Shrug

Upper traps; pause at the top and do not roll your shoulders.

• Isolation
• Dumbbell
• Beginner

How to do it

• Raise your shoulders straight towards your ears
• Pause 1 s at the contraction
• Do not roll your shoulders
• Full range, control the way down

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 12–20 reps · 0–2 RIR

Tempo: Shrug up for 1 s to your ears, squeeze 1–2 s, lower for 2–3 s

Common mistakes

• Rolling your shoulders (an unnecessary and risky movement)
• A short range without going all the way up
• Using leg drive

Muscles worked

Primary

• Traps

Alternatives

• Barbell Row