Barbell Upright Row

1. Stand with feet hip width apart and grip a barbell with an overhand grip, hands around shoulder width or a touch narrower.
2. Let the bar rest against your thighs, arms straight, chest up, core braced.
3. Exhale and pull the bar straight up along your body, driving your elbows up and out.
4. Keep the bar close, almost brushing your torso, until it reaches the lower chest to collarbone area.
5. At the top your elbows should be higher than your wrists but not forced above shoulder level.
6. Lower the bar back to your thighs with control as you inhale.
7. Keep the torso still throughout; the arms and shoulders move, not the hips.

Common Mistakes

• Pulling too high: dragging the bar to chin level with a narrow grip can pinch the shoulder joint; stopping around the lower chest keeps the tension without the impingement risk.
• Grip too narrow: hands nearly touching forces extreme internal rotation at the top; widen to shoulder width to spare the wrists and shoulders.
• Swinging the weight up: heaving with the hips turns the row into a sloppy high pull; use a load you can lift with the elbows alone.
• Letting the bar drift away: pulling the bar in an arc away from the body loads the front delts and lower back instead; keep it tracking close to the torso.