Barbell Shrug

How to Perform the Barbell Shrug

Stand upright and grip a barbell with an overhand grip at about shoulder width, arms fully extended with the bar hanging in front of your thighs.
Position your feet shoulder-width apart, brace your core, and retract your shoulder blades slightly.
Without bending your elbows, elevate your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as possible.
Hold the peak contraction at the top for 1-2 seconds, squeezing your traps as hard as you can.
Slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position under control, allowing your shoulders to fully depress.
Repeat for the prescribed number of reps, keeping the movement strictly vertical without rolling the shoulders.

Rolling the shoulders forward or backward

Shrug straight up and down; rolling adds no benefit and increases the risk of shoulder injury.

Using too much weight and shortening the range of motion

Use a weight that allows you to achieve a full shrug with a pause at the top; partial reps reduce effectiveness.

Bending the elbows and turning it into an upright row

Keep your arms straight throughout the entire movement; the only joints that should move are your shoulder girdle.

●Use lifting straps for heavy sets to prevent grip from being the limiting factor.
●Hold the top position for a 2-second squeeze to maximise trap engagement.
●Try a slightly wider grip to change the emphasis on the upper traps.

Strength

4-5 sets of 5-8 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 10-15 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-25 reps at 50-60% 1RM

Join 2,000,000+ lifters tracking their workouts with Stronger. Available on iOS and Android.