Barbell Upright Row
What Barbell Upright Row really gives you is delt size from every angle, driven by heavy bilateral barbell loading.
How to do Barbell Upright Row
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Let the barbell hang in front of your thighs, arms fully extended.
- Keeping your back straight and core engaged, exhale and lift the barbell straight up towards your chin, leading with your elbows.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Upright Row Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.
Endurance
3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.
Common Barbell Upright Row Mistakes
Bouncing the bar to get through the hardest inch
Pause briefly so the muscle, not the rebound, does the work.
Swinging more weight than the delts can actually control
Drop the load until the arm rises without help from the torso.
Easier and Harder Than Barbell Upright Row
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Barbell Upright Row — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Barbell Upright Row?
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Let the barbell hang in front of your thighs, arms fully extended. Keeping your back straight and core engaged, exhale and lift the barbell straight up towards your chin, leading with your elbows. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Barbell Upright Row work?
The Barbell Upright Row primarily targets the delts. It is classified as a shoulders exercise and is performed with a barbell.
How many sets and reps of the Barbell Upright Row should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Barbell Upright Row good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic shoulders patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Barbell Upright Row?
Try the Kettlebell Thruster, Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly or the Cable Kneeling Rear Delt Row (with Rope) (male). Each trains the delts with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
