Dumbbell upright row
Two dumbbells pulled straight up the front of your body to chest height, with your elbows leading high and wide. Loaded work for the shoulders and traps.
TrainsShouldersUpper back
NeedsDumbbell
The movement
2 stages
Arms long
01 Arms long
Stand tall with the weights hanging at your thighs, arms straight.
02 Elbows high
Drive your elbows up and out, and stop when they reach shoulder height.
How to do it
Setup
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your thighs, weights resting against the front of your legs.
- Set your feet hip-width apart and let your arms hang straight down.
Execution
- Pull the weights straight up the front of your body by driving your elbows up and out to the sides.
- Stop when your upper arms reach shoulder height and the dumbbells sit near the top of your chest.
- Lower under control until your arms hang straight again.
BreathingExhale as you pull up, inhale as you lower.
Getting it right
Form cues
- Lead with your elbows, and keep them above your hands the whole way up.
- Stop the pull when your upper arms reach shoulder height, no higher.
Common mistakes
- Pulling above shoulder height, which rolls the shoulders in and pinches the joint.
- Swinging your hips to throw the weights up past the hard middle of the pull.
- Letting your hands lead so your elbows stay low, which turns it into a front raise.
Worth knowing
- Pulling the weights above your collarbone jams the shoulder joint and is where upright rows hurt people. Keep the top at chest height and stop the set if you feel any pinch.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The upright row trains the side and rear shoulders and the traps in one pull, which is why it earns a place on a pull day that has run out of vertical pulling options. With only dumbbells and no bar to hang from, there is no pull-up and no pulldown. This is the movement that fills that gap and gives the upper back a vertical pull to do.
Elbow height is the whole exercise. The elbows have to lead and stay above the hands for the shoulders and traps to do the work. Let the hands rise first and the elbows trail low, and the load shifts onto the front of the shoulders as a clumsy front raise. Watch the elbows, not the weights.
The upright row also has a real catch, and it is worth knowing before you load it. Pulling the weights up under your chin, with the elbows climbing past your shoulders, pins the arm bone against the roof of the shoulder joint. That is the position that aches. Keeping the top at chest height and the elbows no higher than your shoulders removes almost all of it. If your shoulders still complain, a lateral raise and a rear-delt fly cover the same muscles with none of the pinch.