Weight training exercise for the trapezius and deltoid muscle groups.
The Upright Cable Row using a cable pulley machine used to be one of my favorite shoulder exercises but now, I occasionally rotate it in to my shoulder workout to add variation to my workouts. When done properly, it really works out, builds and adds definition to your shoulder muscles. Specifically, this exercise focuses on your trapezius and medial/posterior deltoid muscle groups.
I prefer to do this on a cable pulley machine because of the constant resistance provided by the cables on both the positive (upward) and negative (downward) movements of the exercise.
How To Do This Exercise
Attach a short, straight bar to the cable. Any straight bar will do, but I prefer to use the one that is about shoulder-length!
Stand up straight, grasping the bar somewhere around at the mid-point of the short bar or wherever it feels more comfortable for you. I never grasp the bar at the end. I usually grasp it somewhere in the middle from the mid-point of the bar to the end of the bar. So basically use a close-grip or wider grip, depending on your preference. This is your starting position.
Now slowly pull the bar upwards to your chin, keeping your elbows well-above your hands. Basically your elbows now form a wide-V shape from your hands. This is the top of the movement.
Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
Do about 12 reps of 4.
Variations of this Exercise
You can also do this exercise with dumbbells or a barbell. The method of performance is basically the same as with the pulley machine but I recommend using the cable pulley machine.
