EstimatedEst. Read Time: 14 minutes
upright row dangerous

THE PROBLEM WITH UPRIGHT ROWS

The Upright Row isn’t a good exercise.

This might sound like I’m attacking or picking on this one exercise, but as a physical therapist and personal trainer, I must look at exercises objectively and tell you the facts.

When it comes to the barbell Upright Row, I need to tell you why this barbell training exercise is no good.

I know there are some of you that might say, “But Jeff, there are variations that you can do to make it better!”

There really aren’t.

And for all the “benefits” you think that the Upright Row has, I promise you the cons far outweigh these supposed benefits.

If you do barbell Upright Rows long enough in your weight training, you’re eventually going to run into soreness in your shoulder or wrist joints that seems to last from workout to workout. From here, you might even get hurt and suffer from subacromial impingement (shoulder impingement syndrome) or other injuries.

But instead of painting a bleak picture, I’m going to provide a systematic review of why I don’t recommend the Upright Row.

More importantly, I’m going to help you understand what you should be doing and how to start doing the best exercises for shoulders that target the same musculature.

deltoid muscles anatomy

ANATOMY OF THE SHOULDERS

Before I talk about why the Upright Row exercise is not the best, I want to breakdown the anatomy of the shoulder muscles.

Why bother with understanding what muscles are involved? It’s because when we lift weights, increase the intensity of our workouts or modify an exercise, it is important to know the muscles that are being trained and which ones are not so you can magnify that mind-to-muscle connection.

The mind-to-muscle connection is vital for two reasons. It helps you to achieve better muscle contraction and this leads to quicker and more efficient results.

With that said, we’ll look at each of the deltoid muscle heads in the shoulders, paying extra attention to the middle and rear delts, which are the ones primarily “activated” during an Upright Row.

FRONT DELT

front deltoid

The front deltoids are the most visible when looking at your shoulders in a mirror. This muscle group is responsible for shoulder flexion and horizontal abduction of the arm.

MIDDLE DELT

middle delt

The middle deltoids are commonly known as the side or lateral deltoids. The medial deltoids are responsible for shoulder abduction and internal rotation of the arm.

REAR DELT

The rear deltoids (or posterior delts) are located on the backside of your shoulders. The posterior deltoids are involved in shoulder extension and external rotation of the arm. Training this muscle can help prevent “rounded” shoulders, as well as improve posture by providing more support to the spine.

UPPER TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE

trapezius muscle

The upper trap muscles are responsible for shoulder elevation and scapular retraction, making them a key component in any shoulder exercise routine. They are also involved in shoulder girdle stability and neck flexion/extension.

 
 

PROBLEM WITH THE UPRIGHT ROW EXERCISE

Now that you have a better understanding of the muscles and where they are located, you’ll be able to better visualize the problem with the barbell Upright Row exercise.

When we look at the Barbell Upright Row, most of us go back and think about the version that we all learned from Arnold and the classic bodybuilders.

They grabbed the barbell with an overhand grip, generally using a shoulder-to-narrow grip, and they literally lifted heavier weights to the height of their ears. Trainers taught the exercise this way for years!

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upright row overhand grip bad exercise

When you look at the barbell Upright Row, the problem is twofold: elevation and internal rotation. What’s more, the exercise lacks adequate muscle recruitment. Not to mention, your wrists are placed in an awkward position.

Funny thing is, my problem with this exercise isn’t even about the weight load most people use!

When you look at the barbell Upright Row, the problem is twofold: elevation and internal rotation. What’s more, the exercise lacks adequate muscle recruitment. Not to mention, your wrists are placed in an awkward position.

It doesn’t matter if you’re using excessive weight or moderate weight, elevation and internal rotation are a bad combination.

Yes, lifting to shoulder height still counts as elevation.

Every single rep of this contraindicated exercise places your shoulder into an internally rotated angle with elevation, and this might sound or look familiar because it’s the exact position that you would be in for a shoulder impingement test!

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hawkins kennedy test shoulder impingement

In other words, the likelihood of shoulder impingement is sky high with Upright Rows.

Now, you might be saying, “But Jeff, I only lift to roughly chest height with an EZ Curl bar using lighter weights – It’s safer!”

To understand why this is still a problem and how this causes one of the most common injuries in weight lifting, let’s take a closer look at the mechanics of the Upright Row.

To do that, I’ll need Raymond.

You see this big bump here on Raymond’s shoulder?

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protruding shoulder bone on skeleton

This bump is what’s causing the lack of space when you internally rotate.

