Upright Row
Muscles worked: Side delts (assisted by traps, biceps).
How to do it
- Grasp a barbell with an overhand grip that is slightly less than shoulder width.
- Now exhale and use the sides of your shoulders to lift the bar, raising your elbows up and to the side.
- Lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Wide grip spares the shoulders
- Elbows stop at shoulder height
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 8 to 12 rep range, progressing in 2.5 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Lateral Raise - side delts
- Cable Lateral Raise - side delts
- Cable Upright Row - side delts
Track the upright row properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.