Traditional It seems that the upright row is a very good shoulder exercise! It’s also a relatively easy move for beginners to master!
It can exercise most of our shoulder muscles (deltoid muscles, trapezius muscles, and other small shoulder muscle groups)
However, although upright rowing seems simple, It is easy to learn, but it is a training movement that can easily lead to shoulder injuries. Many trainers and coaches at home and abroad do not recommend that you use upright rowing to train shoulders
Today we will show you Why is this?
Action Analysis
Upright rowing is a multi-joint action, mainly involving the shoulder joint (abduction) and elbow joint (flexion)!
Normally speaking, there will be no problem with such an action!
However, when using a barbell, especially with a narrow spacing, you will be forced to add a shoulder joint Spin action!
When performing shoulder abduction with internal rotation of the shoulder joint, it can easily lead to pinching and friction of the tendons and ligaments under the acromion! Shoulder pain has been coming for a long time!
The reasons are as follows:
The shoulder joint is composed of the clavicle, scapula, and humerus, and it is the range of motion of the whole body. largest joint.
Then you If you look carefully, there are many tendons, ligaments, and joint capsules passing through the subacromial space. You can see that this space is very small!
When our shoulders are in normal condition! Position (in the neutral position), the shoulder can move freely in this space! Including shoulder flexion, abduction, rotation, etc.
1.When the shoulder is inward! When rotating, your humerus will move forward, which will bring the acromin process and coracoid process closer together, which will make the already narrow subacromial joint space even narrower! Later, the tendons under the acromion are prone to friction and pinching, causing shoulder pain over a long period of time. This is also known as subacromial impingement syndrome in medicine!
You can try it yourself. Turn your thumbs behind your body and abduct your arms to 90 degrees in a shoulder internal rotation position. You will find that your shoulders gradually The feeling of the joint being pushed against
2. Internal rotation of the shoulder will cause the scapula to turn forward, away from the neutral position (refer to the hunched posture), and the scapula will not be able to rotate upward normally. The range of motion of the shoulder joint is limited!
3.When the shoulder is internally rotated, due to the overall forward tilt of the thorax, the pectoralis major muscle shortens, which limits the upward and backward rotation of the clavicle;
This is one of the reasons why many people do not recommend upright rowing training! Especially for novices, or those with a history of shoulder pinching or shoulder pain, hunched shoulders, and insufficient shoulder joint mobility! Don’t do it!
Here is a vivid video to help you understand the risks of upright rowing!
If you insist on doing an upright row, we would recommend using a wide grip, like a snatch, At the same time, the shoulder abduction should not exceed 90 degrees when pulling up.
Using dumbbells is slightly better A little, but pay attention to maintaining external rotation of the shoulder (thumb upward), increasing the space in the subacromial joint cavity, avoiding impact on the greater tuberosity and reducing the chance of pinching.
Finally. Tip: Not every movement is suitable for your own body. If your shoulder feels uncomfortable during the process, be sure to stop training and recheck!