Anatomically, we all have this bump on the outside of our bone. If I’m doing the Upright Row and I go to elevate while internally rotating, there is now less space because this is occupying more space inside this joint when I lift it.

What’s more, anything that runs underneath the acromion can get pinched, including the rotator cuff tendons, bursae, and bicep tendon.

In other words, the range of motion of the Upright Row is going to put you in harm’s way, if you do it long enough.

Once you suffer from impingement one time, you’re more likely to develop chronic impingement syndrome, which means you continuously get it.

And yes, these shoulder issues and risk of injury still exist even if you perform Upright Row variations like the Kettlebell Upright Row or Dumbbell Upright Row!

Guys, here’s the important thing: This is not a sudden shoulder injury exercise.

Once you suffer from impingement one time, you’re more likely to develop chronic impingement syndrome, which means you continuously get it.

Instead, the Upright Row causes a lot of wear and tear over time. Your muscles and tendons are like a rope that gets frayed over and over, and over again.

Ultimately, it winds up giving out, and this means your upper body workout is trashed from that point.

And this is going to impact more than your exercise performance. It’s also going to mess up your overall exercise goals! After all, how can you lift if you’re injured?

You may not have any shoulder pain right now, but you will over time if you continue to do the exercise and you don’t mix it up with better alternatives.

DO THESE SHOULDER EXERCISES INSTEAD

With that said, what can you do about the Upright Row? Are there Upright Row variations you can do?

Is there a better upper body exercise or series of exercises that hit the same target muscles but are better for the strong shoulders?

You bet!

There are comprehensive exercise libraries that feature far better exercises than the Upright Row, and I’m including a few below.

All of these exercises target the same muscle groups as an Upright Row, but they do it more effectively and much safer.

DUMBBELL HIGH PULL

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dumbbell high pulls

HOW TO DO THE DUMBBELL HIGH PULL:

  1. With a Dumbbell High Pull, you will pull up and externally rotate the arm instead of internally rotating the arm like with the Upright Row.
  2. Grab a pair of dumbbells, pull up and back, feel that contraction in the middle and rear delts, then slowly bring it back in a controlled movement to the starting position.
  3. You might feel like these remind you of Rear Delt Flyes as far as how they feel in the rear delts. The pulls of this exercise are safer because there is no internal rotation. You can also use kettlebells or resistance bands for this exercise.

WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  This is a more effective exercise than the Upright Row because we’re still getting the activation of the delts along with the traps, and we’re getting it in a much safer execution of the exercise. Just remember to focus on perfect technique. These are muscle builders!

BODYWEIGHT SIDE LATERAL RAISE

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bodyweight side lateral raise

HOW TO DO THE BODYWEIGHT SIDE LATERAL RAISE:

  1. For this effective shoulder exercise, starting position is in elbow plank position on the floor.
  2. Drive the elbow into the ground as you rotate your torso away and then rotate it back.
  3. Though the arm is staying stationary, the body is creating abduction at the shoulder joint which creates a bodyweight shoulder exercise capable of building the middle delt.

WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  Using the concept of relative abduction, we can hit the lateral delts and turn this home delt exercise into one of the best for increasing shoulder width at home. The middle deltoid muscle performance in this exercise is intense!

 
 

CHEAT TO STRICT LATERAL RAISE

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Stop Doing Upright Rows!

HOW TO DO THE CHEAT TO STRICT LATERAL RAISE:

  1. You can start with heavy weights here to perform a Cheat Lateral.
  2. The key in this effective movement is to swing the weight up a bit but control the eccentric lowering on the way down.
  3. After reaching failure, immediately grab a light weight and rep out with a Strict Lateral Raise once again to failure. Use correct form in these exercises because with bad form chances of injury increase.

WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  These eccentric muscle contractions are a useful way to create muscle mass and overload. This is excellent for muscle growth and overall shoulder hypertrophy!

HANDSTAND PUSHUP

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handstand pushup

HOW TO DO THE HANDSTAND PUSHUP: 

  1. Start by assuming the handstand position. Place your hands on the ground about shoulder-width apart and kick up into the handstand with your feet against a wall if necessary for balance.
  2. Keep your body in a tight line by engaging your core muscles, glutes, and quads.
  3. Slowly bend at the elbows until your head almost touches the ground, then press through your arms to return to the starting position.
  4. Once you’ve mastered the basic version of the handstand push-up, try adding in a press at the top of your rep for an added challenge. To do this, when you reach the top of your push-up and have your hands fully extended, push away from the ground as hard as you can for a second or two.
  5. Lastly, make sure to practice proper form during the entire movement and stay consistent with your training.

WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  The Handstand Push-up is an incredible exercise! With that said, this bodyweight exercise requires advanced range of motion along with immense upper body strength and balance. However, with proper form and consistent practice, anyone can perform this challenging move. When it comes to bodyweight shoulder exercises, the best of them all for creating muscle mass is the Handstand Pushup. This hits every head of the delts and does so without a large amount of weight, proving that you can build your shoulders without weight. This is a great exercise for any effective strength training routine, whether bodyweight or not.

When the biomechanics of the exercise itself are literally fighting your own body’s anatomy, I just can’t recommend an exercise like that for any exercise programs.

And that’s exactly what the Upright Row does. It is a straight up shoulder wrecker.

I don’t care if you think you can get away with it in a single workout, training block, or even 15 years of training with this well-known shoulder exercise, over time you’re likely going to run into a problem.

The fact is, there are better exercise options that can achieve the same thing and do a better job at it with lower risk.

If you don’t currently have a strength training workout, we’ve got you covered. Check out our ATHLEAN-X programs to see which one best fits your personal goals and fitness level.

 
 
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THE HIGHLIGHT REEL:
STOP DOING UPRIGHT ROWS

  1. There are three main muscles that are targeted by Upright Rows: Middle delts, rear delts, and traps.
  2. Unfortunately, due to the movement pattern of the Upright Row exercise, not only is muscular activation lacking, but you put your shoulder is at risk for soft tissue damage and rotator cuff impingement.
  3. When you perform an Upright Row, you are elevating while internally rotating at the shoulder. This is a terrible combination and one that puts you at serious risk of injury.
  4. All of us have a bump on the outside of our arm bone. When you perform an Upright Row, you elevate while internally rotating, and the space around this bone is reduced because it occupies more inner joint area as you lift.
  5. Furthermore, the acromion can make it easy to pinch any tissues underneath it such as rotator cuff tendons, bursae, and even your bicep tendon.
  6. Instead of the Upright Row, try using shoulder exercises that target the same muscle groups including the Dumbbell High Pull, Bodyweight Side Lateral Raise, Cheat to Strict Lateral Raise, and Handstand Push-Up.

UPRIGHT ROWS FAQS

An Upright Row is an exercise that targets the entire shoulder muscle, specifically the anterior deltoid, medial deltoid, and upper trapezius. It is commonly performed with a barbell, but can also be performed with dumbbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands.

Upright Rows primarily work the following muscle groups: middle delts, rear delts, and upper traps. This is a great exercise for building upper body power and strength. To an extent, you might feel this in your biceps but as I mentioned above, this is the form that the barbell forces you into and not necessarily the targeted muscle.

To perform the classic Upright Row, begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a barbell or dumbbells (with palms facing inwards) just below your waist with an overhand grip. Keeping the arms close to the body and elbows slightly bent, lift the bar or dumbbells up towards your collarbone. Pause briefly at the top and then slowly lower back down to the starting position.

Now, as I've mentioned above, even though this exercise has been around for a long time doesn't mean I recommend it, and here's why. I don't recommend the Upright Rows, especially if you have shoulder impingement issues. This exercise should be avoided because it puts your shoulder in an internally rotated position when lifted, placing strain on the joint.

REFERENCES

EstimatedEst. Read Time: 9 minutes
12 best shoulder exercises the deltoid dozen

WELCOME TO THE DELTOID DOZEN!

When it comes to building a big upper body, the delts almost always come in as most people’s 4th priority.

When training upper body, usually chest muscles get all the attention. Biceps and triceps after that. The shoulders finish second to last, just ahead of the highly neglected back.

This is a HUGE MISTAKE!

One that’s going to leave your upper body looking much smaller and less impressive.

No one can deny that a set of strong broad shoulders can do a lot to enhance the appearance of your upper body.  Wider boulder shoulders are what create a larger more balanced look, so this is not a muscle group you want to neglect! Not to mention the importance of the shoulder joint and our shoulder health to so many of our daily activities.

To fix this common workout oversight, I’m going to show you my 12 best shoulder exercises. These will hit your shoulder muscles from every angle: front, middle and rear deltoids.

And no one gets to cop out on this one because there are shoulder-specific exercises below for all types of equipment: barbells, dumbbells, plates, bands and even your own bodyweight!  That means you can get a great shoulder workout whether you’re at the gym or at home.

