Oddo’s Angle: Dumbbell Upright Row

The dumbbell upright row is a terrific exercise that helps strengthen all the delt fibers, particularly those in the front and middle heads. Some people struggle with proper form and recruit too much of the traps during the movement.

START
1 / Stand erect with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.

2 / Hold dumbbells outside your thighs with a pronated grip.

EXECUTE
3 / Leading with your elbows, slowly raise the weights in front of you, keeping them hip-width apart, until your upper arms are in line with your shoulders.

4 / Pause and squeeze for a second at the top of the movement before lowering the dumbbells.

DO…

• Squeeze your abs to maintain correct posture
• Use a tempo that’s abo two seconds up, a one- second pause and three seconds down
• Keep your chin parallel to the floor and your eyes forward

DON’T…

• Lean forward; this recruits the traps
• Let the dumbbells travel inside hip width; this also recruits the traps
• Go too fast because that uses too many assistance muscles, taking
the focus off your shoulders

SHOULDER WORKOUT