Upright Cable RowMuscles Worked
The cable upright row works your upper traps first, with the side delts as the main helpers as you pull the bar up toward your chest. The cable keeps tension on the muscles from the bottom of the rep to the top, which feels smoother than a barbell.
How to do it
- Attach a straight bar to a low pulley and take an overhand grip about shoulder width apart, or a little narrower.
- Stand close to the stack with the bar resting against your thighs, arms long, chest up and knees soft.
- Pull the bar straight up along your body, leading with your elbows and keeping them above your hands.
- Stop when your upper arms reach about shoulder height and the bar is near your lower chest, then pause briefly.
- Lower the bar under control until your arms are straight again, keeping your torso still throughout.
Form tips
- Think of lifting your elbows rather than your hands, so the traps and delts do the work instead of your biceps.
- If you feel pinching at the top, widen your grip a little and finish the pull slightly lower.
- Keep the bar close to your body, because letting it drift forward turns the move into a front raise and takes tension off the traps.
Why it made the list
No. 7 of 12
Best Trap Exercises
Cable upright row provides constant tension for traps and lateral delts. Smoother than barbell version.
More trap exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Upright Cable Row sets in KasMaker and watch your traps and shoulders fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