No one can deny that a fully developed set of shoulders can do a lot to enhance the appearance of your upper body.

Most importantly, as a physical therapist I’ve made sure to choose exercises that are going to keep your shoulders healthy and decrease risk of injury!

complete shoulders muscle anatomy including front delt, middle delt and rear deltoid

12 best SHOULDER exercises

Here are my 12 favorite exercises for the entire shoulder region that you can include in your regular upper body workout routine. 

These will hit deltoids, rotator cuff and traps.

Not only will I show you these exercises for shoulders, I’ll give you a brief indication of what function and portion of the shoulder they hit and why I chose them!

1.) RELAY RAISES
Rotational Front Deltoid Muscle/Core Powerhouse!

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relay raises shoulder exercise

Exercise Notes: Using a cable pulley machine, start in standing position with feet shoulder width apart and slightly staggered, facing away from the machine. Hold the cable pully machine attachment with one hand, palms facing forward. Use the shoulder muscle to push forward and upward. Slowly lower the weight to return to the original position. This is one of the best pressing exercises with cable machines for the shoulders if you have access to a full gym.

 
 

2.) HIGH BOY ROWs
Posterior Deltoid/Upper Back Destroyer

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high boy rows shoulder exercise

Exercise Notes: Starting position for this advanced shoulder exercise is standing with feet shoulder width apart.  Grab a barbell with an overhand grip. Bending forward slightly, use the power of the shoulder muscles, maintain a slight bend in the elbows and lift the barbell explosively to shoulder height. Control the weight on the way back down. This move is a shoulder mass builder for the rear delt that makes a great addition to your gym workouts if you have access to weights.

3.) OBB LANDMINE PRESS
Scapular Plane Pressing Power!

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obb landmine press shoulder exercises

Exercise Notes: This exercise uses a landmine set up to hit arms and shoulders taking your shoulder training to new levels. Start in standing position with feet shoulder width apart, facing forward with the tail end of a barbell in one hand at shoulder level. Push the weight out and away from you explosively bringing the elbow to shoulder level. Make sure to maintain core strength and stability during the entire movement.

4.) SEATED LONG LEG DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESSES
Momentum Eliminator!

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seated long leg press shoulders exercise

Exercise Notes: This seated dumbbell overhead shoulder press movement should be performed on an adjustable bench with the knees kept straight instead of bent. This decreases the amount of force you can derive from the feet into the ground and demands that the shoulders do even more work to get the weight overhead. It also requires significantly higher core stability as a result of shifting this responsibility from the legs up the kinetic chain. Starting position is seated on the bench with a pair of dumbbells, one in each hand. Arm position is with the dumbbells just above shoulder level and push the dumbbells overhead in a slow and controlled manner. Use a range of motion that maintains the elbows slightly bent without arms straight at the top of the seated overhead presses. This is my favorite challenging variation on this popular dumbbell shoulder exercise. If you have an adjustable weight set, this can easily be done at home.

5.) OBB TWISTING THRUSTER
Athletic Power Builder

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obb twisting thrusters shoulder exercise

Exercise Notes: This move will help you build strong shoulders once again using the landmine setup with a barbell. Starting position is with feet shoulder width apart, holding the end of the barbell at approximately chest height, the other end of the barbell anchored on the floor.  Push the end of the barbell up and away from you, then lower the weight, then twist the end of the barbell down and to one side and return to the start. Maintain the core tight the entire time.  Do all reps toward one side before moving on to the other side.

 
 

6.) PLATE PRESS OUT/ PLATE 8 COMBO
Time Under Tension Inferno

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plate press out plate 8 combo shoulders exercise

Exercise Notes: Holding a weight plate, press it out away from your torso until arms are parallel to the floor, with hands and elbows at shoulder level. Use your shoulder strength to draw a figure 8 with the plate, then return to the start position.

7.) DB PUSH PRESS
Explosive Power From The Ground Up

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db push press shoulder exercises

Exercise Notes: For this dumbbell overhead shoulder press, start position is standing with feet shoulder width apart, holding dumbbells at shoulder height. Bend your knees and then explosively straighten to standing lifting the weights overhead. Slowly lower the weights and return to starting position.

8.) DB “W” RAISES
Rear Deltoid Muscles / Rotator Cuff Strength

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dumbbell w raises for rotator cuff

Exercise Notes: For this rear delt and rotator cuff movement, use a set of lighter dumbbells and bend forward at the hips. Externally rotate the shoulders to lift the weights in a ‘W’ position with arms at an approximately 90-degree angle.  Slowly lower the weight back to the start and repeat. This exercise uses external rotation to work posterior delts and rotator cuff muscle.

