Barbell Shoulder Grip Upright Row

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with both hands at shoulder width.

Keep your elbows higher than your wrists as you lift the barbell towards your chin.

  1. Engage your core and maintain a straight back.
  2. Pull the barbell up until it reaches your collarbone.
  3. Lower the barbell back to the starting position in a controlled manner.

How to perform the Barbell Shoulder Grip Upright Row

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Shoulder Grip Upright Row using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your pectoralis minor.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your pectoralis minor rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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