Home · Exercise Library · Shoulders · Upright Rows

Upright Rows

The dumbbell upright row pulls the weights up the front of the body with the elbows leading, targeting the side delts and upper traps. Maddy programs it shoulder-friendly: elbows capped at shoulder height and a grip that lets the wrists stay neutral. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Side shoulders · medial deltoid Upper traps · upper trapezius Biceps · biceps brachii Front shoulders · anterior deltoid

Sets & reps by goal

GoalSets × RepsRest
Strength4 × 5-6 reps2 min
Muscle3 × 9-12 reps60-90 s
Endurance2 × 18-25 reps30-45 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner-to-intermediate; the shoulder-height elbow cap is a hard technique rule, not a suggestion for beginners.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Stand tall with dumbbells resting on the front of your thighs.
  2. Lead the movement with the elbows — hands are just hooks.
  3. Pull until the elbows reach shoulder height, hands around the lower chest.
  4. Keep the dumbbells close to the body the whole way up.
  5. Lower on a two-to-three count to straight arms before the next rep.

Breathing: Exhale as the elbows drive up, inhale on the controlled lowering.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Pulling the elbows high above the shoulders.. The extreme height rotates the upper arm into a position that can irritate the shoulder in many lifters, with no extra muscle benefit to show for it. Fix: Stop the elbows level with the shoulders and pause — that is the full, useful range of this lift.
Letting the wrists curl and cock upward under the load.. Bent wrists absorb force meant for the delts and leave the forearms aching instead. Fix: Keep the knuckles pointing down and the wrist a flat continuation of the forearm; lighten the load if it will not hold.
Heaving with the legs and lower back to start each rep.. The body-English turns a shoulder exercise into a sloppy hang-clean and hides the delts from the work. Fix: Start each rep from a dead hang with quiet legs; if you need a bounce, the dumbbells outrank your delts.

Common questions

Are upright rows bad for the shoulders?

The blanket warning comes from the barbell version done to chin height with a narrow grip, which forces the arm into internal rotation under load at its most crowded angle. With dumbbells — which let the hands travel freely — a grip about shoulder width, and elbows stopping at shoulder height, most trainees handle them without complaint. If it pinches anyway, lateral raises cover the same muscle with none of the argument.

Upright rows vs lateral raises for side delts?

The upright row is a compound pull that lets the traps share the work, so you can load it heavier; the lateral raise isolates the side delt with less weight and less help. Neither replaces the other — Maddy commonly programmes the row earlier in a session for load and the raise later for direct volume. If you only pick one, pick the one your shoulders enjoy.

How wide should my grip be?

With dumbbells, start with hands directly in front of your thighs about shoulder-width apart and let them drift naturally as the elbows lead. Narrower pulls the elbows forward and cramps the wrists; wider than the shoulders turns it into a high pull. The test is the top position — wrists flat, elbows level with shoulders, no pinching — adjust until that describes every rep.

Related exercises

Upright Row to Biceps CurlsSide shoulders · Upper traps ShrugsUpper traps Shrugs (Variation 2)Upper traps Lateral RaiseSide shoulders Block Shoulder StretchRear shoulders · Side shoulders

Browse: All shoulders exercises · All back exercises · All dumbbell exercises · Full exercise library

This is one exercise. Your plan is the other 99%.

Maddy hand-builds training around your exact body — schedule, recovery, injuries, food culture. It starts with a 3-minute scan.

Start My Body Scan → 11 questions · 3 min · free · no card yet