Shoulders · Lateral raise
Cable Upright Row
The Cable Upright Row mainly trains your side delts and upper back. Also working: biceps and front delts.
Both cables
Stable
How to do it
- Centered between the towers, handles in front of your thighs
- Lead with your elbows, up and out
- Pull your hands to your lower chest: elbows no higher than shoulder height
- Lower slowly
Coach’s tip
With two separate handles your hands are free to drift outward: much kinder to the shoulders than a rigid bar. If you still feel a pinch at the front of the shoulder: don’t pull as high, or stick with lateral raises.
Noticeably loads the shoulder. If you tell DCFT that this joint bothers you, the app leaves exercises like this one out and picks a better supported alternative.
Setup
Pulley
Both pulleys at the bottom
Grip
Single handles, about shoulder width
Load
Both cables
Needs two cable towers
Stability
A bench, the floor or the frame takes the counterforce, or the cable pulls straight up or down. Good for heavy sets.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (lateral raise). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Cable Upright Row work?
Mainly the side delts and upper back. The biceps and front delts help.
How do I set up the cable machine for the Cable Upright Row?
Pulley: Both pulleys at the bottom. Grip: Single handles, about shoulder width.
Can I do the Cable Upright Row on a single cable tower?
Not like this. The Cable Upright Row needs both cables at once, so two towers. If you set up DCFT for one tower, the app leaves it out of your plan and uses exercises such as Cable Lateral Raise and Leaning Cable Lateral Raise instead.
What can I do instead of the Cable Upright Row?
For the same movement: Cable Lateral Raise, Leaning Cable Lateral Raise and Crossover Cable Lateral Raise. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Cable Upright Row in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.