Shrugs, Dumbbells

An isolation exercise for the traps muscles performed by holding dumbbells at the sides and raising the shoulders upward, followed by a pause and controlled lowering.

Instructions

1. Stand with a straight body and feet hip to shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms hanging at your sides.
3. Keep a neutral grip with palms facing inward toward your body.
4. Maintain an upright posture with shoulders back and core engaged.
5. Keep your arms straight and lift the shoulders as high as possible.
6. Shrug upward by raising your shoulders toward your ears.
7. Pause briefly at the highest point and squeeze the traps muscles.
8. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the starting position with control.

Tips

• Maintain full range of motion throughout the set; do not abbreviate your movements.
• Keep your arms straight; do not bend your elbows during the exercise.
• Move deliberately and avoid momentum; this is a pure shoulder shrug movement.
• Control the weight on the way down; avoid simply dropping the dumbbells.
• When training with heavier weights, maintain strict form throughout all repetitions.