The reverse upright row is a barbell pulling exercise performed standing with an underhand, palms-forward grip, rowing the bar up the torso to train the deltoids, upper traps and biceps. Flipping the grip changes the row: with the palms forward the forearms supinate and the biceps share the pull, the elbows travel less wide, and the shoulder stays more externally rotated at the top than a pronated upright row allows. The bar finishes at the lower chest, not the chin. Lifters program it as a shoulder or pull-day accessory after presses or heavy rows.
What Muscles Does the Reverse Upright Row Work?
- Primary: Lateral deltoid (side delt), anterior deltoid (front delt), upper trapezius
- Secondary: Biceps brachii, brachialis, rhomboids
- Tertiary: Forearm flexors, erector spinae, rectus abdominis
How Do You Set Up for the Reverse Upright Row?
Load a barbell on the floor or a low rack. Stand with your feet hip width apart and grasp the bar with an underhand grip, palms facing forward and hands about shoulder width apart. Stand up tall with the bar resting against your thighs, arms straight, knees soft and shoulders pulled back and down. Brace your trunk and look straight ahead.
How Do You Perform the Reverse Upright Row?
- Set the bar on your thighs with straight arms, palms forward and the elbows pointing straight down.
- Pull the bar up the front of your body, bending the elbows and letting them drift slightly out and forward.
- Stop with the bar at the lower chest, forearms roughly horizontal and the elbows level with or just below the shoulders.
- Hold the top for one second, shrugging the traps up slightly and squeezing the biceps without leaning back.
- Lower the bar slowly down the same path until the arms hang straight against the thighs.
- Reset your stance with the shoulders back and the bar still before the next pull.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Elbows lead, hands follow: think of lifting the elbows forward and up while the bar rides along your shirt.
- Wrists stay straight: the underhand grip wants to curl the bar; keep the knuckles pointing at the floor as the bar rises.
- Keep the bar in contact with the body all the way up; daylight between bar and torso means the biceps are curling.
- Stand tall with the ribs down at the top; the shrug comes from the traps, not from a lean back.
- Feel the front and side delt lift the elbows rather than the biceps bend the arms.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Loading the bar beyond what a strict pull allows: the knees dip and the hips snap to swing it up; use a weight you can pull with still legs.
- Curling the bar to the chin: the elbows drop under the wrists and the move becomes a reverse curl; keep the elbows higher than the hands at all times.
- Pulling higher than the lower chest: with a supinated grip the wrists fold and the front of the shoulder pinches at the top; stop at sternum height.
- Leaning back at the top: the lower back takes the load the delts should hold; stay upright.
- Letting the bar drift away from the body: the moment arm grows and the biceps and lower back carry the weight; brush the torso the whole way.
What Are the Best Reverse Upright Row Variations?
- Dumbbell reverse upright row: a dumbbell in each hand, palms forward, a regression that frees the wrists.
- Barbell upright row: the pronated grip lifts the bar to the chin and loads the side delt and traps harder.
- Wide grip upright row: hands outside shoulder width, overhand, shifting more of the pull onto the side delts.
- Single arm cable reverse upright row: one handle from a low pulley, underhand, to fix a lagging side.
- EZ-Bar reverse upright row: the angled grip eases the wrist strain of a straight bar.
How Do You Progress the Reverse Upright Row?
- Add 5 pounds to the bar once you complete every set at the top of the rep range with the bar touching the torso throughout.
- Work from 8 reps per set up to 12 before adding load.
- Add a fourth set on shoulder day when three sets no longer fatigue the delts.
- Slow the lowering to three seconds, or hold the top for two, before the next weight jump.
How Should You Program the Reverse Upright Row?
Put the reverse upright row after your overhead press on a shoulder day, or after heavy rows on a pull day, once or twice a week. Work 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps with 60 to 90 seconds of rest between sets. Pair it with a rear delt row or a face pull so the back of the shoulder gets its own work after the bar comes up the front.