Is the Upright Row Bad for You?

With so much criticism around upright rows, it’s no surprise that many believe this exercise should be removed from your workouts . Upright rows are highly disputed in the fitness community, as some argue that they facilitate and exacerbate shoulder injuries, while others claim that they are ideal for hypertrophic adaptations for your upper body.

This article will help you to decide whether upright rows are a good exercise for you to use in your own personal programming.

What is the upright row?

The upright row is an upper body exercise that is typically used as an accessory exercise when training for hypertrophy of the deltoids. The exercise involves holding a weight with your arms relaxed, then ‘rowing’ the load upwards, moving your elbows vertically until they are adjacent to your shoulders. The exercise can be performed with dumbbells, kettlebells, cable machine attachments, or most commonly, a barbell.

Why is it regarded as bad for you?

The shoulder is highly complex, consisting of 4 bony joints; the glenohumeral joint, the acromioclavicular joint, the scapulothoracic joint, the sternoclavicular joint. Of course, this means that there the muscular system supporting the shoulder is equally highly complex and susceptible to injury.

The concern with the upright row is that it ‘closes’ or reduces the distance of the acromioclavicular joint – where the tendon of the supraspinatus muscle passes. Reduction of this joint space (as is associated with the upright barbell row) can result in a ‘pinching’ of this tendon, resulting in pain, irritation and inflammation.