RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Upright row alternatives: side delts and traps without the pinch

Published October 23, 2026

The best upright row alternative is the dumbbell lateral raise: it trains the side delts the upright row is mostly for, without pulling your arms up in front of you with your hands close together. If you like the row itself, widen your grip on the barbell, use an EZ bar or a cable, and stop at mid-chest; for the traps, swap in dumbbell shrugs. With dumbbells only, a dumbbell upright row lets each arm find its own path.

What a upright row alternative has to replace

The exercise being replaced

Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

A barbell pulled up the front of your body, elbows leading. It trains side delts and upper traps in one move, but a narrow grip and a high finish crowd the front of the shoulder for many lifters.

How to do it

  1. Hold a barbell at arm's length against your thighs, palms down, hands about shoulder width.
  2. Stand tall with your stomach braced.
  3. Pull your elbows up and out, keeping the bar close to your body.
  4. Stop when the bar reaches your chest and your elbows are about shoulder height.
  5. Lower the bar slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Bar close
  • Stop at chest height

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the bar to your chin with a narrow grip: hands at shoulder width or wider, and stop at your chest.
  • Bouncing it up with your hips: use a weight you can lift with your torso still.

Swap for: Wide-Grip Upright Row, Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Upright Row

The upright row trains your side delts and upper traps, with your biceps helping. It loads them hardest at the top, when your elbows reach shoulder height, which is also where a narrow grip and a high pull can crowd the front of your shoulder.

So a replacement either keeps the pull but changes what pinches (a wider grip, a free path for each hand, a lower finish) or splits the job in two: a lateral raise for the side delts and a shrug for the traps.

Same pull, friendlier setup

If you like the row, change what pinches: a wider grip, an angled bar, a cable or two dumbbells, and stop with your elbows at shoulder height.

Closest barbell swap

Wide-Grip Upright Row

Traps

The same lift with your hands well outside your shoulders. Your elbows rise out to the sides instead of up in front, which takes most of the crowding out, and stopping at your lower chest does the rest.

How to do it

  1. Grip a barbell well outside your shoulders, palms down, arms straight in front of your thighs.
  2. Stand tall and brace.
  3. Raise your elbows out to the sides, letting the bar come up toward your lower chest.
  4. Stop when your upper arms are level with the floor.
  5. Lower it under control to straight arms.

Cues

  • Wide hands
  • Elbows out
  • Stop at your chest

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging your shoulders toward your ears at the top: stop when your upper arms are level.
  • Leaning back to finish the rep: lighten the bar and keep your torso still.
Build a session with Wide-Grip Upright Row

Easier on the wrists

EZ-Bar Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

The angled grips turn your hands in slightly, so your wrists bend back less at the top. Pick it over the straight bar if the row bothers your wrists rather than your shoulders.

How to do it

  1. Hold the EZ bar on its angled grips, palms down, resting against your thighs.
  2. Stand tall and keep the bar close to your body.
  3. Pull your elbows up and out until the bar reaches your chest.
  4. Stop with your elbows at about shoulder height.
  5. Lower slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Angled grip
  • Elbows over wrists
  • Control the way down

Common mistakes

  • Letting your wrists bend back sharply at the top: use the angled grip and stop at your chest.
  • Rushing the lowering half: take two seconds to bring the bar down.
Build a session with EZ-Bar Upright Row

Cable swap

Cable Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

A straight bar on the low pulley gives a smooth pull and quick weight changes, so it suits higher reps. Stop with your elbows at shoulder height.

How to do it

  1. Attach a straight bar to the low pulley and hold it palms down, hands about shoulder width.
  2. Stand close to the machine with the bar against your thighs.
  3. Pull it up along your body, elbows leading, until your elbows reach shoulder height.
  4. Lower it back to your thighs over two seconds.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Elbows to shoulder height
  • Wide enough grip

Common mistakes

  • Letting your hands rise above your elbows: lead with the elbows and stop when they reach shoulder height.
  • Gripping close together: shoulder width or wider lets your elbows rise out to the sides.
Build a session with Cable Upright Row

RIRLift's swap with dumbbells

Dumbbell Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

Two dumbbells let each hand travel its own path and finish where your shoulder is comfortable. This is what RIRLift puts in the upright row's place when you have dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Stand holding the dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms toward you.
  2. Lead with your elbows and pull the dumbbells up close to your body.
  3. Stop when your elbows reach shoulder height and your hands are at chest level.
  4. Lower slowly back to your thighs.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Stop at shoulder height
  • Dumbbells close to you

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the hands higher than the elbows: let the elbows lead the whole way.
  • Going past shoulder height if it pinches: stop lower, at the height that feels fine.
Build a session with Dumbbell Upright Row

Kettlebell swap

Kettlebell Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

A kettlebell in each hand lets each arm travel its own path, like dumbbells. Lighter than a bar, so it suits higher reps at home.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding a kettlebell in each hand by the handle, arms long in front of your thighs.
  2. Lead with your elbows and pull both bells up close to your body.
  3. Stop when your elbows reach shoulder height and the bells are at chest level.
  4. Lower slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Bells close to the body
  • Stop at chest height

