Cable upright row

Cable, rope or bar attachment

Also called cable rope upright row, rope upright row

Stand facing a low cable with a rope, pull the handle up close to the body to about chest height, leading with the elbows.

Movement

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Upper body

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.

Muscle growth higher is better3.0
Solid; a reasonable default. 1 source.
- 3/5 Good overall delt builder, but upper traps take over so delts are hard to exhaust. B tier. Jeff Nippard, The Best And Worst Shoulder Exercises @ 10:10videoExpert opinion2024checked by AI
Injury risk lower is better2.0
Low risk with basic technique. 1 source.
- 2/5 No evidence that upright rows cause shoulder problems for people with healthy shoulders; overhated. Jeff Nippard, The Best And Worst Shoulder Exercises @ 10:10videoExpert opinion2024checked by AI
Shoulder stress lower is better3.0
Moderate; fine for healthy shoulders with sensible load and range. 1 source.
- 3/5 Rope version is his favorite; it allows more freedom at the shoulder joint than a barbell. He does not tie it to impingement directly. Jeff Nippard, How To Fix The Upright Row: Avoid Shoulder Pain & Maximize Growth @ 3:35videoExpert opinion2019checked by AI