Lever Barbell Upright Row (Plate Loaded)

The upright row is an exercise targeting all heads of the deltoid (shoulder muscle). Although it is primarily performed for the rear head of the shoulder, studies show that the middle and front heads also work about equally hard. Nevertheless, it is not strange to focus this exercise on the rear head. Most other shoulder exercises activate the front and middle heads to a much greater extent than the rear head.

Naturally, assisting muscles are involved as well. The (upper part of the) trapezius and the levator scapulae help elevate the shoulder blades. The biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis help flex the arm.

In this variation, plates are attached to a lever. Due to its circular movement, the middle trapezius and the back muscles may be engaged slightly more.

Lever barbell upright row (plate loaded) execution

Raise your elbows to just below shoulder height.

Lower the bar back to the starting position in a controlled manner.

Lever barbell upright row (plate loaded) setup

Load the bar with the appropriate weight plates.
Stand on the side of the bar toward which it moves.
Grip the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, palms facing backward (pronated grip).
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Lever barbell upright row (plate loaded) technique

You can partly determine the involvement of the trapezius (and levator scapulae) yourself. Their function is to elevate the shoulder blades. As when you shrug your shoulders ‘when you have no idea’. The shoulder muscle itself is only involved in raising the upper arm.

Therefore, focus on keeping the shoulders themselves down if you want to isolate the shoulder muscle as much as possible.

Barbell in front of or behind the body?

The exercise can be performed with the barbell in front of the body (barbell upright row) or behind the body (barbell rear delt raise).

Holding the bar behind the back shifts the emphasis from the shoulder muscle to the middle and rear heads. For the trapezius, it must pull the shoulder blades straight upward, primarily engaging the upper trapezius.

Holding the bar in front of the body distributes the emphasis on the shoulder muscle more evenly across all three heads. For the trapezius, it must pull the shoulder blades upward as well as backward. This gives the middle and lower trapezius a greater role.

How wide should the hands be placed?

The upright row (with the barbell in front of the body) has often been associated with shoulder injuries. However, this risk can be reduced or even prevented.

Many shoulder injuries are caused by impingement of the shoulder joint. The likelihood is high when the upper arms are raised toward or above shoulder level and rotated inward.

Gripping the barbell narrowly not only rotates the shoulders inward, but also makes it possible to bring the elbows above shoulder level. This creates a high risk.

Gripping the bar at shoulder width or, better yet, wider rotates the shoulders outward and makes it impossible to raise the elbows too high.

An additional benefit is that the muscles themselves (shoulders and trapezius) appear to show higher activity with the wider grip. More effective and safer, therefore. You can find more information here.

With the position behind the back, the shoulders are automatically rotated outward and the elbows cannot be lifted too high. Therefore, how narrow or wide the hands are placed should matter less.

At a glance