Dumbbell Shrug

Exercise Info

LevelBeginner
Muscle GroupTraps
Secondary MuscleNone
Exercise TypeStrength
Equipment RequiredDumbbell
Force TypePull
rating3

Tips

  1. Focus on pulling the weight up with your traps and not your biceps.
  2. You dont need to rotate the shoulders forward or back when doing shrugging exercises. The thought that this will benefit you is a myth! You should shrug straight up as high as possible.
  3. Pause at the top of the movement to get the best results from the exercise.

Instructions

  1. The dumbbell shrug is a simple but very effective way of working the upper traps. Grasp a pair of dumbbells and stand straight up with the dumbbells by your sides.
  2. Let your shoulders "sag" down as far as possible.
  3. Keeping your body fixed, slowly shrug your shoulders straight up as high as possible (don't rotate back or forwards!).
  4. Pause for a count of 1-3, and then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for desired reps.