Shrug (Barbell)

An isolation exercise where you elevate the barbell through shoulder shrugging, targeting the traps muscles.

Instructions

1. Stand upright with feet at shoulder width, holding a barbell at arm’s length in front of your thighs.
2. Use a pronated grip (palms facing your thighs) with hands positioned slightly wider than shoulder width.
3. Keep your arms straight and allow the barbell to rest against your thighs.
4. Maintain a neutral spine and slight forward gaze throughout the movement.
5. Elevate your shoulders upward as high as possible by contracting your traps muscles.
6. Squeeze your traps at the top of the movement for a brief pause.
7. Slowly lower your shoulders back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
8. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Tips

• Keep your arms straight throughout; this is not an arm movement.
• Avoid using momentum; focus on controlled shrugging movements.
• Elevate your shoulders vertically rather than rolling them backward.
• The movement is minimal but powerful; focus on full contraction.
• Use heavier weights for this movement as the range of motion is limited.
• You can use wrist wraps for added grip support with heavy loads.