Technique for performing the shrug exercise with a barbell and dumbbells

Men strive to increase the volume of the upper body: widen the shoulders, widen the back, develop the muscles of the arms, so their training plan includes many exercises specifically for the upper body with a barbell, both basic and isolated. Today we will talk about one such isolated exercise called a shrug.

• What muscles does the shrug exercise develop?
• Technique for performing shrugs with a barbell
• Video: Shrugs with a barbell (how to do the exercise correctly while standing)
• Shrugs with dumbbells
• Video: Shrugs with dumbbells
• Shrugs on an incline bench
• Video: Incline Shrugs with Dumbbells
• Recommendations for performing the exercise

What muscles does the shrug exercise develop?

Shrugs are an isolated exercise, meaning they work one specific muscle to the virtual exclusion of others. Shrugs work the trapezius muscle , which is located in the upper back and resembles the shape of a trapezoid. If this muscle is well developed, then it becomes noticeable in the neck area, connecting it to the shoulder girdle.

The function of the trapezius muscles of the back is to maintain the position of the shoulder blades and shoulders, which gives us the ability to keep our back straight and lift weights.

The rhomboid muscles and the muscles that raise the shoulder blades work minimally in movement. In some variants, it is possible to include the muscles of the chest and shoulders.

Muscles actively involved in the shrug exercise

Shrugs in the Smith machine

In general, the principle of execution is no different, but there are still a few nuances:

• the simulator completely eliminates the work of auxiliary muscles. This makes it possible to load the target area in a more isolated manner. Here, it is not the athlete who monitors the technique of performing the shrug, but an iron coach;
• the simulator eliminates swaying, does not allow you to relax and shirk work;
• When performing shrugs in the simulator, the projectile can be in front or behind. If you choose the second option, carefully monitor the position of your shoulders. The back should be as straight as possible.

What do we get by doing shrugs?

1. Isolated trapezius load.
2. Harmonious development of the back, shoulders and neck. Formation of a massive physique.
3. A variety of loads (dumbbells, barbell or machine) gives the athlete freedom of choice.
4. Improved posture.

Attention! The apparent ease and simplicity of the exercise can lead to loss of vigilance. Performing a task with errors often results in injury.

• stooping will cause the load to shift to the middle of the back, which can lead to overload;
• Shoulder rotation often leads to rotator cuff damage;
• tilting the head will lead to tension in the neck (especially important when working with heavy weight);
• The exercise is aimed exclusively at the trapezius. The muscles are left alone with the weight. Untimely weight gain or too many repetitions can result in injury to the target area - muscle strain or even muscle rupture.

Finally

Shrugs with a barbell or other weights are considered the only way to develop the upper trapezius. Including loads in training will allow the athlete to work on previously untouched muscles. The correct technique and regularity of loads help to create a large, sculpted and powerful back, neck and shoulders. But the high level of trauma requires the athlete to pay utmost attention to compliance with the execution technique. Do not neglect the rules, use safety elements, do not move on to the next stage of work without making sure your muscles are ready.

Technique for performing shrugs with a barbell

The shrug exercise is performed with dumbbells while standing or sitting. In the first option, it is also possible to use a barbell. The Smith machine allows you to perform this exercise while holding a barbell behind your body. In addition, shrugs can be performed in an inclined position or on an incline bench, but then this exercise can no longer be called isolated, since it allows you to get a good feel for the deltoids and chest muscles.

Let's look at the correct classic technique for standing barbell shrugs.

Technique for performing the shrug exercise with a barbell

Technique:

1. We take the barbell with an overhand grip, placing our palms approximately shoulder-width apart.
2. We straighten up, keep our back straight, bring our shoulder blades together.
3. As you exhale, raise your shoulders up. It's like an everyday movement, like you're just shrugging your shoulders. Lock in the upper position for 1–2 seconds.
4. As you inhale, lower your shoulders down.

