Is the Upright Row Bad for Your Shoulders? How to Do It Safely
The upright row is not inherently bad for your shoulders, but the version most people do, with a narrow grip and the bar dragged up to the chin, puts the shoulder in a position that many people tolerate poorly. The problem is the combination of the arm raised high and turned inwards at the same time. Change three things and most of the risk goes: take a wider grip, stop when your elbows reach roughly shoulder height, and use dumbbells or a cable rather than a fixed barbell. If the movement still pinches after those changes, you are not missing anything by dropping it. Lateral raises train the same muscle without the awkward angle.
Why the upright row got its reputation
When you lift your arm out to the side, the top of the upper arm bone has to glide and rotate underneath a bony shelf on the shoulder blade. There is not a great deal of room in there, and the tendons of the rotator cuff pass through it. Lifting the arm while it is rotated inwards, thumbs down and knuckles forward, reduces that clearance further. A narrow-grip upright row taken to the chin does exactly that: the elbows go high above the hands, the upper arm rotates inwards, and it all happens under load.
Plenty of people do this for years with no trouble. Others feel a sharp pinch at the front or top of the shoulder from the first set. Shoulder shape, posture and old injuries all play a part, which is why the advice ranges from “never do it” to “it is fine”. Both camps are describing real people.
What it is actually good for
Done well, the upright row trains the side of the shoulder (the lateral deltoid) and the upper trapezius together, and it lets you handle more load than a lateral raise. That makes it a reasonable tool for people who want broader shoulders and a fuller upper back, which is the reason it keeps turning up in programmes.
How to do a safer upright row, step by step
- Choose your tool. Dumbbells or a cable with a rope or straight bar are kinder than a barbell, because your wrists and arms can find their own path.
- Grip wider than you think. With a bar, hands roughly shoulder-width or a little wider. With dumbbells, let them sit in front of the thighs, a fist’s width or two apart.
- Stand tall and brace lightly. Ribs down, glutes gently on, knees soft. No leaning back.
- Lead with the elbows. Think of lifting the elbows out to the sides, with the hands following. The weight stays close to the body.
- Stop at shoulder height. Your elbows should finish roughly level with your shoulders, and your hands somewhere around the lower chest. Not the chin.
- Pause, then lower in two to three seconds. The lowering phase is where control lives.
Start with a weight you could lift for 15 reps and stop at 10 to 12. This is not an exercise to grind out heavy triples.
The faults that cause most of the trouble
- Pulling to the chin. The last few centimetres add little for the deltoid and a lot of shoulder rotation. Cut them off.
- Narrow, thumbs-touching grip. This forces the elbows high and the arms inwards. Widen it.
- Swinging. Leaning back and driving with the hips means the weight is too heavy and the shoulder takes the jolt at the top.
- Wrists flexed hard. If your knuckles curl towards your forearms, your wrists take strain. Keep them close to neutral, which is another point in favour of a rope or dumbbells.
- Shrugging first. Starting the lift with the shoulders up by the ears turns it into a trap exercise and crowds the joint. Let the elbows start it.
Barbell, dumbbell or cable: which version?
| Version | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell | Loading heavier, simple to set up | Fixed hand position; the least forgiving on wrists and shoulders |
| Dumbbells | Each arm finds its own path; easy to keep hands wide | Dumbbells drifting away from the body |
| Cable with rope | Smooth, constant tension; wrists stay neutral | Standing too close or too far from the stack |
| Cable with straight bar | A middle ground between barbell and rope | Same grip-width rules as the barbell |
In the studio I usually start people on the cable station with a rope. The tension stays even through the whole lift and the rope lets the hands separate at the top, which naturally keeps the arm in a friendlier position.
Who should skip it, at least for now
Some people are better served by a different exercise altogether. That includes anyone with a current shoulder injury, a history of shoulder dislocation, or a pinch that persists even with a wide grip and a lower finish. It also includes beginners who have not yet built the basic control from pressing and rowing. There is nothing the upright row does that cannot be covered another way.
Check with your GP or a physiotherapist first if you have shoulder pain that wakes you at night, pain after a fall, or weakness when lifting your arm. The NHS page on shoulder pain sets out when to get it looked at. The same caution applies if you are returning after a long break or have a heart condition.
Good alternatives that train the same muscles
- Lateral raises. The cleanest way to train the side delt. Our guide to lateral raise form covers the shrug and the swing that ruin them.
- Cable Y-raises. Arms rise at a diagonal with thumbs up, which suits most shoulders well.
- Face pulls and rear delt work. They balance the front-heavy pressing most programmes are full of.
- Shrugs. If the upper traps are your goal, train them directly with no shoulder rotation involved.
For the bigger picture on shoulder width, including how many weekly sets tend to matter, see building broader shoulders. And if your shoulders feel fragile in general, a little regular rotator cuff work is cheap insurance.
How I decide in a session
My test is simple. A client does a few light reps with a wide grip on the rope, finishing at shoulder height, and I ask where they feel it. If the answer is “the side of my shoulder and top of my back”, we keep it. If the answer is “a pinch at the front” or “I can feel it in the joint”, we swap to lateral raises and move on without drama. Exercise selection should fit the person, not the other way round. That kind of judgement is the main reason private 1-1 coaching in Highgate tends to keep people training for longer without niggles. You can read more about the venue on The Highgate House homepage.
Questions we get asked
Does the upright row cause shoulder impingement?
It can aggravate the front and top of the shoulder in people who are prone to it, mainly with a narrow grip and a high finish. A wider grip and lower finish reduce that considerably.
How high should I lift the bar?
Until your elbows are about level with your shoulders. For most people the hands end up around the lower chest.
Is the upright row worth doing at all?
For some people, yes. It loads the side delts and traps together efficiently. If it does not feel right, lateral raises do the main job just as well.
How many sets should I do?
Two or three sets of 10 to 15 controlled reps is plenty within a wider shoulder session. Prices and session details are on the personal training page.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · Private personal training
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
