Wide Grip vs. Close Grip Upright Rows. Which Is Superior?

Posted January 31, 2016 by Pete Mascioli in TGB BLOG, Workouts 1 0

Close Grip: The close grip upright row ignites more of the upper traps alongside the delts while placing a high emphasis on your forearms. This form of the row is more difficult to keep the bar closer to your body but to avoid injuring your lower back, try to drag the bar up near to you.

Wide Grip: Less commonly utilized than the close-grip version, holding a wider grip during the upright row allows for more emphasis on the middle head of the delts. In order to place the most strain on your shoulders, you should try to keep the bar as close to your body as possible during the upright row. Ensure to keep your elbows above hand-level during the exercise to fully engage the shoulders through the motion.

Advantage: Wide-Grip Upright Row. There are a few reasons why the wide-grip row reigns supreme over the close-grip. For Starters, the close-grip row forces your elbows to go in front of your body to a greater degree during the movement. This causes most of the emphasis to be placed on the front delt as opposed to the lateral or rear delt fibers. Second, the close-grip row places a greater strain on the delicate rotator cuff while you raise your elbows above your hands. Finally, the close-grip row places most of the focus on the forearms and traps, causing the workload to spread out around other muscle groups. In short, utilize the wide-grip upright row more often in your workout regimen as it will aid in developing more of a 3D deltoid structure.