Exercise Tutorial: Shrugs
Table of Contents
What Are Shrugs
The Barbell Shrug is an isolation exercise for the Trapezius muscle where a barbell is held in the hands and the shoulders shrug up and back. The Barbell Shrug has a few variations that will help fine-tune the movement to your specific exercise goals, whether its muscle growth and strength or tension relief and proper form restoration, there is a variation of the Barbell Shrug that will work best for you!
How to Do Shrugs
How to Do Barbell Shrugs
Follow these steps to learn how to perform the Barbell Shrug:
Set the rack height at mid-thigh. Grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip. The bar should be low enough that the arms can be fully straightened with the torso slightly pitched forward.
Brace the core, maintain a straight tall spine and take a few steps back from the rack. Deadlifting the weight up is also another way to get the bar into position if you do not have access to a rack.
Keep a soft bend in the knees and bend the torso over slightly at the hips, no more than 15 degrees. Keep the glutes and core engaged and the arms straight. This will allow a vertical bar path without your body getting in the way. Make sure to keep the spine tall to avoid rounding.
Inhale, brace the core and shrug the weight up and back, using not only the top of the trapezius but also the mid trapezius which lies between the shoulder blades. A full range of motion is needed to regain the function of the trapezius, so make sure not to cut the movement short. Your arms should be fully extended throughout the entire movement, it is your trapezius that is doing the work.
How to Do Dumbbell Shrugs
Brace your core before grabbing the dumbbells from the floor. If they're heavy, place them in a rack to avoid picking them up from the ground.
Proceed by elevating your shoulders; remember to retract them while you shrug.
Hold for 1-2 seconds, then bring them back to the original position.
Shrugs Muscles Worked
The primary muscle involved in performing the Barbell Shrug is the Trapezius. You may also achieve some activation of the forearm and core as you perform the movement.
The Shrug is a great exercise to incorporate into your routine if you are looking to achieve an increase in strength, better posture and want to isolate the trapezius muscles.
Shrugs Benefits
The Shrug can be beneficial to those who wish to activate and unlock a dysfunctional and tight trapezius, which most of us have. If a muscle is consistently in one position, then it will begin to get tight and lose its proper function. This will change the way the entire body moves around the tightness. Moving a muscle through its full range of motion with control will help it to regain its function, this is why Barbell Shrugs are beneficial.
Shrugs Variations
Here are a couple of variations of the shrug:
Behind the Back Barbell Shrugs
The Behind the Back Barbell Shrug is a variation that will help enforce the retraction of the shoulder blades which is one of the functions of the trapezius muscles. Because the barbell is behind the body, the shoulder blades have no option but to be pulled backwards. With the shoulders pulled back, this will help stretch tight muscles in the front of the neck (like the scalenes) which often cause dysfunctional movement in the upper body.
Heavy Barbell Shrugs
The Heavy Barbell Shrug is a great variation for those who are looking to build size and strength in the Trapezius muscles. Simply use a heavy load while performing the Barbell Shrug. As the secondary function of the trapezius is to resist the arm from falling out of the socket, the heavy load will encourage the trapezius to grow faster. The Heavy Barbell Shrug may not offer a better function of the trapezius as the full range of motion is not likely with the heavy load.
Barbell Shrugs Vs Dumbbell Shrugs
The main difference between dumbbells and barbells is that with the free weight in each hand, the body can move more freely and naturally. If the goal is to regain function in the trapezius then dumbbells are a great choice. If muscle building and increasing strength are the goal, then a barbell is a better option.
