Dumbbell Upright Row
Trains the Traps.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing your body.
- Set your feet hip-width apart and stand tall, stomach braced.
- Pull both dumbbells straight up along the front of your body by driving your elbows up and out.
- Keep the dumbbells close to you throughout, and stop when your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor.
- Lower under control back to your thighs.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the elbows above shoulder height. Higher is where the shoulder position becomes least comfortable for most people and where the exercise gets its mixed reputation. Stopping at shoulder height keeps what is useful about it.
- Using a narrow grip with the dumbbells touching. Dumbbells allow a wider path than a barbell, which is most of the reason to use them here — let the hands travel out rather than up the midline.
- Swinging the weight up with the hips. If the knees dip to start the movement, the weight is too heavy for a controlled pull.
- Choosing it as the main trap exercise. Much of the load goes to the deltoid rather than the traps, so a shrug and a lateral raise separately cover what an upright row is trying to combine.