Are Upright Rows Bad for Your Shoulders? Grip Width, Impingement and Safer Cable Versions

Are upright rows bad for shoulders? Not by default, but the classic version is the riskiest way to do them. A narrow grip, a heavy barbell and elbows hauled above shoulder height is the combination most often linked with impingement signs, and it is the part worth changing.

This article sits inside our complete shoulder and delt training guide. Here we look at one controversial lift: what the research actually shows, what it does not, and how to keep the useful parts (side delts and upper traps) with less irritation.

Why upright rows have a bad reputation

The upright row asks your shoulder to do two things at once. You lift the arms out to the side (abduction) while the hands stay turned inward in front of you (internal rotation). Push the elbows past shoulder level and the rotator cuff tendon, mainly the supraspinatus, has less room as it passes under the bony roof of the shoulder (the acromion).

That tight space is why the problem is called subacromial impingement. It is a mechanical idea, and a reasonable one. But a mechanism is not proof of injury, so let’s look at the data.

What the research says about upright rows and impingement

The best-known study here is small and observational. Researchers tested 46 men who lifted weights at least twice a week and 31 non-lifters using two clinical screens for impingement (the painful arc and Hawkins-Kennedy tests). Lifters were more likely to show the combined signs, and those signs were associated with both lateral raises and upright rows performed above 90 degrees. Lifters who did external rotator strengthening were less likely to show them (Kolber et al., 2014).

Read that carefully. It shows an association in a one-time snapshot. It cannot say the row caused the signs, and it flags lateral raises too.

Wider context points the same direction, loosely. A review of resistance training injuries found that up to 36% of documented training-related injuries and disorders involve the shoulder, with weak technique and muscle imbalances among the risk factors. Most of that research was retrospective (Kolber et al., 2010). Another study found recreational lifters had less shoulder mobility in most directions and bigger strength imbalances between opposing muscle groups than non-lifters (Kolber et al., 2009).

Related biomechanics evidence comes from rehab exercises. The “empty can” raise (thumbs down, internal rotation) produced shoulder blade positions that narrow the subacromial space, and more pain than the “full can” version in 28 people with impingement (Timmons et al., 2016). A review of shoulder exercise mechanics also notes that scapular internal rotation and anterior tilt reduce subacromial width, while retracting the shoulder blades increases it (Escamilla et al., 2009). A heavy narrow-grip row tends to look more like the empty can than the full can.

Does grip width change the exercise?

Yes, mainly for muscle recruitment. In 16 weight-trained men, researchers used grips of 50%, 100% and 200% of biacromial breadth (the width between the bony points of the shoulders), with the same load each time. Wider grips gave more lateral and posterior deltoid and trapezius activity and less biceps activity (McAllister et al., 2013). The authors concluded that anyone wanting to maximise deltoid and trap involvement should use a wide grip.

Two honest caveats. This was electromyography (muscle electrical activity) over two reps, not a growth trial. And it measured muscle recruitment, not impingement. Whether a wide grip reduces joint stress is a plausible idea, not a demonstrated fact.

How to do upright rows safely

Here is the version I would start with. It uses the research above where it exists and common sense where it does not.

1. Go wider. A starting point is about 1.5 times shoulder width, which is coaching convention rather than a tested number. The study ran up to twice biacromial breadth. Choose the width where your wrists stay comfortable.
2. Stop at shoulder height. Elbows level with or just under the shoulders, bar roughly lower to mid-chest. Do not chase the chin.
3. Lead with the elbows. Think elbows out and up, not hands up. The hands should trail the elbows.
4. Lean a touch forward. A slight forward lean keeps the pull in a more comfortable path for many lifters. This is a practical cue, not a researched one.
5. Go lighter than your ego wants. Heavy loads are not required for growth; muscle gain is possible across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2021). Reps of 10-15 suit this exercise well.
6. Control the lowering. Two seconds down, no dropping and swinging.

Cable and rope upright rows: a safer way in?

A low cable with a rope or a straight bar has practical advantages. The pull is smooth, the load is easier to nudge up in small steps, and a rope lets your hands separate at the top so the wrists and shoulders can find a comfortable path. You can also use a single-arm handle and let the elbow travel slightly forward of the body.

What we cannot say is that cables are proven safer for impingement. No study has tested that. Think of the cable as a more adjustable tool, and keep the same rules: wide hands, stop at shoulder height, light load.

Upright row vs lateral raise vs other side delt options

If side delts are your target, you have choices. The table below is our practical read, not a ranking from head-to-head trials.

Exercise	Main strength	Main drawback
Wide-grip cable or rope upright row	Heavier loading, adds upper traps	Can still pinch if elbows go high
Dumbbell lateral raise	Direct side delt isolation	Weak at the bottom, easy to cheat
Cable lateral raise	Tension at the start of the rep	Setup takes longer
Machine lateral raise	Stable, easy to take close to failure	Fit depends on the machine

Lateral raises are not magic either. The same 2014 study associated lateral raises above 90 degrees with impingement signs, so range matters for both. For a full breakdown, see our guide to lateral deltoid training with dumbbells, cables and machines and the variation covered in cable lateral raises behind the back vs cross-body.

When to see a doctor or physio

Upright rows are optional. Your shoulder is not.

Get assessed if you have pain that lingers beyond a couple of weeks, pain at night, a catching or painful arc as you lift the arm, weakness lifting the arm, or pain after a fall. A clinician can tell impingement from a tendon problem or something else. We do not diagnose here.

The encouraging part: for persistent subacromial impingement, a specific rotator cuff and shoulder blade exercise programme beat generic exercises in a 12-week randomised trial of 102 patients whose earlier conservative treatment had failed. Pain and function improved more, and fewer chose surgery (20% vs 63%) (Holmgren et al., 2012). A masterclass review also concludes that a graduated exercise approach gives at least equivalent benefit to surgery for several rotator cuff related conditions, though outcomes can be incomplete (Lewis, 2016). Our guides on rotator cuff strengthening, face pulls and lifting with subacromial impingement go deeper.

Where upright rows fit in a program

Keep it small. One exercise, 2-3 hard sets, once or twice a week, inside your overall 6-12 weekly sets for side delts, a practical range rather than a researched one. A push day is a natural home; our push day plan already has shoulder work built in.

On a budget, none of this changes. A rope attachment and a cable stack are the only equipment you need, and plenty of gyms in India have both. Eat enough protein (dal, paneer, curd, soya if you are vegetarian) and sleep properly, because those matter more than the grip.

The bottom line

The classic upright row is not proven to wreck shoulders, but it is the most debated way to train them. Go wide, stop at shoulder height, use a rope or cable, keep the load modest and quit the exercise if it pinches. If you would rather skip it, lateral raises and face pulls cover almost everything it offers.

For more on building shoulders well, return to the complete shoulder and delt training guide.