The upright row is a popular exercise, but according to mh experts, it shouldn’t be.
Sure, you can add size to your delts and blast your traps too, and hey, the move worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, but the inevitable risks of injury far outweigh the minimal rewards your shoulders may receive from this highly overrated exercise. .
Another argument against performing upright rows, according to Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, CSCS, and Advisory Board member David Otey, CSCS, is that there are many exercises that are safer and just as (if not more) effective What could you be doing instead of these?
Let’s get started on why you should avoid upright paddles at all costs.
Why you shouldn’t do the barbell upright row
Locking your hands and wrists in a fixed pronated position while pulling a barbell up can create unnecessary stress on your joints, especially since each side of your body can have its own set of mobility issues. A lot of wrist and shoulder strain could be avoided by incorporating an exercise where each arm can pull independently.
Lifting heavy loads with the shoulders internally rotated is never a good idea. Your goal should be to train smarter, not harder, and especially not in a way that can cause unnecessary pain and injury. By lifting a heavy load while putting your shoulder blades into an uncomfortable range of motion, you’re doing this.
For this exercise to work properly through a healthy range of motion, your arms need to move in lockstep with your shoulder blades, and that’s not always the case with upright rows. As you continually twist your wrists in an unsafe manner, you are also creating chaos with your movements that can lead to injury over time.
- Not in the scapular plane
Properly performing a lateral raise requires you to lift in your scapular plane (slightly in front of your body), which is the safest place when it comes to training. Vertical rows do not allow you to easily find this position.
3 alternative exercises for the upright row
3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
The great thing about this exercise is that it allows the hands and wrists to move independently in a more natural way. This allows you to get more explosive momentum and get a better back squeeze with each pull.
3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
This variation hits the rear delts hard and works the traps as well. And because you’re leaning forward on the bench a bit, you can now incorporate a lot more back work with this row. One final bonus: You can lift heavier weight much more safely.
3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
The goal was to hit the rear delts, and that’s what you do with this classic delt buster. Because your shoulders and arms move in a synchronized rhythm, you’ll be able to lift weights for a higher number of repetitions, which will help fatigue the muscle faster and reduce your fears of potential injury.
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