Upright Cable Row

A back exercise targeting the traps, performed with cable.

Upright Cable Row demonstration
Upright Cable Row — demonstration

Body part

Back

Equipment

Cable

Target muscles

Traps

Secondary muscles

Shoulders

How to do Upright Cable Row

  1. Grasp a straight bar cable attachment that is attached to a low pulley with a pronated (palms facing your thighs) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The bar should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.

  2. Use your side shoulders to lift the cable bar as you exhale. The bar should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until it nearly touches your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the bar, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.

  3. Lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.

  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Muscles worked

Primary (target)

Traps

Secondary

Shoulders

Related exercises

All back exercises →

Track Upright Cable Row in NutriMind

Log your sets and the app does the rest — automatic PR detection, progression charts for every lift, and progressive overload that adjusts your next workout. Paired with AI nutrition coaching so your training and your plate pull in the same direction.

Planning your next heavy session? Estimate your max with the One Rep Max Calculator and build up to it with the Warm-up Calculator. More free tools →