Standing Dumbbell Upright RowMuscles Worked
The dumbbell upright row works your upper traps most, with the side delts helping lift your elbows and the biceps assisting as your arms bend. Dumbbells let each wrist find its own path, which many lifters find easier on the shoulders than a fixed bar.
How to do it
- Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing you.
- Brace your core, set your shoulders down and keep a slight bend in your elbows.
- Raise the dumbbells along the front of your body by driving your elbows up and out to the sides.
- Keep your elbows higher than your wrists and stop around chest height, when your upper arms are roughly level with the floor.
- Pause, then lower the dumbbells slowly until your arms are long again.
Form tips
- Let the dumbbells drift slightly apart as they rise, since that freedom is the main advantage over a barbell.
- Avoid leaning back or using a hip bounce to get the weight up, and choose a load you can lift with your torso still.
- Lead with your elbows, not your hands, so your biceps assist instead of taking over.
Why it made the list
No. 9 of 12
Best Trap Exercises
Dumbbell upright row allows a more natural wrist path than barbell. Easier on the shoulders.
More trap exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Standing Dumbbell Upright Row sets in KasMaker and watch your traps, biceps, and shoulders fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
