The upright row is a

weight training Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Trai ...

exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...

performed by holding a weight with an overhand grip and lifting it straight up to the

collarbone The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the right ...

. This is a compound exercise that involves the

trapezius The trapezius is a large paired trapezoid-shaped surface muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae of the spine and laterally to the spine of the scapula. It moves the scapula and supports th ...

, the deltoids and the

biceps The biceps or biceps brachii ( la, musculus biceps brachii, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join ...

. The narrower the grip the more the trapezius muscles are exercised, as opposed to the deltoids.

Barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length from to above , althou ...

dumbbell The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs, with one in each hand. History The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as lifting w ...

kettlebell In weight training, a kettlebell is a cast-iron or cast-steel ball with a handle attached to the top (resembling a cannonball with a handle). It is used to perform many types of exercises, including ballistic exercises that combine cardi ...

s or a

cable machine A cable machine is an item of equipment used in weight training or functional training. It consists of a rectangular, vertically oriented steel frame about 3 metres wide and 2 metres high, with a weight stack attached via a cable and pulley system ...

can be used. Due to the amount of

internal rotation Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...

of the

humerus The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...

during this movement, this exercise may worsen

shoulder impingement Shoulder impingement syndrome is a syndrome involving tendonitis (inflammation of tendons) of the rotator cuff muscles as they pass through the subacromial space, the passage beneath the acromion. It is particularly associated with tendonitis of th ...

syndrome.

Etymology

In the 1970s there are examples of this exercise being referred to as pullups.

MuscleMag International ''MuscleMag International'' or ''Musclemag'' was a Canadian bodybuilding, fitness and men's magazine, considered one of the top magazines in its field. It was established in Canada in 1974 by Robert Kennedy, an immigrant to Canada and leading expe ...

70s insert:
How to Increase Your Muscular Bulk and Strength
" page 8/9 This is no longer common, and this term is now mostly used to refer to the exercise involving pulling the body up to a bar.

Gallery

Barbell-upright-rows-2.png, Barbell start Barbell-upright-rows-1.png, Barbell end Cable-upright-rows-2.png, Cable start Cable-upright-rows-1.png, Cable end CableMachineUprightRow.JPG, Cable movement demonstrated by live model Dumbbell-upright-row-2.png, Dumbbell start Dumbbell-upright-row-1.png, Dumbbell end Smith-machine-upright-row-2.png,

Smith machine The Smith machine is a weight machine used for weight training. It consists of a barbell that is fixed within steel rails allowing only vertical or near-vertical movement. Some Smith machines have the barbell counterbalanced. The machine can be us ...

start Smith-machine-upright-row-1.png, Smith machine end

Contraindication

Due to the amount of

of the

during this movement, many trainers and organizations (such as the ACSM and NFPT) consider this a

contraindicated In medicine, a contraindication is a condition that serves as a reason not to take a certain medical treatment due to the harm that it would cause the patient. Contraindication is the opposite of indication, which is a reason to use a certain tre ...

exercise for all trainees. Most will at least advise those with

issues to avoid it. Abstaining from raising the bar above the chest line will help in avoiding injury or symptoms related to rotator cuff impingement. If pain arises, stop this exercise immediately, as it may be an indicator of a

rotator cuff The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...

disorder. Substitutes include

shoulder shrug The shoulder shrug (usually called simply the shrug) is an exercise in weight training used to develop the upper trapezius muscle. Form and execution The lifter stands erect, hands about shoulder width apart, and slowly raises the shoulders as h ...

s for upper trapezius development and lateral raises for lateral deltoids.

References

Weight training exercises {{sports-stub