Dumbbell Upright Row
oec:dumbbell-upright-row
A vertical pulling exercise using dumbbells to target the lateral deltoids and upper trapezius.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Upright Row with Dumbbells, DB Upright Row, Upright Row w/ Dumbbells
How to do it
Setup
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
- Grip the dumbbells with an overhand (pronated) grip, keeping your chest up and shoulders back.
Movement
- Initiate the pull by driving your elbows upward and slightly outward toward the ceiling.
- Raise the dumbbells along the front of your torso until your elbows reach roughly chest or shoulder level.
- Pause briefly at the top while keeping your elbows higher than your wrists.
- Lower the dumbbells smoothly back to the starting position along your thighs under control.
Breathing
Exhale as you pull the weights upward, and inhale as you lower them with control.
Cues
- Lead with the elbows.
- Keep the weights close to your body.
- Stop at mid-chest to protect the shoulders.
Common faults
- Pulling the elbows excessively high above shoulder level.
- Stop the upward pull when your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor to avoid shoulder impingement.
- Using hip momentum or swinging the torso to heave the weight up.
- Maintain a braced core and upright posture, using only your shoulders and arms to move the dumbbells.
- Allowing the wrists to curl or sit higher than the elbows.
- Keep your wrists relaxed and ensure your elbows remain higher than your hands throughout the range.
Safety
- Individuals with existing subacromial impingement should limit range of motion or consider wider grip variations or lateral raises instead.
Muscles
Joints
- Shoulder: Abduction, Flexion
- Shoulder blade: Elevation, Upward rotation
- Elbow: Flexion
Details
- Movement
- Vertical pull
- Modality
- Hypertrophy, Strength
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- pull
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- open
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Record
- Repetitions and Load
- Load
- external, per implement
Related
- substitute for Barbell Wide-Grip Upright Row
- substitute for Close-Grip Barbell Upright Row
- substitute for EZ-Bar Upright Row
- substitute for Cable Cross Upright Row
- substitute for Smith Machine Upright Row
Sources
- wger: Upright Row w/ Dumbbells, by koreyhinton (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.