The Dumbbell Upright Row is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the shoulders. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesShoulders
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Upright Row
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand resting in front of your thighs and palms facing your body.
Set your feet shoulder-width apart with knees soft and core lightly braced.
Keep your chest up and your shoulders pulled back and down before starting the pull.
Pull both dumbbells straight up along the front of your body by leading with your elbows.
Stop the pull when your elbows reach about chest height, with the dumbbells just below your collarbones.
Lower the dumbbells slowly back down along the same path until your arms are fully extended.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds the side shoulders and upper traps in one lift.
Trains the vertical pull pattern with dumbbell-friendly mechanics.
Adds upper-body width and shoulder definition over time.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Pulling the dumbbells higher than the collarbones, which can cause front-shoulder strain at the top.
Using too much weight and swinging the body to throw the dumbbells up, which removes the shoulder work.
Letting the elbows drop below the wrists, which turns the pull into a curl instead of a row.
Rounding the upper back during the lift, which removes the upper-trap engagement.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Upright Row, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
