How to Perform the Upright Row: Form and Guide
Master the upright row with our professional guide. Learn proper technique, avoid common mistakes, and build stronger shoulders and traps safely.
How to Perform
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip in front of your thighs.
- Space your hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width and keep your back straight with a slight bend in your knees.
- Breathe out and pull the bar straight up toward your chin, keeping the weight close to your body throughout the movement.
- Lead the motion with your elbows, ensuring they remain higher than your forearms as you raise the bar.
- Pause for a second at the top of the movement when the bar reaches approximately chest height.
- Inhale and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position with full control.
- Maintain a neutral spine and avoid using momentum or rocking your body to lift the weight.
Common Mistakes
- Pulling the bar too high above the shoulders which can cause shoulder impingement.
- Using excessive weight that forces the lower back to arch or swing.
- Allowing the elbows to drop below the level of the wrists during the pull.
- Gripping the bar too narrowly, which increases internal rotation stress on the shoulder joint.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Shoulders
Stabilizers
- Trapezius
- Biceps
- Brachialis
Related Guides
- Arm Raises (T/Y/I) — Shoulders
- Arnold Press — Shoulders
- Australian pull-ups — Shoulders
Shoulders · Shoulders