Barbell Upright Row

The upright barbell row, as the name indicates, is performed by standing with your torso straight. It is one of the most commonly used exercises for developing the traps and widening your shoulders. It is a slightly difficult variation and can be performed in combination with upper body workouts like lateral raises and high pulls.

How to do a Barbell Upright Row

Pause for about two seconds at the top before lowering the weight back to the initial position. The weight plates can vary between 50 and 100 lbs for this exercise.

Tips

• Your elbows should always be in a higher position than your forearms and should drive the movement.
• Keep your body stationary throughout the movement. Do not lean back while raising the barbell and forward when lowering it.
• Squeeze your traps at the top and lower the weight slowly to add intensity to the movement.

Variations

1. Close Grip Barbell Upright Row: Involves holding the barbell using half-of-shoulder-width grip so that you can perform the movement through the maximum range of motion.
2. Wide Grip Barbell Upright Row: Is performed with a wider-than-shoulder-width grip which engages more of the middle deltoid muscle and keeps you from lifting your elbows too high.

Alternative Exercises

• Upright Cable Row
• Upright Row with Bands