I see a lot of shoulder niggles appearing when people perform upright rows as part of their strength training program. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the upper-body exercise; it’s just easy to misunderstand — and I'm not sure trainers always know how to cue it down to the tiny details.
The upright row works the deltoids, trapezius and biceps, but your core must also keep your torso stable, and you’ll recruit other muscle groups like your forearms and rhomboids (muscles in your back that work as deep stabilizing muscles that help move the shoulders and aid motion like pulling and throwing).