Repeat 10–12 times, 4 working approaches.

Video: Shrugs with a barbell (how to do the exercise correctly while standing)

If you want to perform the exercise with a barbell positioned behind your body, the principle remains the same. We hold the barbell with an overhand grip and perform shoulder shrugs. But this version of the exercise is not the most convenient.

Variation of the shrug exercise with a barbell behind your back

Adviсe

1. Throughout the entire set, keep your back straight and posture: shoulders back, chest straightened, back straight and slightly arched in the lower back. If you have trouble keeping your shoulders back, do dumbbell shrugs only.
2. To achieve the maximum possible trapezius contraction, perform barbell shrugs so that your shoulders rise as high as possible.
3. Always stop breathing while lifting your shoulders. This makes it much easier to stabilize the correct position of the spine and focus on contracting the trapezius.
4. The purpose of the exercise is the upper part of the rhomboid and trapezius muscles, which respond well to loads and quickly grow, especially in width and upward, which is optically manifested in the form of a pumped-up neck and a clearly convex upper back against the background of pumped-up shoulders. Naturally, this emphasizes the strength of the figure, but only... for men. As for the female figure, overly developed trapezoids can completely deprive her of all attractiveness and femininity. Therefore, we strongly recommend that girls not get carried away with barbell shrugs (or even completely exclude them from their training list).
5. The working weight should be feasible, allowing you to raise your shoulders as high as possible. An overly heavy barbell will fatally shorten the range of motion and, as your shoulders drop, force you to reflexively direct them forward, which risks rounding your spine and can lead to injury.
6. During the entire exercise, the shoulders move only down and up. No rotational movements - this is dangerous, as heavy weight moves from the trapezius to the shoulder joints.
7. Throughout the approach, look only in front of you. By lowering your chin, you risk bending your spine. By tilting your head to the side, you create all the conditions for the disproportionate development of the trapezius, which will ultimately lead to curvature of the cervical spine.

Shrugs with dumbbells

Beginners can try to perform the exercise with light weight; dumbbells up to 5 kg are well suited for this.

Technique for performing the shrug exercise with dumbbells

Technique:

1. We take dumbbells in our hands with a neutral grip.
2. Let's stand up straight. The back is straight, the gaze is directed forward.
3. Hands with dumbbells are lowered along the hips.
4. We raise our shoulders up, fix the position and lower them.

You can try this exercise while sitting. The technique is the same, it is important to place your feet firmly on the floor, hip-width apart, and make sure your back is straight.

Video: Shrugs with dumbbells

Common Mistakes

One of the main mistakes that almost all beginners make is slouching. When performing shrugs, you should absolutely not hunch over and break your posture. This increases the risk of back injury. You should also not press your chin to your body. You should keep your head straight in front of you, without tilting to the sides. Otherwise, there is a risk of stretching the cervical ligaments.

And most importantly, you should never chase the scale. You need to increase the weight of the shells gradually, following the correct technique. Only then will training not be harmful and will improve your health.

By following these simple instructions, the athlete will easily achieve results. You can master shrugs with dumbbells without the help of a personal mentor, which allows you to save a lot of money. The main thing is to adhere to a well-designed training program and proper nutrition. Only then will you have a chance to build the body of your dreams.

The main mistake when performing shrugs with dumbbells is slouching.

Shrugs on an incline bench

If the purpose of the exercise for you is not only to isolatedly work out the trapezius muscles of the back, but also to improve your posture, you can try the option of shrugs on an incline bench.

You will need a bench with an adjustable backrest.

1. Set the tilt angle to 45 degrees.
2. Take the weight in your hands.
3. Lie with your stomach on the back of the bench so that your chin and neck remain suspended.
4. You can sit on the seat of the bench or kneel on it.
5. If you perform the exercise while standing, you should place your feet shoulder-width apart or wider for stability.
6. In this exercise format, you not only raise your shoulders, but also retract your shoulder blades.

