Cable Upright Row

1. Attach a straight bar or rope to the low pulley and stand facing the machine, feet shoulder width apart.
2. Grip the attachment with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width and stand tall, letting it rest against your thighs.
3. Brace your core and pull the attachment straight up along your body, driving your elbows out to the sides.
4. Stop when your elbows reach shoulder height, keeping them higher than your wrists.
5. Pause for a second and feel the side delts and traps working.
6. Lower the attachment back to your thighs under control over two seconds.
7. Complete 10 to 15 reps without leaning back or shrugging at the top.

Common Mistakes

• Pulling too high: Dragging the hands up to chin level with a narrow grip cranks the shoulders into internal rotation and can pinch the rotator cuff. Stop when the elbows hit shoulder height.
• Grip too narrow: A close grip forces the wrists to bend sharply and increases impingement risk. Slightly wider than shoulders keeps the joints stacked.
• Leaning back to lift: Tilting the torso turns the row into a cheat movement. The body stays vertical while only the arms travel.
• Letting the wrists lead: The elbows should always be the highest point. When wrists rise above elbows, the forearms take over the work.

Programming Tips

The cable upright row trains the side delts and upper traps in one vertical pull, and the cable fixes the barbell version's roughest edge: the resistance stays smooth and constant instead of stacking all the stress at the top. Program 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on shoulder or pull days as the compound complement to lateral raises, using a load you can pause briefly at the top. It earns a slot when you want shoulder width without doing endless isolation sets.

Two settings keep it joint-friendly. First, grip wider than shoulder width, which keeps the elbows out and the shoulders in a stronger position than the narrow grip that gave upright rows their bad reputation. Second, stop the pull when the elbows reach shoulder height; higher adds impingement risk and nothing else. Lower over two full seconds, progress one stack plate at a time, and swap to a rope attachment if the straight bar bothers your wrists.

Common Questions

Are upright rows bad for the shoulders?

Done narrow and yanked to the chin, they can be. Done wide, to elbow-at-shoulder height, with a controlled tempo, they are well tolerated by most lifters. The cable version is the friendliest of all because the resistance never spikes.

How wide should my grip be?

At least shoulder width, slightly wider if the machine allows. The wider grip keeps the upper arm in a safer plane and actually biases the side delts harder, which is the muscle most people are here for.

Cable upright row or lateral raises?

The upright row moves more weight and adds the traps; the lateral raise isolates the side delt more purely. They pair well in the same program rather than competing for one slot.