Common mistakes

  • Pulling higher than shoulder level: if your shoulders pinch, stop lower.
  • Leaning back to heave them up: stand tall and use lighter bells.
Build a session with Kettlebell Upright Row

Band swap

Band Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

Standing on a band, the pull is lightest at the bottom and hardest near the top. Keep it at shoulder height and use it as a high-rep finisher or a travel option.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band with your feet about hip width and hold an end in each hand, palms toward your thighs.
  2. Keep your hands close together and the band near your body.
  3. Lift your elbows up and out, leading with them, until they are level with your shoulders.
  4. Pause, then lower slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows lead, hands follow
  • Stop at shoulder height
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Pulling your hands higher than your elbows: stop when your elbows reach shoulder height.
  • Leaning back to finish reps: use a lighter band or narrow your stance on it.
Build a session with Band Upright Row

Side delts without the row

Raises train the side delts with your arms out to the sides, which is the part of the row most people are after.

Best swap for the side delts

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Your arms move out to the sides with nothing in front of you, so it trains the side delts the upright row is mostly done for, without the pinch. It takes far less weight than a row.

How to do it

  1. Pick light dumbbells you can raise for 12 clean reps, and stand with your feet hip width apart, the weights hanging by your thighs.
  2. Lean your chest forward a few degrees, pull your shoulders down away from your ears and soften your elbows.
  3. Sweep the weights out and slightly forward, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Hold that top position for a beat, then take two to three seconds to lower until the dumbbells are a hand's width from your thighs.
  5. Start the next rep from there without resting at the bottom or bouncing out of it.

Cues

  • Elbows lead, hands follow
  • Shoulders down, neck long
  • Push the weights out, not up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up: if your shoulders rise toward your ears, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop each rep where your upper arm is level.
  • Swinging the torso to start each rep: brace, stand still and keep the first inch of the lift as slow as the rest.
  • Bending the elbows more and more as the set goes on: set the bend on rep one and keep it, or the lever shortens and the set gets easier without you noticing.
Build a session with Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Side delts with steady tension

Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders

With the cables crossed in front of you, there is load even at the bottom of the rep, where dumbbells feel like nothing. Good for higher reps near failure.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at the bottom of a cable crossover and stand in the middle, feet about shoulder width.
  2. Grab each handle with the opposite hand, so the cables cross in front of your thighs.
  3. Stand tall with a slight bend in your elbows and your shoulders pulled down.
  4. Sweep both arms out to the sides until your upper arms are level with the floor.
  5. Take two seconds to bring the handles back across your thighs, stopping before the stack touches down.

Cues

  • Elbows lead the hands
  • Stop at shoulder height
  • Keep tension at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back and shrugging to finish reps: drop one plate and keep your torso still.
  • Letting the stack rest between reps: stop the handles just before the weights touch so the cable never goes slack.
  • Lifting past shoulder height: your traps take over up there, so end each rep with your arms level.
Build a session with Cable Lateral Raise

Harder side delt swap

Leaning Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Holding a post and leaning away makes the bottom of the raise harder, so one light dumbbell goes further. Done one arm at a time.

How to do it

  1. Hold a sturdy post or rack with your left hand, take the dumbbell in your right, and lean away from the support.
  2. Let the dumbbell hang in front of your hip with a slight bend in the elbow.
  3. Raise your right arm out to the side until it reaches shoulder level.
  4. Lower slowly, finish the set, and switch sides.

Cues

  • Lean away from the support
  • Raise to shoulder level
  • Control the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with your free hand to swing the body: the lean stays still through the set.
  • Raising too high above shoulder height: stop at shoulder level.
Build a session with Leaning Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Traps without the row

For the upper traps, lift straight up with a shrug or let your hips drive a high pull.

Best swap for the traps

Dumbbell Shrug

Traps

If you used the upright row for your traps, shrugs load them directly and much heavier, with your shoulders doing nothing awkward.

How to do it

  1. Pick up a pair of dumbbells and stand tall with them at your sides, palms facing your legs and feet about hip width.
  2. Let your arms hang straight and let the weight pull your shoulders down as far as they will drop.
  3. Lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears without bending your elbows.
  4. Hold the top for a full second, with your shoulders as high as they go.
  5. Lower slowly until your shoulders are fully down again, then start the next rep from there.

Cues

  • Shoulders to ears, straight up
  • Arms are just hooks
  • Pause at the top, full drop at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing short reps with a weight that is too heavy: if your shoulders barely move, drop the weight until you can reach the same top position on every rep and hold it for a second.
  • Rolling your shoulders in circles: the traps lift your shoulders up and down, so the roll adds nothing; move straight up and straight down.
  • Bending your elbows to help: once your arms pull, your biceps take part of the load; keep your elbows straight and let your hands only hold.
Build a session with Dumbbell Shrug

Power swap with a barbell

Barbell High Pull

Traps

Your hips launch the bar and your arms finish the pull, so your traps and delts work fast and heavy. Stop at chest height and reset each rep.

