If the upright row is one of your go-to exercises at the gym, it may be time to find a new one or modify how you perform this lift. The reason for this is that the upright row puts the shoulder at a mechanical disadvantage and puts a lot of stress and strain on the shoulder joint, especially in the front. Remember impingement syndrome?

As we talked about last week (read here), shoulder pain is all too common, especially with repetitive overhead activity and reaching behind the back. It’s typically seen in overhead sports like swimming, volleyball, tennis, and baseball pitchers along with professions such as carpenters, painters, and electricians. These repetitive movements often lead to a condition known as shoulder impingement syndrome where there’s reduced space between the acromion (top of the shoulder blade) and humerus (upper arm) which creates “pinching” on the surrounding tissues.