Shoulders
Upright row
- Kit
- Dumbbells
- Works
- side delts · upper traps
- Also
- front delts · biceps · forearms
The upright row pulls a pair of dumbbells straight up the front of the body, elbows leading out to the sides, until the hands reach the collarbones. It trains the side of the shoulder and the upper trapezius together, which is what gives the shoulders width. It suits anyone with dumbbells who wants shoulder work beyond raises, done light and with the elbows stopping at shoulder height.
Form
How to do upright row
- 1Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing you, feet about hip width.
- 2Brace your stomach and keep your chest up and your shoulders down away from your ears.
- 3Lead with the elbows and pull the dumbbells up close to your body, breathing out, until your elbows are level with your shoulders and your hands are near your collarbones.
- 4Pause for a moment, then lower the dumbbells slowly back to your thighs, breathing in.
- 5Repeat at a steady pace until the timer ends, keeping the dumbbells close to the body on the way up and down.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Pulling the elbows higher than the shoulders.
Fix: Stop when the elbows reach shoulder height. Above that the shoulder joint gets pinched rather than trained.
Leaning back and using the legs to heave the weights up.
Fix: Stand still with the knees soft and pick dumbbells you can raise with the shoulders alone.
Letting the dumbbells drift away from the body.
Fix: Keep them brushing close to the front of your torso the whole way.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.