Shrugs – To roll or not to roll?

Asked by: Lauren Galica

Never roll your shoulders when you’re doing a shoulder shrug. This also applies to dumbbell shrugs performed with weights or resistance bands. Make sure you carefully lift your shoulders up before dropping them back down in the same vertical direction.

Should you roll your shoulders?

There’s one rule of thumb when doing shoulder shrugs with or without the use of dumbbells or other forms of resistance: don’t roll your shoulders! Rolling your shoulders is a big “no-no” while performing shoulder shrug exercises and can limit the effectiveness of the exercise while increasing the possibility of injury.

Should you go heavy on shrugs?

Nothing is better for building the traps than heavy weight. As long as you use good form on the movement, then the heavier the better.

Are shrugs actually effective?

The dumbbell shrug is one of the best exercises for toning your upper back muscles, building big traps, and improving your posture.

Should I do shrugs with back or shoulders?

Shrugs are best performed on shoulder day because they primarily work the upper portion of the trapezius muscle. This muscle is used during shoulder workouts, meaning your upper traps will be warm and ready for shrugs during a shoulder workout.

Are shoulder shrugs safe?

Shrugs can be a very good exercise for developing strength in your shoulders and trapezius muscles (muscles of your upper back), and can be a safe exercise when performed correctly.

Do shrugs make your neck bigger?

No, the shrug exercise does not make the neck bigger. The shrugs do hit muscles near your neck like the upper trapezius and the levator scapulae, but the won’t really help thicken and make your neck look more muscular.

Are shrugs enough for traps?

Shrugs are a very effective exercise for building your traps, but most people who perform shrugs do them incorrectly (i.e. they use too much weight and don’t fully contract the muscle).

What is a good weight for shrugs?

Shoulder shrugs and weights



Hand weights of 5 or 8 pounds are still heavy enough to strengthen your trapezius and upper back muscles. As you get into the habit of doing this exercise several times a week, you can increase the weight to 15, 20, 25 pounds or more.

Should you hold shrugs at the top?

Up so it's very very simple just kill like. This. Bring down keep your shoulder blades pinched the whole.

Should you do shrugs on push or pull day?

The shrug is considered a pulling motion, as the weight is lifted toward the center of the body during the concentric phase of the primary muscle group. This exercise is also considered of basic utility, as a greater intensity is placed on the muscles than with smaller auxiliary exercises.

How do you grow big traps?

Flat on a bench but at the end of line angle. And you're grabbing the dumbbells. In each hand and in this position you're gonna be pulling those shoulder blades back in together get that nice squeeze.

Should you train traps with shoulders or back?

If you want to take the simpler route, train traps with shoulders, Stoppani advises. But if you want to take a slightly more complex route, divide your trap training between the two.

Should you train traps directly?

For most people with physique-based goals, there’s generally no reason for direct trap work to be given more attention than, say, the forearms, in terms of training volume or frequency. Ending a workout with six sets each of two different shrug variations is unnecessary and inefficient.

Do big traps look good?

From an aesthetic standpoint, big traps—actually we’re specifically referring to the upper traps—do look good. From a performance standpoint, however, big traps are not that important.

Do shrugs work lower traps?

Leaning Shrugs



The lower traps retract your shoulder blades, pinching them together, so the farther you lean over, the more you’ll utilize your lower traps. You’ll probably find a 30- to 45-degree angle to be the most comfortable. Shrug your shoulders straight up toward the ceiling.

What is the best exercise for bigger traps?

5 Exercises for BIGGER TRAPS

1. Trap Bar Shrugs. Trap bar shrugs are a great way to overload the traps with external load, use a grip placement that allows for high terminal elevation, and minimize the stress on the anterior shoulder. …
2. Barbell Shrugs. …
3. Dumbbell Shrugs. …
4. Rack Pulls.

What can replace shrugs?

Alternatives to Barbell Shrugs

• Dumbbell Shrug. Dumbbell shrugs not only isolate your traps in the same way as the barbell shrug, but it also requires each side of the muscle to work independently, leading to greater muscle balance. …
• Cable Shrug. …
• Inverted Shrug. …
• Considerations.

How do I grow my lower traps?

Easy Exercises to Develop Your Lower Trapezius

1. Rear delt cable raise.
2. Rope rear delt pull.
3. Overhead farmer’s walk.
4. Chin-up.
5. High pulley cable row.
6. Y raise.

How do I activate my traps?

You want to make sure to keep your shoulders externally rotated yep thumbs up in the air. You see how mike's pointing up towards the ceiling. This is crucial and externally rotating.

How do you activate mid traps?

And then depress your scapula just like this you're gonna hold it for a second. Return back to the starting position and repeat. And the reason why we're retracting. And then depressing.

How do you isolate mid traps?

Rotate your arm upwards maintaining the elbow against the side of your body. Hold the top position for 1-2 seconds before slowly lowering the weight. It is important to pull your shoulder blade back as you raise your arm. This increases activation of the middle and lower trapezius muscles.

How do you strengthen weak traps?

3. Upright row

1. Stand up straight.
2. With your fists clenched, pull up your fists as high as you can while bending your elbows, keeping your hands close to the front of your body.
3. Hold for a count of two.
4. Release your arms back into a relaxed position, fists still clenched.
5. Repeat 20 times.

How do you know if you have a weak trap?

What are some common signs or symptoms of conditions affecting the trapezius?

1. Limited mobility, decreased range of motion or muscle weakness (you may not be able to shrug your shoulders or raise your arm).
2. Neck and shoulder pain and stiffness.
3. Pain between the shoulder blades.

Why are my traps always tight?

The usual suspect for the faulty upper trap is the everyday desk posture, which can mean that can be either shortened or lengthened for hours at a time. Or heavy workouts can make the traps knotted and sore, especially if they include an overload of heavy pulling exercises.