The Upright Row is both an excellent and an awful exercise for your shoulders at the same time.
It's great at targeting the fibers of the deltoid muscles but awful for the shoulder joint in terms of action and positioning. The internal rotation of the upper arm can create impingement in the joint, which over time (or sooner) can lead to injury.
Some people can use Upright Rows for years on end and never have an issue. Some people (like myself) can't even do a single rep due to shoulder joint structure.
So how do you get the benefits of the Upright Row without the injury?
Try this...
Use a rope attachment and a low pulley...and kneel in front of the stack.
When doing this one for the first time, start with a light weight (you won't need a heavy weight for this one just in general, but start lighter than you think). I prefer this one for moderate to higher reps rather than heavy weight.
Connect a rope attachment to the low pulley. I recommend the rope because of the freedom of movement it gives you along with the ability to pull the rope ends apart as you row up.
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IMPORTANT!
Grip on the END knots or rubber stoppers of the rope attachment, not on the rope itself. This makes a big difference.
If you grip on the rope, it's going to introduce unnecessary torque. Again, we're not using super heavy weight, so grip shouldn't be an issue.
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Kneel on one knee in front of the cable. This allows you to brace against the diagonal pull of the cable.
I MUCH prefer using a kneeling position for this one because of the flatter angle of the cable (about 45 degrees). If you do these standing, it becomes very similar to a free weight upright row, which will bring back the potential for shoulder impingement.
I find when using this angle, the diagonal pull is what actually allows me to perform the exercise with no issues, whereas I can't do a single rep in a vertical movement pattern with any sort of resistance.
Leading with your elbows, row the rope up until your elbows are about even with your shoulders.
As you pull up, also try to pull the rope ends apart.
DO NOT heave the weight up...use muscle action and contraction to get the weight moving.
When using a barbell, there is often a tendency to turn it into a high pull, which is a different exercise. We want the delts to do the work (the upper traps will get involved as secondary movers as well).
Repeat for 8+ reps.
You won't need a lot of rest in between sets of this and it should give you a nice pump, especially in the side delts.
Overall, this is a very effective version of the Upright Row that could potentially allow you to get the benefits of the exercise without the issues.
If you do have any shoulder issues, definitely be careful with this one. After testing this one on myself, I found it to be just fine on my shoulders...that doesn't mean it's fine for YOUR shoulders. Start light, don't heave the weight, and go by feel.
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