Upright Barbell Row

Upright Barbell Row

The upright barbell row exercise allows accentuation of the anterior deltoid head while incorporating
the support of the medial and to a much lesser extent, the posterior deltoid heads. The pulling
action of the movement provides a different emphasis upon the deltoids than is experienced with the
pressing movements. Once again it is recommended that light resistance be used in this movement as
injuries can easily result if too much weight is applied. Despite the usage of a barbell the upright row
movement is considered an isolation exercise.

Increased Stabilization
The barbell upright row provides stabilization of the weight and is considered to be much safer
to perform than the dumbbell upright rowing movement. Dumbbell training allows an increased
ROM potential but the lack of stabilization and the fact that the dumbbells can be brought to a position
that is too high can strain the ligaments and tendons in the shoulder. Barbell upright rowing applications
provide for a bench-mark as the weight is brought up under the chin.

The barbell upright row exercise allows for a variety of hand placements. A natural hand placement
(90° between the forearm and upper arm) would be the widest grip that you would want to
attempt to use in this movement. Anything wider than the natural hand placement would place great
strain on the ligaments and tendons in the deltoids. As well, the restrictions in the shoulder muscles’
range-of-motion movement capability would necessitate grips that are more closely spaced.

Specific Emphasis Provided
The shoulder-width hand placement is often employed with this movement as are the plethora
of positions the hands can be placed in grips that are inside-shoulder-width. The exaggerated handstouching
grip is often used as well. The assessment as to which grip would be most effective is determined
by the objective you have in mind with this exercise. If you are utilizing this movement to
accentuate the anterior deltoid then the closer-in hand placements would be your choice. If you are
hoping to incorporate the medial and posterior deltoid heads then the wider hand placements would
be advisable.

The upright barbell row movement
is not a difficult one to perform but
there are a number of potential hazards
that need to be avoided in order to ensure
the safe, efficient application of
this highly-effective movement.

Applications to Avoid

Avoid “Herky-Jerky” Movement
Applications
You will want to utilize slow, highly-
synchronized movement applications
featuring close-firing frequency in order
to avoid herky-jerky movement applications
which exert strain upon the ligaments
and tendons in the shoulder. As
well, you will want to apply slow speedof-
contraction movement applications
in order to exert maximum muscular
control over the movement.

Avoid Throwing the Head Back
You will need to concentrate on
avoiding the natural urge to tilt the
head backwards during the raising of
the weight. Tilting the head encourages
an arching of the back which places the
lower lumbar region under duress. Also,
throwing the head back and effect-
ing an arching of the back incorporates the involvement of the powerful chest muscles. Importantly,
this flaw in posture greatly reduces the effectiveness of the exercise as the movement plane has been
altered. The altered movement plane alleviates the accentuation on the desired area of the deltoids as
the force vector is now in line with the lower back. The lower lumbar region was not designed to
handle loads in this awkward and thus inefficient posture. As a result, the vertebrae and their supporting
facet-joints in the area are placed under great strain.

Avoid Hip-Thrust Action
Avoid the urge of using a thrusting action of the hips to initiate the concentric contraction. This
thrusting action induces an arching of the back which further provides for the incorporation of unwanted
momentum into the lift which reduced the effectiveness of the exercise.

Avoid Raising the Heels
The thrusting action of the hips encourages the heels to lift off the floor which forces the back
to undergo an even greater hyperextension. With the heels off the floor, the lift is performed with the
toes serving as the base-of-support. The toes can easily falter under the duress of the load resulting in
an undesirable rocking action of the body that sees the heels returning to the floor on the eccentric
contraction phase and then bouncing off the floor at the initiation of the concentric contraction
phase of the movement.

Consider if the heels were raised off the floor to provide impetus for the initial repetition of the
set, then it is only natural to assume that subsequent repetitions would require an even greater thrusting
action as the muscles undergo increasing fatigue. If the muscles are fatigued in the concentric
contraction phase then they are also going to be increasingly fatigued during the eccentric contraction
phase which would result in an even more exaggerated rocking action.

