How To Perform Upright Rows

Learn the correct technique for performing upright rows. Also avoid three common mistakes which may help you avoid injury.

The correct method for performing upright rows

One exercise that you might consider adding to your upper body workout routine if you want to see great shoulder development and strength gains is upright rows. Upright rows work many of the same muscle groups that the shoulder press works only it’s a slightly more isolated exercise as you won’t get the triceps being called into play as well.

Upright rows can either be performed with a barbell or with a set of dumbbells, so there are a couple of options for you to choose from.

Let’s quickly run through how to perform upright rows correctly and what you need to make sure you’re avoiding as you go about this exercise.

How To Correctly Perform Upright Rows

1) Get Into The Correct Position

To start off the upright row exercise, you’ll want to get into a standing position so that the feet are comfortably spaced apart and the hips are pulled up. You’ll want to make sure that you do keep the hips in a neutral position the entire way through this exercise because if you start to arch your back, you will be placing yourself at risk for developing lower back pain.

Once you’re in that standing position, you’re then going to grasp the weight in the hands, resting them down by the sides of the body with the elbows fully extended.

2) Lift the Weight Slowly Under Full Control

The next step for performing upright rows is to slowly begin to lift the weight upwards, allowing the elbows to move out to the sides of the body. Continue lifting upwards until they are at about chin-height level and then pause for a brief second before lowering them back down to the starting position once again.

3) Never Jerk the Weight - It Must Be Under Full Control

As you do this movement it’s important that you don’t jerk through the action as this can place a very high amount of strain on the shoulder girdle and could lead to a serious injury.

Remember to breathe out when you’re lifting the weight upwards and take a deep breath and breathe in as you lower it down to the ground to complete the rep.

Common Errors To Avoid When Performing Upright Rows

So now that you know how to perform upright rows, what can you do to ensure that you don’t suffer from an injury?

One of the biggest errors that people make when performing upright rows is not coming up to the right level as they raise the weight.

Some make the mistake of not coming high enough thus they don’t receive the full benefits that they could from the exercise while others make the mistake of going too high and placing a very high stress load on the front head of the deltoid.

You want to come up to a height where the weight is just in line with the shoulders – no higher and no lower. Pause when you reach that position and lower down slowly and in a controlled movement pattern.

Never let the weight just drop back down as that is another error that’s made that could cause you to actually throw out your shoulder altogether.

So there you have the main things to note about how to perform upright rows. Make sure you follow these tips to perform them properly.

How to Perform Upright Rows Correctly

The upright row will work the trapezius and shoulder muscles the most. Follow the simple tips in this video to make sure you are using the correct technique.

Muscles Worked During Upright Rows

The upright rows uses the shoulders muscles the most

Although you will get a very little degree of bicep as well as forearm activation as you perform the movement, it's nothing compared to how demanding the shoulder muscle groups shall be working.

Muscle Building Tips

How to increase your body weightTips For Increasing Body Weight

To increase your body weight, you ought to eat more calories than your body utilizes each day. You ought to do this regularly. It is not adequate just to have sporadic additional snacks. Always go for foods that are nutrient-dense instead of settling for high-calorie junk foods. Nutrient-dense foods consist of fruits, vegetables as well as whole grains. Try to consume six small meals a day instead of 3 large meals.


Good natural sources of proteinThe Best Natural Sources of Protein

Consuming protein is crucial to our health because protein helps our bodies to create muscle and promote muscle development. When selecting protein-rich meals, pay attention to what comes along with the protein.

Vegetable options of protein, such as beans, nuts, as well as whole grains, are excellent selections .


How to bulk upHow to Increase Bulk and Muscle

Your body is an very resourceful machine. It retains the amount of muscle mass that is essential to comfortably execute your daily routine, it will only develop what is absolutely essential. Muscles have to be stimulated and challenged to develop. So weight-training is what you should concentrate on to help place some meat on your bones.


Tips for increasing muscle growthGain Muscle Faster

While gaining muscle quickly in your arm muscles and chest seems like a big deal for creating a healthy physique, these muscles don’t do that much if you compare them to other key muscle groups.

The other aspect of rapidly building muscle is correct nutrition. It has been stated that bodybuilding consists of 80 percent diet. To create muscle and to do so quickly, the bodybuilder’s diet program must attain at least one-fourth of its calories from animal and vegetable protein.