How to do it

  1. Set up as for a deadlift with a grip a bit wider than your shoulders.
  2. Stand up with the bar, and as it passes your thighs, extend your hips hard and shrug.
  3. Let the momentum carry the bar up as you pull your elbows high and out, finishing near chest height.
  4. Lower the bar back to your thighs, then to the floor, and reset before the next rep.

Cues

  • Hips first, then arms
  • Elbows high and wide
  • Reset every rep

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with the arms before your hips extend: the arms take over only after the bar passes mid thigh.
  • Going so heavy the bar stalls at the belly: pick a load you can get to chest height every rep.
Build a session with Barbell High Pull

To pair with them

The upright row leaves the back of your shoulder out, so two of the sessions below add a face pull.

Rear delts, to pair with the swaps

Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

The upright row barely trains the back of your shoulder. A face pull covers it in the same session.

How to do it

  1. Set the pulley at or just above head height and attach a rope. Grab it with your thumbs pointing back toward you.
  2. Step back until your arms are straight and the stack lifts, then stagger your feet or sit on a bench so you can lean back slightly without swaying.
  3. Pull the middle of the rope toward your forehead by driving your elbows out and back, keeping them at shoulder height or higher.
  4. As the rope reaches your face, pull the ends apart and rotate your hands back until your fists sit beside your ears, like a double-biceps pose.
  5. Hold that position for a beat, then let your arms straighten under control until your shoulder blades slide forward again.

Cues

  • Elbows high, hands finish behind them
  • Pull the rope apart, not just back
  • Reach forward at the start of every rep

Common mistakes

  • Loading it like a row and leaning back to move the stack: drop the weight until you can hold the end position for a second without your torso rocking.
  • Letting the elbows drop below your shoulders: the pull turns into a row and your lats and biceps take the work. Raise the pulley or lighten the load.
  • Stopping when the rope touches your face: the outward rotation at the end is what the face pull adds, so finish with your fists beside your ears.
Build a session with Face Pull

Example sessions without the upright row

Session 1

Gym, upright rows pinch

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable, Dumbbells

You train in a gym, and upright rows hurt the front of your shoulder at the top.

The session splits the row's job: cable and leaning lateral raises for the side delts, shrugs for the traps, and face pulls for the back of the shoulder. Nothing pulls your arms up in front of you. 12 working sets.

Shoulders and traps
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Cable Lateral Raise 4 × 12–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell Shrug 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Face Pull 3 × 15–20 1 1 min
Leaning Dumbbell Lateral RaiseSets are per arm. 2 × 12–20 1 45 s
How to run it
Once or twice a week, after your pressing or on its own shoulder day.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range at the RIR shown, then add the smallest weight jump. Raises move up slowly, so a few reps more is real progress.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Barbell gym, keep a row

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets12 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Dumbbells, Adjustable Cable

You like rowing a bar for your delts and traps, and the narrow grip is the only problem.

High pulls come first while you are fresh, for heavy, fast trap work. The wide-grip row keeps the movement with room for your shoulders, lateral raises add direct side delt volume, and face pulls balance it. 12 working sets.

Shoulders and traps
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell High Pull2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
Wide-Grip Upright Row 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Face Pull 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Once a week, or twice if shoulders are a priority. Reset the bar on the floor between high pulls.
How to progress
When all sets of a barbell lift reach the top of the range, add the smallest plates. Keep the high pulls at 2 reps in reserve so each rep stays fast.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Home, dumbbells and a band

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Resistance Bands

You train at home with a pair of dumbbells and a band, and the row itself feels fine.

Dumbbell upright rows replace the barbell, then one-arm leaning raises with a hand on a doorframe hit the side delts, and a band row finishes with high reps. 10 working sets.

Shoulders and traps
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Upright Row1 warm-up set first 4 × 10–15 1 75 s
Leaning Dumbbell Lateral RaiseHold a doorframe; sets per arm. 3 × 12–20 1 45 s
Band Upright Row 3 × 15–25 1 45 s
How to run it
Twice a week. Light dumbbells only work near failure, so end each set about one rep short of it.
How to progress
Add reps first; once you reach the top of a range on every set, use the next dumbbell or a thicker band.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What can I do instead of upright rows?

Lateral raises for the side delts and shrugs for the traps cover everything the upright row trains. If you want to keep a row, use a wide grip, dumbbells or a cable and stop at mid-chest.

What are the downsides of upright rows?

With a narrow grip and a pull up to your chin, many people feel a pinch at the front of the shoulder near the top. A wider grip and a lower finish usually fix it.

Is the upright row necessary?

No. Lateral raises and shrugs train the same muscles, and plenty of lifters build big shoulders and traps without ever doing upright rows.

Is the lateral raise better than the upright row?

For the side delts, the lateral raise trains them more directly and is easier on most shoulders. The upright row also trains your traps, so pair the raise with shrugs if you drop the row.

How much weight should I use for upright rows?

A weight you can pull to chest height for 8 to 15 reps without leaning back or bouncing, stopping 1 to 2 reps short of failure. Add weight once every set reaches the top of your range.

What is a good upright row alternative with dumbbells?

The dumbbell upright row, since each hand can move freely. If that still pinches, do dumbbell lateral raises and dumbbell shrugs.