Barbell Shrug

oec:barbell-shrug

An isolation exercise that builds the upper trapezius and neck musculature by elevating the shoulder blades against a barbell held in front of the body.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: shrug, barbell shrugs, standing barbell shrug, Shrugs, Barbells

How to do it

Setup

Stand upright holding a loaded barbell with a double-overhand grip just outside your thighs.
Position your feet hip-width apart, soften your knees slightly, and keep your chest tall with a neutral spine.

Movement

Keeping your arms fully extended, elevate your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as possible.
Pause briefly at the top of the contraction, squeezing your upper traps.
Lower the barbell under control back to the starting position until you feel a deep stretch in your traps.

Breathing

Inhale before initiating the lift and exhale as you reach peak elevation or as you lower the bar.

Cues

Shrug straight up toward your ears.
Keep your arms straight like ropes.
Pause and squeeze at the peak.

Common faults

Rolling the shoulders backward or forward at the top of the movement.: Move strictly up and down in a vertical plane to protect the glenohumeral joint and neck.
Bending the elbows to lift the barbell higher.: Keep your arms locked straight and allow only the scapulae to elevate the weight.
Using excessive leg drive or bouncing to heave the weight up.: Maintain a strict, stationary stance and select a load you can lift using only your traps.

Safety

Avoid craning your neck forward during heavy sets to reduce cervical strain.
Consider using lifting straps if grip fatigue limits upper trap recruitment.

Muscles

Upper trapezius prime mover
Levator scapulae prime mover
Middle trapezius synergist
Rhomboids synergist
Wrist and finger flexors stabilizer
Erector spinae stabilizer

Joints

Shoulder blade: Elevation, Depression
Elbow: Isometric stabilization
Thoracic spine: Isometric stabilization
Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement: Pull
Modality: Strength, Hypertrophy
Mechanics: isolation
Force: pull
Laterality: bilateral
Kinetic chain: open
Level: beginner
Equipment: Barbell
Record: Repetitions and Load
Load: external, total

substitute for Dumbbell Shrug
substitute for Smith Machine Shrug
substitute for Cable Shrug-In

Sources

wger: Shrugs, Barbells, by wger.de (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

barbell-shrug.json