The barbell curl for increasing biceps sizeThe Barbell Curl

The single biggest error lifters make on this exercise is swinging the body back to help in moving the weight up.

Avert this action as it is really a form of cheating and shall not help stimulate the biceps muscles. A lengthy controlled action with a slower negative action will create far better results.


The dumbbell pullover exerciseThe Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is frequently considered a back movement. The dumbbell pullover is one of those exercises that demands perfect form. That is, in order for this movement to be effective, your form and technique must be perfect. The dumbbell pullover when completed correctly may in addition help expand your rib cage.

Bodybuilding Tips

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Comment Script

The problem with upright rows
The Upright row is a a popular shoulder exercise for many bodybuilders. Unfortunately, the upright row is full of inherent flaws that render it useless for training any of the implicated muscles. The major muscles involved are the biceps, trapezius, side and rear deltoids.

The most influential muscle caught up in this movement is the trapezius muscle. It contracts powerfully to aid the momentum of the other muscle groups in raising the bar. The gain to the traps is minimal for the reason that the resistance probable for this movement is a small fraction of the potential for the powerful trap muscles.

The bicep muscles perform the longest range of movement during this exercise. The alignment of the biceps, twisted 90 degrees from the optimal alignment for this muscle, makes it an lesser biceps exercise. Furthermore, the resistance possible during an upright row is, in most cases, too light to properly overload the biceps.
As for the deltoid muscles, they are the weakest link in this exercise.

This inherent flaw is partially remedied by the fact that the lever arm created by bending the arm back toward the shoulder joint almost negates the leverage burden forced on the deltoids. Extending the arm out away from the shoulder joint to create an adequate leverage will change the movement into a lateral raise. A lateral raise is superior to this exercise because it needs exclusion of the trapezius as well as biceps when performing it effectively, making it a better isolation exercise for the shoulder.

So forget the upright rows and do lateral raises instead. Upright Rows may look impressive to perform because of the pumped appearance it produces throughout a set, and they will tire you out. But, the remaining benefit is almost nothing for all muscle groups used. The upright row simply doesn't work any of the muscle groups involved very effectively, there are much better exercises which will give all of the muscles involved a better workout!
#1 - James - 04/05/2012 - 07:05
I like them
Always a nice edition to any back workout. I use these in a superset with shrugs, in just a few weeks using increasing weights you will start to get those gorilla type traps which look great! :-D
#2 - Luke - 04/05/2012 - 07:06
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;-) :-) :-D :-( :-o >-( B-) :oops: :-[] :-P



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Exercises For Building Muscle Mass

The correct way of performing a barbell squatBarbell squats are a major addition to a workout, provided you do them correctly. If you’re seeking to burn body fat, you want to do workouts that trigger as much of your body as possible so it’s all getting worked and exercised.

Squats work practically every single muscle in your body. So if your looking to build muscle mass quickly there are not many exercises better than the barbell squat.


The correct method and technique for performing bent over rowsThe bent over row is unique and must look different than an upright row. Your torso should be nearly completely parallel with the ground when you perform bent over rows.

The row strengthens the upper back, counterbalancing what the bench press will  for your pecs and shoulders. It ensures decent stance and also provides a lower-body and abdominal workout.


The correct posture for the barbell row exerciseLots of people steer clear of the bent over row as it needs more lower back as well as ab handling to keep up a solid position. The barbell row is one alternative of bent-over rows and enables you to exercise heavier weights while working all the muscle groups of the back.

Take concern with this exercise and make certain your abdominals are contracted to look after the lower back whilst you bend over.


The correct form and position for performing tricep dipsTricep dips are an advanced exercise concentrating on the tricep muscles. This is a compound movement, involving both the elbow and the shoulder joint and it doesn't require any equipment, making it a fantastic travel exercise.

Do not drop yourself down too far, because this might result in harsh strain on your shoulder joints and result in potential damage. Employ the mind muscle connection to focus on working your triceps right through the movement.


Increase the amount you lift to make strength gains every weekIf you need to become strong you have to lift heavy. Our bodies are incredibly smart and naturally adapt to stress.

Your body will add as little muscle as necessary to get the job done.

How to Get Stronger

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