The barbell upright row is a compound or multi-joint exercise that works upper body muscles. While some can be considered prime movers, or main muscles, there are also numerous smaller muscles involved in pulling the barbell up and under your chin. To get the most from this exercise, concentrate on leading with your elbows and keeping your chest lifted. Do not jerk the weight up with your legs or back, which reduces the effectiveness of the exercise and increases your risk of injury.
Upper Back
Upright rows use many upper back muscles, the main ones being the trapezius and rhomboid. The trapezius, traps for short, is the kite-shaped muscle that covers much of your upper back. Its main function in upright rows is elevating your shoulder girdle and pulling your shoulders back. Your rhomboids work alongside your traps to pull your shoulder blades together as you raise your arms. Well-developed traps branch upward and out from your upper back to the base of your skull and are an important muscle in sports such as football and wrestling. Many people perform upright rows for the effect on the trapezius.
Shoulders
Of the numerous muscles that control your shoulder joint, the main ones are the deltoids. The three deltoid muscles, anterior, medial and posterior, are located on the front, side and rear of your shoulder joint respectively. The inwardly rotated position of your humerus during upright rows means that your medial and posterior deltoids are the most active during this exercise, but the anterior deltoid is also strongly involved. In addition to the deltoids, deeper, smaller muscles called the rotator cuff work to keep the head of your humerus securely located within the acetabulum, or socket of your scapula. For some exercisers, the medially rotated arm position places the muscles of the rotator cuff in an uncomfortable position. If upright rows cause pain deep within your shoulder, you should avoid them.
Arms
In addition to the action at the shoulder joint and shoulder girdle, upright rows also involve a lot of arm movement, specifically flexion of the elbows. As the arms bend to pull the weight up and under your chin, the biceps brachii of the upper anterior arm must work very hard to flex your elbows. As the biceps are in a mechanically disadvantageous position and are relatively small compared to the trapezius and deltoids, many exercisers feel upright rows working their arms more than any other muscle. The muscles of the forearms must also work very hard to maintain a strong grip on the barbell.
Lower Back
In the exervise the weight is held slightly in front of your center of gravity. This means that you have to work hard to keep your torso upright and avoid being pulled forward. The muscles responsible for maintaining an upright and stable body position are your erector spinae muscles. Running from the base of your spine to the back of your skull, the erector spinea consists of eight overlapping muscles which contract isometrically to lock your back in position. An isometric contraction is one where muscular tension is generated but no joint movement occurs. Failure to maintain an upright spine can result in serious back injury.
References
- "Anatomy of Exercise: A Trainer's Inside Guide to Your Workout"; Pat Manocchia; 2009
- "Strength Training Anatomy-3rd Edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "Sports Injuries: Their Prevention and Treatment - 3rd Edition"; Lars Peterson, et al.; 2000
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