9.) cheat laterals
Shoulder Blades Have Stopped And Arms Keep Moving (Bad)

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cheat laterals shoulder exercise

Exercise Notes: For these lateral raises start standing with feet shoulderwidth apart with a dumbbell in one hand. To begin the dumbbell raises, lift the dumbbell laterally out to the side with elbow at shoulder height and then lower the dumbbell in a slow and controlled manner.  Maintain the elbow slightly bent throughout the dumbbell lateral raise movement. When your shoulder blades stop moving, your arms should stop moving as well! Don’t allow them to continue to move backward after the shoulder blades have stopped because you could injure your shoulder joints! Lateral dumbbell raises are a foundational shoulder exercise that you can perform with minimal equipment in your home gym.

10.) upper limit lateral RAISe
Shoulder Blades Have Stopped, Then Your Arms Should Stop As Well!

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upper limit lateral shoulders exercise

Exercise Notes: For this resistance band exercise you’ll be using lighter weight to hit your shoulders in a lateral manner. Stand on top of a resistance band and take one handle of the band in each hand. Pulse the arms up and out laterally. This exercise will show you that training shoulders with resistance bands is no joke!

11.) DB HIGH PULLS
Upright Rows Done Safely

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db high pulls shoulder exercise

Exercise Notes: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, perform upright rows up bringing dumbbells to shoulder level, keeping core tight throughout the exercise. Slowly lower the dumbbells to return to start.

12.) MULE KICK PUSHUPS
Bodyweight Beast

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mule kick pushups shoulder exercise

Exercise Notes: For this exercise start with palms flat on the floor and feet together close in to the body, knees bent and poised for jumping action. Donkey kick out and upward explosively and repeat.

Now you’ve got 12 new weapons to add to your deltoids building arsenal!  As you noticed, I didn’t just show you the exercises, I told you why I feel each qualifies as one of the best twelve shoulder exercises you can do to add mass and definition to your upper body.  Some of the exercises are athletic and functional, some allow for more muscle overload, and others are more explosive allowing you to lift more weight. Choose some of these to include in your shoulder workout for building muscle and building strength. I’ve given you plenty of options whether you’re training at the gym or doing a home workout routine.

It’s always tough to make a list of “best” exercises and anyone that has any of my programs would tell you, there are a LOT to choose from. If you’re looking for a complete exercise program that puts science back into strength and gives you not just the ‘what’ but the ‘why’ behind exercise selection, check out our physical therapist created ATHLEAN-X programs.

 
 
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THE HIGHLIGHT REEL:
THE 12 BEST SHOULDER EXERCISES

  1. The deltoids are one of the most neglected upper body muscle groups! They usually come in fourth place behind chest, biceps and triceps in terms of training priority.
  2. Not training shoulders often enough is a big mistake because not only are they important functional muscle group, their width has a huge influence on the overall size and appearance of your upper body.
  3. You can stop overlooking your shoulders right away by implementing some of the 12 safe and effective shoulder exercises I’ve shown you. They hit front deltoids, middle deltoids, rear delts and rotator cuffs and there are some that can be done with tools in the gym while others can be done at home with a band or dumbbells.

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XX_Shoulders-pl

A PERFECTLY TONED Upper Body Starts With…A part of the body that many women regularly ignore in their workouts! But taking just a few minutes per week to do the BEST exercises for this muscle group makes….A HUGE difference in how your arms look in sleeveless tops!

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bodyweight-shoulder-workout-home-shoulders-yt-pl

Some think it’s impossible to come up with a…BODYWEIGHT SHOULDER WORKOUT that hits all 3 heads of your delts. Well… While traveling a few weeks ago, I came up with one out of necessity!  Bodyweight Shoulder Workout – No Equipment

Whether it’s by choice or the fact that sometimes we just can’t get access to equipment. If you don’t want to be skipping workouts…You’ve got to have options!  Train your shoulders anywhere with this!

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advanced-shoulder-exercise-for-wider-delts-yt-pl

Regardless of how long you’ve been training…At some point, you’ve hit a plateau! For me… It was my shoulders. UNTIL I made a few key changes! Here is one of them.

Now, this particular technique is reserved for the more advanced lifter. But if you’ve got a good handle on your training (literally)…Then this is a “must-try”!  Advanced Shoulder Exercise (WITH HUGE BENEFITS!)

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