Variation of the shrug exercise on an incline bench

You can take a barbell for this version of shrugs, but it will be more convenient to perform the exercise with dumbbells.

Video: Incline Shrugs with Dumbbells

Features and benefits of the exercise

Dumbbell shrugs are one of the classic exercises in bodybuilding. Bodybuilders all over the world use it to work their trapezius muscles. Like biceps, well-developed trapezius is the goal of any man working out in the gym.

But taking up a shrug at the very first training session is at least stupid. First you need to build a base and develop large muscles of the body. A beginner who comes to the gym for the first time should concentrate on multi-component exercises for the back, chest and legs. Such a start will allow you to develop neuromuscular connections, without which progress is almost impossible.

Traps are large muscles that require significant weights to train. Accordingly, this exercise is suitable only for experienced athletes or those who have been visiting the gym for at least several months. Only when the large muscles are strong enough can you begin to train individual areas.

What muscles work when performing a shrug:

• trapezoid;
• deltoid;
• diamond-shaped;
• biceps.

The main emphasis is on trapezoidal. Biceps, diamonds and deltoids act as auxiliary muscles. Due to the strength nature of the exercise, shrugs are only suitable for men.

Recommendations for performing the exercise

Despite the relative simplicity of the technique, there are a number of nuances that will help you perform shrugs as safely and effectively as possible:

1. Don't let your shoulders sag under the weight of the barbell. If this happens, it is better to take less weight.
2. Don't let your shoulders drop down, as this can damage your shoulder joints. All movement must be carried out under control.
3. Do not lift your chin, otherwise you may strain your neck muscles.
4. Do not make circular or other movements other than vertical ones. This can lead to injury to the shoulder joint.

Shrugs help create a beautiful straight silhouette with a well-developed upper back and neck, so you shouldn’t neglect them in your workouts. Isolated exercises in general are not suitable for increasing the volume of muscle mass; they are needed to “finish off” the muscles after basic exercises, in some cases, to give symmetry and definition to the muscles. But the emphasis should always be on the “base”.

Important technical points

Regardless of what type of shrug you do and what weight you use, follow the rules below. This will help prevent injury and make your workout more effective.

• Do not rotate your shoulder joints during the movement. This will not provide any tangible benefit, but you can easily damage your shoulders.
• Don't be tempted to lift the weight with your biceps (triceps, when performing lying down). The arms always remain straight at the elbows.
• Avoid jerking and throwing weights. The progress of the projectile must be smooth and absolutely controlled throughout the entire amplitude.
• Your muscles should not experience a strong stretch at the bottom. Yes, the more we stretch a muscle, the greater the amplitude of its movement and the stronger it works, but in this exercise, stretching at the lowest point is fraught with serious injuries. Therefore, we sacrifice a little amplitude, but remain healthy and efficient.
• Keep your back straight. When working with weights, a straight spine is especially important.
• Do not turn your neck to the side or lower or throw your head back. Correct technique involves keeping your head straight.

By doing the exercise correctly, you can make your workouts as effective and safe as possible. Shrugs with dumbbells standing, bent over, in a machine or on parallel bars will help you develop your upper back, get rid of slouching and improve your performance in other strength exercises.

Benefit

Barbell shrugs are good for the body. Let's look at what exactly:

• They improve blood circulation in the cervical and occipital areas, promote the supply of oxygen to soft tissues, and help those who suffer from headaches that have no apparent cause.
• They indirectly help improve blood supply to the brain and the functioning of the visual center, leading to increased visual acuity. This is especially true for people who spend a lot of time at the computer in the wrong position.
• Exercises are recommended for people involved in extreme sports. A good muscular frame of the neck can protect against head injuries.
• Useful for athletes involved in wrestling. Shrugs make the neck thicker and shorter, making it harder for your opponent to grab it.

Standing shrugs

They are considered the most popular type of shrug. The execution technique is described below.

