One Arm Dumbbell Upright Row Overview
The one arm dumbbell upright row is a shoulder move. It mainly works your shoulders, the round muscles on top of your arms. It also works your traps and biceps. The traps sit at the top of your back and neck. You pull one dumbbell straight up your body. You need one dumbbell. This move is for lifters with some practice. Using one arm lets you focus on each side. It also helps fix a weaker side. Pulling up builds strong, round shoulders and traps. You do the one arm dumbbell upright row at the gym or at home. It fits well in a shoulder or upper-body workout.
What Is The Point of the One Arm Dumbbell Upright Row?
The one arm dumbbell upright row builds strong shoulders and traps. It fixes muscle imbalances by working each side separately.
How To Do The One Arm Dumbbell Upright Row
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold a single dumbbell in your right hand with an overhand grip. Let the dumbbell hang at arm's length in front of your thigh.
- Set your posture tall with your chest up and your shoulders back. Brace your core so your torso stays still and does not swing to help the weight up.
- Let the dumbbell rest in front of your thigh with your arm straight. Keep your free hand at your side or on your hip for balance.
- Take a breath and prepare to pull, keeping your wrist firm. The dumbbell should travel close to your body, so keep it near your thigh and torso.
- Pull the dumbbell straight up along your body by leading with your elbow. Drive your elbow up and out to the side while keeping the weight close to you.
- Continue pulling until the dumbbell reaches about chest height, with your elbow at or slightly above the level of your hand. Do not force it higher than is comfortable for your shoulder.
- Squeeze your shoulder and trap muscles at the top and pause for a beat. Feel the side delt and the upper traps working to hold the weight up.
- Lower the dumbbell slowly and under control back down along your body to the starting position. Aim for a 2 to 3 second descent so the muscles stay loaded on the way down.
- Complete all your reps on one arm, keeping your torso still, then switch to your left arm. Most people work well here in the 10 to 15 rep range per arm for 3 sets.
One Arm Dumbbell Upright Row Form Tips
- Lead with your elbow, not your hand.
- Keep the dumbbell close to your body as it rises.
- Pull up to about chest height. Do not force it higher.
- Move slowly both ways. Control beats speed.
- Squeeze your shoulder and traps at the top.
- Keep your body still. Do not swing or lean.
- Keep your core tight and chest tall.
- Keep your wrist straight and firm.
- Breathe out as you pull up. Breathe in as you lower.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the One Arm Dumbbell Upright Row
- Pulling the dumbbell too high toward your chin. Yanking the elbow up past shoulder height cranks the shoulder into internal rotation and can pinch the joint. Stop when the dumbbell reaches about chest height and your elbow is level with your hand.
- Swinging your torso to heave the weight up. Rocking and leaning turns the row into a whole-body swing that robs the delts and traps and strains your back. Brace your core and keep your torso still so the target muscles do the work.
- Letting the dumbbell drift away from your body. A weight that swings out in front of you loses leverage and stresses the shoulder. Keep the dumbbell close to your thigh and torso as it travels up and down.
- Leading with your hand instead of your elbow. If your hand rises first, you turn the movement into a curl and lose the delt and trap emphasis. Drive your elbow up and out and let your hand follow.
- Using too much weight for a single-arm upright row. Overloading forces you to swing and cheat and puts the shoulder in a risky position. Pick a weight you can pull cleanly with a still torso.
- Rushing the reps and dropping the weight fast. Letting the dumbbell fall wastes the eccentric, which builds a lot of muscle. Lower under control over a couple of seconds and stay loaded.
- Shrugging aggressively and losing the pull. While the traps do work here, an all-shrug rep skips the side delt. Balance the elbow drive and the shrug so both the delt and the traps contribute.
- Twisting your torso toward the weighted side. Letting your body rotate under the load takes your core out of position and destabilizes the pull. Keep your hips and shoulders square by bracing hard.
- Ignoring shoulder discomfort during the movement. Upright rows bother some people's shoulders, and grinding through pain risks injury. If it pinches, reduce the range or switch to a lateral raise instead.
- Cutting the range short at the bottom. Not letting the arm fully straighten shrinks the range and the stretch. Lower the dumbbell all the way down in front of your thigh each rep.
- Neglecting to balance both sides evenly. Only your stronger arm getting worked quietly builds an imbalance. Match your reps and effort on both arms and lead with the weaker side.
One Arm Dumbbell Upright Row Workout Tips
- Lead the pull with your elbow, not your hand. Driving the elbow up and out keeps the emphasis on the side delt and upper traps rather than turning it into a curl.
- Keep the dumbbell close to your body throughout. A weight that travels near your thigh and torso keeps good leverage and protects your shoulder.
- Stop at about chest height with your elbow level with your hand. Limiting the range keeps the shoulder out of the pinching position that very high upright rows can cause.
- Squeeze your delt and traps at the top. A deliberate peak contraction with a good mind-muscle connection makes each rep more effective than just hoisting the weight.
- Control the lowering phase over 2 to 3 seconds. Owning the eccentric keeps the muscles loaded and builds more than dropping the dumbbell.
- Use the single-arm setup to work each side evenly. Training one arm at a time lets you match your weaker side and keeps the stronger one from taking over.
- Keep your torso still and braced. A quiet body forces the delts and traps to do the work and stops you from swinging the weight up.
- Program this as accessory work for your shoulders and traps. It builds the side delt and upper traps and rounds out your pressing and lateral raise work.
- Fight the urge to twist toward the weight. Keeping your hips and shoulders square trains your core to resist rotation, a nice bonus of the one-arm version.
- Use moderate reps in the 10 to 15 range. The delts and traps respond well to the controlled tension of moderate rep work on a movement like this.
- Progress with small weight jumps you can control. Steady, manageable increases drive long-term growth better than swinging a heavier dumbbell.
- If upright rows bother your shoulder, reduce the range or swap in a lateral raise. There is no reward in grinding through joint pain when other movements build the same muscles.
- Balance this with plenty of pulling and rear-delt work. Upright rows emphasize the front and side of the shoulder, so training the rear delts and back keeps the joint healthy.
- Keep your wrist firm and neutral as you pull. A strong wrist keeps the load moving cleanly and protects the joint.
- Film a set from the front now and then. A quick video shows how high you are pulling and whether your torso is swinging, which is hard to feel in the moment.
- Be patient and consistent. Building capped delts and thick traps takes months of steady, quality work, so focus on clean reps and gradual overload.
Questions & Comments
Be the first to ask a question about this exercise.