Barbell Shrug

Muscle Groups Involved

Upper Traps - Primary

Highlights

Lean forwards slightly and look down a little to make the movement more comfortable.
Imagine your hands are hooks and just there to keep your arms attached to the weight.
Pinch your shoulder blades up and together at the top of the movement to get the best contraction.
Do not let the weights hang at the bottom of the movement.
Do not roll your shoulders forwards or backwards.

Description

The Barbell Shrug is a standard exercise, used for decades, to build the upper traps. This exercise is especially popular because you can load it up very heavy for a big training stimulus. To perfo

The Barbell Shrug is a standard exercise, used for decades, to build the upper traps. This exercise is especially popular because you can load it up very heavy for a big training stimulus. To perform the Barbell Shrug start in a standing position, holding onto a barbell about shoulder width, with your palms facing your body. Lean about 5 degrees forwards and look down slightly to allow for a greater range of motion with your upper traps. Begin the movement by bracing your core and shrugging your shoulders straight up towards the ceiling. Pause briefly at the top, squeezing your traps hard before lowering the weight under control to the starting position. Pause again briefly without letting go of the tension before performing another repetition.

Common Mistakes

Do not use inertia or let the barbell bounce off of your connective tissue

Do not use inertia or let the barbell bounce off of your connective tissue at the bottom of the repetition. Do not roll your shoulders forwards or backwards. Do not lean too far forwards. Do not use your legs to move heavier weights. Do not move your head up and down or back and forth during the movement.

Pro Tips

Imagine your hands are hooks and just there to keep your arms attached to t

Imagine your hands are hooks and just there to keep your arms attached to the weight. Pinch your shoulder blades up and together at the top of the movement to get the best contraction.

Purpose

This exercise allows for large weights to be used to train your traps. It c

This exercise allows for large weights to be used to train your traps. It can also improve grip strength as well as core strength for having to handle very heavy loads.

Form

You should be able to shrug your shoulders nearly as high with weights as y

You should be able to shrug your shoulders nearly as high with weights as you can without them. If you come up short, lower the weight to get the best range of motion possible.