Take weights in your hands. Start raising your shoulders as high as possible without bending your arms. Then, also smoothly, lower your shoulders and return to the starting position. Do the exercise again. A barbell or dumbbells with a curved bar are ideal for performing this exercise. They don't put pressure on the groin or legs like a regular bar. If you are performing an exercise with a straight hyphae, then change your hand grip as you perform it.

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You can also perform shrugs on a vertical machine, which is designed to train the calf muscles. You don't need dumbbells or a barbell for this. Go to the machine, take the starting position, as when doing calf exercises. Focus on lifting your shoulders. Remember that there will be a significant weight bearing down on your shoulders.

Tighten your torso muscles, bend your back slightly. Distribute the load evenly over the body, do not shift from foot to foot. When performing the exercise, strong pressure on the shoulders can cause discomfort. This will primarily affect those who have joint problems. To do this, place something soft between your shoulders and the machine.

Work pace and workload

The pace of work in the gym and the level of physical activity are selected individually depending on the capabilities of each athlete. It is believed that to achieve a positive effect on the development of the trapezius muscles, it is enough to perform standing shrugs with a barbell 2-3 times a week. In this case, during the training there should be at least 3 approaches to the sports equipment, during which the athlete does from 10 to 20 repetitions.

To prevent disturbances in the functioning of the body's cardiovascular system, it is necessary to control the pace of physical activity. You should rest at least 3-5 minutes between each approach.

As the muscles of the cervical and thoracic spine strengthen, the trapezius muscles develop and their volume increases, physical activity may increase. In this case, the working weight of the bar is added. The athlete must independently come to the decision to increase the mass of the sports equipment by 3.5 or 10 kg as he feels that the current level of physical activity does not allow for full-fledged trapezius training.

At the same time, women should refrain from performing shrugs in a standing position using a barbell weighing more than 75 kg. In this case, the effect of hypertrophy of the trapezius muscles may develop.

Safety precautions

Standing barbell shrugs are an exercise that can cause injury to the cervical or thoracic spine.

In order for this type of physical activity to bring only benefits, you must follow the safety rules:

1. Select the optimal working weight of the barbell, which corresponds to the individual physical capabilities of the athlete.
2. When performing shrugs, always ensure that your back remains as straight as possible, as rounding it will lead to poor posture.

   
   Standing barbell shrugs must be performed correctly. It is important to keep your back straight.

3. Use a safety belt that is fixed at the waist line, protecting the lumbar spine and the anterior abdominal wall while lifting the barbell.
4. The time interval between performing the next approach should be 3-5 minutes so that the body has the opportunity to fully recover, but at the same time creates a maximum load on the trapezius muscles.
5. Eliminate the factor of rotation of the shoulder joints. The weight of the barbell should be selected so that during training the physical load falls only on the trapezius muscles.
6. During the training process, you should monitor your general well-being, the number of pulse beats and breathing rate.
7. Before each lesson, conduct a full warm-up with warming up the muscles of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, the average duration of which should be at least 15 minutes.

Performing shrugs with a barbell while standing should be avoided by people who initially have problems with blood pressure, suffer from disturbances in the outflow of venous blood, as well as severe deformation of the chest caused by curvature of the spine.

Before you start training to develop the trapezius, you will need to undergo a comprehensive examination by a cardiologist, neurologist, or surgeon.

How to implement it into training

1. Shrugs are performed in combination with exercises to develop the back muscles and their synergists - the biceps. First, basic exercises are performed for the lats, in which the trapezius is also involved, namely: pull-ups, rows in blocks, machines, and free-weight bent-over rows. Only at the end of the complex, even if it contains biceps exercises, are shrugs performed with dumbbells.
2. For this exercise, you can use a lot of weight, since it primarily involves the development of the trapezius in volume, so the number of repetitions will be 10-12. The number of approaches is the same as for other exercises in the complex: usually 3-4.