Upright row: Shoulder builder or breaker?

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The barbell upright row is a controversial exercise for the shoulder muscles and trapezius. Some swear by it while others point out the dangers of injuries. Additionally, there are often questions about the execution. Do you use a narrow grip or a wide one, and how high should you lift your arms? What is the difference between using a barbell, an EZ bar, or dumbbells?

Although the exercise has been described a few times in articles on shoulder exercises, I thought it wise to delve into it more extensively. In this article, I will address the research conducted on the risk of injury associated with this exercise and ways to perform it to minimize these risks. Additionally, I will cover studies that have examined the effectiveness of different executions.

The Upright row

First, for those who have no idea what exercise we’re talking about, a brief explanation. The upright row exercise primarily activates the deltoid, also known as the large shoulder muscle, and the upper fibers of the trapezius. The shoulder muscles are engaged because they have to lift the arms, while the trapezius lifts the shoulder blades themselves. Additionally, the biceps brachii are engaged by bending the arms. The upright row can be performed in various ways. In the image on the right, you can see the most common way it’s performed in practice. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best execution, but more on that later. Instead of a straight bar, a barbell, an EZ bar, or dumbbells can be used for this exercise. Furthermore, the hand position can be wide or narrow, as depicted on the right.

Narrow Grip or Wide Grip?

Last year, the results of a study using electromyography (EMG) to assess which parts of muscles were stressed under different grips during the upright row were published (1). This allowed researchers to examine the extent to which the back, front, and side of the deltoid, various parts of the trapezius, and long head of the biceps brachii were stressed. Researchers from the University of Memphis had sixteen men with experience in strength training perform the upright row with three different grips: 50%, 100%, and 200% of shoulder width as shown in the image on the right. This was done in random order, with two repetitions performed each time, with the weight related to their maximum strength. In summary, the key findings of the study are:

• The wider the grip, the more the entire shoulder and trapezius are engaged. The differences were particularly greatest for the side shoulder and upper trapezius. This is contrary to the often-heard claim that a narrow grip engages the trapezius more and a wide grip engages the shoulders more. This is a common assertion, but not supported by research.
• Whether there is a difference between execution with a wide grip or narrow grip may depend on whether the concentric or eccentric phase is being performed.
• For the front shoulders, there seems to be little difference during the concentric phase between execution with a narrow or wide grip, while during the eccentric phase, the stress increased with a wide grip.
• For the rear shoulders, the opposite applies. During the eccentric phase, the grip made little difference, while during the concentric phase, a wider grip also led to increased activation.
• The biceps brachii are actually less stressed with a wide grip. This also seems logical because they are responsible for bending the arm. The wider the grip, the less the arms bend. Moreover, you would want that because you are training the shoulders and not the biceps, so engaging the latter may not fit into your schedule for rest that day.

The researchers point out that the difference between narrow grip and wide grip may be related to the relative resistance of the weight used. Because this weight was the same each time, it may also be considered that a wide grip is heavier and therefore increases the activity of the shoulders and trapezius. According to my personal experience, this is not the case. Moreover, they emphasize that the results may be different when working with dumbbells due to the freer range of motion.

With the exception of the BB (biceps brachii), the results of our investigation suggest that there is a general increase in relative activity from the deltoid and trapezius muscles during a wide-grip URR (upright row). Therefore, those who seek to increase involvement of the deltoid and trapezius muscles should practice a wide grip during this exercise. M.J. McAllister, University of Memphis

Injuries from the Upright Row: Shoulder Impingement

The outcome of the above research is very promising because the method to engage the trapezius and shoulder muscles the most during the upright row turns out to be the safest way to perform it (2,3). It’s no wonder that concerns arise about injuries from the upright row. The shoulders are one of the most injury-prone parts of the body during strength training (4). Various studies show that up to 36% of strength training injuries involve the shoulders (5-8). The upright row, in particular, is known for the increased risk of shoulder impingement (9,10). The space between the end of the collarbone (acromion) and the humerus head below it and the shoulder blade is called the subacromial space. In this space, there are bursa and the attachments of the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff consists of the four muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint: infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. When the arms are raised above shoulder level and the shoulder head is not rotated outward, this space can become pinched, resulting in inflammations and other complaints in the tissues lying there (11). It has been determined using MRI and surgical experience that the shoulder is most likely to be pinched when the arms are raised between 70 and 120 degrees (11-15). During the upright row, the arms are often raised above shoulder level without the shoulder heads rotating outward, increasing the likelihood of shoulder impingement (4,11,14,15). In the image at the top right of this article, you can see the method that poses the greatest risk of injury: a narrow grip and the arms raised well above 90 degrees. Based on these findings, researchers from Lehman College in New York made recommendations for performing upright rows (3):

• For people without a history of shoulder problems, it is recommended to raise the arms just below 90 degrees (shoulder level), as shown in the image on the right.
• People with a history of shoulder problems are advised to raise the arms even lower, to the point where no symptoms of the injury are experienced (for example, up to 70 degrees).

Wide Grip is More Effective and Less Risky

Interestingly, the researchers don’t discuss hand position. We just read that a wider grip engages the shoulder muscles and trapezius more. By keeping the grip wide, the shoulder head is automatically rotated less inward, thus reducing the risk of injuries. Moreover, with a wide grip, it’s almost impossible to raise the arms above shoulder level without the hands coming forward instead of hanging down (try it yourself)!

Importance of Strong Rotator Cuff

Imbalance between various parts of the shoulder joint such as between the deltoid and rotator cuff is often the cause of complaints (16-22). In one of the studies that demonstrated the link between performing the upright row above 90 degrees and shoulder impingement, the connection with the rotator cuff was also made (2). The researchers observed that the better developed the external rotators (infraspinatus and teres minor) were, the lower the chance of shoulder impingement. To reduce the risk of shoulder injuries, it’s also important to train the rotator cuff. In the article on exercises for the rotator cuff, you can see examples of this. This particularly applies to the infraspinatus and teres minor, for which exercise 5 is applicable.

Other Variations of the Upright Row

Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of the upright row with dumbbells compared to the straight bar. However, it seems prudent to adhere to the same rules as much as possible. Due to the freer range of motion, it’s possible that the risk of shoulder impingement is lower, but why take the risk of suddenly lifting the arms higher? Some people experience wrist discomfort when performing the upright row. This mostly occurs with a narrow grip due to the angle of the wrists. With a wide grip, you have much less of this issue, although there is still a slight angle in the wrists. With execution using an EZ/curl bar, this angle can be kept straight, although the question remains about how wide the grip is (perhaps too narrow) and whether this compromises the effectiveness and rotation of the shoulder head. You can also perform upright rows with cables, as shown next to this article. However, it’s wiser not to use such a narrow handle as depicted, but rather a wider bar so that the hands can be placed wide enough. It’s especially unwise to choose a handle that bends in the wrong direction for this exercise. This would further disadvantage the angle of the wrists and cause the shoulder heads to rotate inward even more.

Conclusion

• The deltoid and (upper) trapezius are most engaged during the upright row when using a wide grip.
• To prevent injuries, it’s wise not to raise the arms above shoulder level. People with existing shoulder problems should lower their arms even further.
• A wide grip automatically prevents the arms from being raised above shoulder level. Moreover, this limits the dangerous internal rotation of the shoulder head. A wide grip is therefore a good instruction for safety and optimal effectiveness of the exercise.
• To prevent injuries due to imbalance between the deltoid and rotator cuff, the muscles of the latter should also be trained. This is particularly true for the infraspinatus and teres minor.
• When performing with dumbbells or cables, the same considerations should be taken into account: wide grip and not above shoulder level.

References

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