Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Elevator: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The elevator is a bodyweight exercise targeting the upper back. It involves bending forward at the waist while keeping the back straight, then returning to a standing position. This movement helps strengthen the upper back and improves posture.

Primary muscles
Traps
Secondary muscles
Shoulders
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the elevator
Front view: muscles worked by the elevator. Primary: traps. Secondary: shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by the elevator. Primary: traps. Secondary: shoulders.
Primary Secondary

How to do the elevator

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Step 2: Place your hands on your hips or cross them in front of your chest.
  3. Step 3: Keeping your back straight, slowly bend forward at the waist, lowering your upper body towards the ground.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly raise your upper body back up to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the elevator by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Elevator alternatives

More exercises that train the traps as their main target:

More traps exercises

See the best trap exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.