Lower Back and Shoulders Highly Vulnerable
The lower lumbar region is particularly susceptible to injury during the upright row movement
when flaws in correct posture are allowed to creep in. A jamming of the facet-joints is of particular
concern if thrusting actions are applied. In addition, the shoulders are at risk of injury during the
concentric phase of the movement if the weight is raised too quickly or with a reduced lack of control.
Proper form and correct execution are essential to the safe, efficient application of the upright
barbell row exercise.

Summary of Correct Exercise Execution
- Utilizing knee and hip flexion bend down and grasp a barbell in a pronated close-grip.
- Utilizing knee and hip extension straighten to a standing position making certain to retain slight
flexion in the knees and hips.
- Make certain to establish a flat, rigid posture of the back and apply neck flexion in order to hold
the head up.
- You will want to be certain to establish the all-important V-shape position of the forearms in
order to raise the elbow high above the bar. You will want to maintain the V-shape position of
the arms throughout the entire movement application in both the concentric and eccentric contraction
phases of the movement in order to avert straining the ligaments and tendons of the
shoulders.
- You will need to concentrate fully on sending strong neural impulses to the deltoid in order to
prepare the muscles for the lift.
- Initiate the concentric contraction phase of the movement by slowly raising the weight. You will
want to avoid the temptation to jerk the weight upward at the start of the movement.
- You will also want to avoid the natural tenancy to throw back the head and to implement a hipthrust
action at the start of the lift. As well, you will want to maintain contact with the floor with
the heels in manner of avoiding springing up onto the toes during the movement application.
- Remember to lift with the shoulders and not with the elbows. This will enable you to avoid the
tendency of drawing the hands up into the face while the elbows remain in the incorrect lowered
starting position. Particularly significant would be the tenancy to flatten out the forearms so that
they run along the bar at the conclusion of the concentric contraction phase of the movement.
The finish position location of the forearms is in the same high V-shape position that was applied
at the outset of the movement application.
- Draw the weight slightly outward in a natural movement plane as opposed to true-vertical in order
to accentuate the deltoid muscles and to reduce the strain experienced in the ligaments and
tendons. You will want to utilize a highly-controlled and slow speed-of-contraction movement
application.
- Draw the weight up to the desired finish position under the chin and pause for two counts initiating
the eccentric contraction phase of the movement. Remember to check the position of the
forearms: if they are flattened out then you will need to concentrate more fully on maintaining
the desired elbows high above-the-bar-position.
- Slowly initiate the eccentric contraction phase of the movement by lowering the bar slowly outward
and downward in the same movement arc as performed during the concentric contraction
phase of the movement. You will have to apply strong neural-impulsing into the deltoids in order
to control the speed of the movement during the descent as gravitational forces threaten to
overpower the movement application. Remember to keep the head high and avoid the tenancy
of dropping the head during the completion phase of the eccentric contraction.
- Maintain strong muscular control of the movement during the completion of the eccentric contraction
and concentrate fully in order to resist the natural tenancy of bending forward at the
waist in effort to “cushion” the exertion experienced in the deltoids at the conclusion of the descent.
Bending forward will encourage a reduction in motor-unit recruitment and induce a momentum
component into the movement application which will ultimately place more strain upon
the ligaments and tendons of the shoulder than when utilizing strong muscular control over the
movement. As well, bending forward exposes the lower lumbar region to injury as the force vector
is now directly in line with the spine exposing the vertebrates and protective facet-joints to
high injury-risk. Also bending forward encourages a resulting hip-thrusting action on the subsequent
concentric contraction which as discussed, further increases the risk of injury.

Keys to the Lift
You will want to avoid the common flaws in technique during the concentric contraction phase
of the movement including:

-Throwing the head back;
- Utilizing hip-thrusting action;
- Raising up onto the toes for added leverage.
- Establish the V-shape posture of the forearms above the bar and maintain this position throughout
the entire execution of both the concentric and eccentric phases of the movement.
- Utilize strong neural-impulsing in order to provide maximum muscular control over the movement
during the eccentric phase.
- Avoid bending at the completion of the eccentric contraction phase.
- Utilize smooth movement applications and avoid herky-jerky movement applications.