Dumbbell Shrug

How to Perform the Dumbbell Shrug

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with palms facing your body.
Let your arms hang fully extended with your shoulders relaxed and pulled slightly back.
Brace your core and maintain a neutral spine with your chest up.
Elevate your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as possible, contracting your traps at the top.
Hold the peak contraction for 1-2 seconds, squeezing your traps hard.
Slowly lower your shoulders back to the starting position under control.
Avoid rolling your shoulders forward or backward; the movement should be strictly up and down.

Rolling the shoulders in a circular motion

Shrug straight up and down only. Shoulder rolling adds no benefit and increases the risk of rotator cuff injury.

Using too much weight and bouncing the reps

Use a weight you can control through the full range of motion with a pause at the top of each rep.

Bending the elbows to assist the shrug

Keep your arms fully extended throughout. Any elbow bend shifts work away from the traps to the biceps.

●Imagine trying to touch your ears with your shoulders to maximise the range of motion.
●Hold the top position for a full 2-second squeeze to increase time under tension.
●Use lifting straps if grip becomes the limiting factor, as the goal is to fatigue the traps.

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

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