Close Grip Upright Rows

Muscles Worked: Front & Middle Deltoids

Spotter Required: No

Minimum Equipment required: 6ft or 7ft Standard Barbell with weights

The Best Equipment to Use: 6ft or 7ft Olympic Barbell with weights

Warming up: To warm up, perform 1 set of 15 - 20 repetitions of the exercise with minimal weight.

How often should I perform this exercise: Upright rows are great for hitting the front and middle deltoids and can be performed in every shoulder workout. To mix it up I switch between dumbbells, barbells or a cable machine each time I do this exercise.

When should I perform this exercise: I perform this exercise near the start of my shoulder workout because I personally work the front and middle deltoids first then finish on the rear deltoids. But this can be performed any time during your shoulder workout.

How to do the exercise: Standing with your knees slightly bent holding a barbell with a close grip (3 – 5 inches apart) with your palms facing towards you, keep your head neutral with your spine and begin to lift the weight up to just below your chin, when you get to the top hold for ½ a second for full contraction, then lower the weight back down to the start position without locking out at the bottom.

Make sure you keep a slight bend in your knees to keep pressure off your back and always make sure your elbows are above consistently higher than your forearms throughout the exercise.

Mentality: Upright rows are relatively easy and don’t use that much energy but you will find as you get tired you won’t be able to lift the weight as high. Do not worry if this happens near the end of your set, if it happens mid way or early on it means your lifting too much weight.

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