I’m starting this thread 'cause i’d like to see your views on this excercise. Just like the other excercise thread i started(romanian vs regular deadlifts), i will focus on a few issues regarding upright rows and their technique, execution and timing.
1)Which grip should be picked if the traps are the main target? Which grip should be prefered if you wanna focus on delts?
2)Should the bar be always raised up to the neck and why?
3)Should the rep range be kept moderate to high(>6) in order to prevent any injuries?
4)When do you incorporate this excercise yourselves?
If anyone has something to add which is not directly related to the above 4 questions, you are more than welcome to.
For traps I would use a closer grip or even dumbbells, for some that does bother there shoulders so this exercise can be substituted
For delts I use a wider grip, that I do feel in my delts a lot.
I don’t always raise the bar to my neck, wider the grip I usually raise to just above my mid pecs.
For this exercise I do the same as what I said in the others, whatever kind of workout I am doing at the time, but I will say I typically have it as my last shoulder exercise as a bit of a finisher
For me it’s on shoulder day but I only use a wider grip
4)When do you incorporate this excercise yourselves?
If anyone has something to add which is not directly related to the above 4 questions, you are more than welcome to.[/quote]
Never again they used to hurt my wrists so I gave up on them. If you search through this site you’ll find another reason to give them up: the health of your shoulders. Maybe they’re fine for you today, but it’s a risky exercise with little reward.
If you want bigger traps, shrugs, deadlifts and high pulls are better builders.
To build your shoulders stick to basic pressing and some raises if you have the time.
For traps I would use a closer grip or even dumbbells, for some that does bother there shoulders so this exercise can be substituted
For delts I use a wider grip, that I do feel in my delts a lot.
I don’t always raise the bar to my neck, wider the grip I usually raise to just above my mid pecs.
For this exercise I do the same as what I said in the others, whatever kind of workout I am doing at the time, but I will say I typically have it as my last shoulder exercise as a bit of a finisher
For me it’s on shoulder day but I only use a wider grip[/quote]
Same for me…
And in regards to shoulder pain, since I switched to doing them with a rope attachement on the low cable pulley, no pain, just a good trap/delt finisher (probably because of a more natural ROM).
[quote]saps wrote:
Agreed. Abandon upright rows. I ditched them back in 1991 when I read the 7 minute rotator cuff solution. They are death to shoulders[/quote]
This is an oversimplification in my view. This exercise done in it’s traditional form does have a higher incidence of problems than most others, but it’s fine for some people. Also some of the other versions are fine even for people who have trouble with the traditional versions.
I do them with a stirrup handle on a low cable and they hit my lateral delts without bothering my shoulders. The normal version kills my shoulders.
I had some wrist problems before but that went away. I rarely go heavier than 135 but I have had no shoulder problems and have been doing them for years.
I tend to emphasize a slight forward lean, this is supposed to make it easier on the rotators.
[quote]MytchBucanan wrote:
I had some wrist problems before but that went away. I rarely go heavier than 135 but I have had no shoulder problems and have been doing them for years.
I tend to emphasize a slight forward lean, this is supposed to make it easier on the rotators.[/quote]
Using the stirrup handles allows the hands to move laterally and eliminates the binding on my shoulders as well. I use 2 of them on chains.
They’re a very low bang for your buck choice. Pulls and cleans allow for greater weight to be used and don’t stress the wrists and shoulders as much. If you must do them, using the EZ-curl bar, D handles or ropes will help protect the rotator cuff and take the stress off your wrists.