  • Body in one line

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the extra push at the top: that last bit is the point.

Swap for: Push-Up, Band Scapular Retraction

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

You bench a lot and your shoulders roll forward

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets19 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentSeated Row Machine, Fly Machine, Dumbbells, Cable Crossover

You train at a gym, your program leans on bench press and push-ups, and photos show your shoulders sitting forward of your ears.

Two pull-focused blocks with about 9 to 10 sets each double your weekly pulling for the upper back and rear shoulders. Over the week that is about 19 sets of mid back, rear delt and lower trap work against your pressing.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Chest-Supported Row1 warm-up set firstPause 1 s with the blades squeezed. 4 × 8–12 1 90 s
Reverse Pec Deck 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Dumbbell Lying External RotationPer arm. 2 × 12–15 2 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Chest-Supported Row 3 × 10–12 1 90 s
Cable Y Raise 3 × 12–15 2 1 min
Reverse Pec Deck 2 × 15–20 1 1 min
Push-Up Plus 2 × 10–15 2 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Add Session A after your first pressing day and Session B after your second, or run them as two short sessions on non-pressing days. Keep your pressing volume the same for now.
How to progress
Double progression. The row and reverse pec deck move up one plate on the stack when every set reaches the top of the range at 1 rep in reserve. The Y raise and external rotation move up only when the last rep is as slow and controlled as the first.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

At home with a band, short and frequent

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You work at a desk, have a resistance band and a door anchor, and would rather do 15 minutes three times a week than go to a gym.

Bands are light, so frequency does the work: three sessions of about 8 sets each give 24 sets a week, most of them for the rear shoulders and shoulder blades. Light sets recover quickly, so three a week is easy to sustain.

Session 1
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Bent-Over Row 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Band Face Pull 3 × 15–20 1 1 min
Band Scapular Retraction 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Session 1 in the session builder

Session 2
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Plank IYTWOne rep is all four shapes per arm. 3 × 3–5 2 1 min
Push-Up Plus 3 × 8–12 2 1 min
Band Face Pull 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Session 2 in the session builder

Session 3
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Bent-Over Row 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Band Scapular Retraction 3 × 15–20 1 1 min
Plank IYTWOne rep is all four shapes per arm. 2 × 3–5 2 1 min

Open Session 3 in the session builder

How to run it
Three days a week, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Do them at your desk break or before work. Rotate the sessions in order.
How to progress
Add reps up to the top of the range, then step back from the anchor or use a heavier band. For the plank IYTW, add a 2-second hold in each shape before adding reps.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Over 50 and starting to stoop

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentSeated Row Machine, Dumbbells, Incline Bench, Resistance Bands +1

You are over 50, you have noticed your upper back rounding, and you want to stay upright as you get older, starting with machines and light dumbbells.

Two sessions of about 8 sets, all supported or seated, train the upper back and rear shoulders without asking much balance. Effort stays at 2 to 3 reps in reserve so you can recover and keep going week after week.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Chest-Supported Row1 warm-up set first 3 × 10–12 3 90 s
Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise 3 × 12–15 2 1 min
Band Scapular Retraction 2 × 12–15 2 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Chest-Supported Row1 warm-up set first 3 × 10–12 3 90 s
Reverse Pec Deck 3 × 12–15 2 1 min
Dumbbell Lying External RotationPer arm. 2 × 10–12 2 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Twice a week at the gym, at least two days apart. Warm up with a few minutes on a rowing machine or bike first.
How to progress
Add reps to the top of the range for two weeks in a row before adding weight. Stay at 2 to 3 reps in reserve; there is no need to push close to failure for these muscles to get stronger.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How long does it take to fix rounded shoulders?

Holding your shoulders back gets easier within the first month or two of training two or three times a week. How you stand without thinking about it changes more slowly, over a few months.

What causes rounded shoulders?

Long hours with the arms forward at a desk, phone or steering wheel, plus training that presses much more than it pulls. Over time the front of the shoulder gets used to that position and the upper back gets less work.

How do you prevent stooping in old age?

Keep the upper back and rear shoulders strong with rows and rear delt work, keep training the hips and legs, and stay active. Two short strength sessions a week are enough to start.

What are the best dumbbell exercises for rounded shoulders?

Incline dumbbell rear delt raises, lying external rotations and chest-supported dumbbell rows. All three work with light dumbbells and a bench.

Can anterior pelvic tilt cause rounded shoulders?

Not directly, but the two often show up in the same person. Training the glutes and abs alongside the rows and raises on this page covers both.

Should I stop bench pressing if I have rounded shoulders?

No. Keep pressing, but match it with at least as many pulling sets each week, and add rear delt and lower trap work like the plans on this page.