Shoulders…Everyone wants to achieve that wide structure!

All of us want to arrive at our grandparents’ house and hear “Oh dear me! I mistook you for a Barn Door!”

But the mission isn’t an easy one.

Here’s the solution:

We’ve all heard about the upright row. We’ve all tried it.

Results achieved? A slight “pump” in the traps, some elbow pain…

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Let us show you an excellent variation of this well-known exercise, that provides results and diminishes pain: The Dumbbell Upright Row.

This is an excellent exercise to develop the lateral portion of the shoulders. When executed correctly, it’s possible to remove almost all of the tension from the traps and focus all of the effort on the shoulder, the muscle we actually intend to train.

In addition, since it isn’t a fixed bar, it’s much healthier on the wrist, elbow and even shoulder joints!

Execution: Grab a hold of a poste/back of a bench with one hand. In the other hand, hold the dumbbell. Face the palm that’s holding the dumbbell backwards. This way, the weight will be aligned with your body. Laterally raise your arm, driving with your elbow and not your hand/wrist. The shoulder should be stable and fixed, not varying much from the initial position. When the arm and the forearm create an angle of 90º, top. Come back down in a controlled manner and repeat the movement.

After you’ve performed the desired number of reps, change arms and repeat.

By making sure your shoulder is fixed, without letting it come up like your shrugging (elevation), you’ll be minimizing trap activation (trapezius muscle). By not going above 90º, you’re guaranteeing that there is no unnecessary stress on the elbow and shoulder joints.

Here is an example of what a shoulder workout could look like:

• Dumbbell Upright Row 2×15 + 2×8 Reps
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 4×12-15 Reps
• “Reverse Cable Flyes”: 4×15 Reps
• Seated Dumbbell Military Press: 2×6 + 2×10 Reps

See for yourselves how good this exercise is and feels!