Cable Shrug
Trains the Traps.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Attach a straight bar to a low cable pulley and stand facing the machine, a step back from it.
- Take an overhand grip a little wider than shoulder-width and stand tall with the bar hanging at arm's length.
- Let the cable's angle pull your shoulders slightly forward and down at the bottom — this is the stretched position.
- Lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears, keeping your arms straight.
- Pause at the top, then lower under control until your shoulders are fully down again.
Common mistakes
- Leaning back to counter the cable. The cable pulls slightly forward, and the answer is a braced stomach and a stable stance rather than leaning away from it.
- Bending the arms, which is the same error as any other shrug — straight arms keep the movement at the shoulder girdle.
- Standing too close to the machine, so the cable is nearly vertical and the exercise becomes identical to a dumbbell shrug. Standing a step back is what gives the cable version its constant tension at the bottom.
- Treating it as a substitute for heavy shrugs rather than a complement. The cable keeps tension on at the bottom where free weights are lightest, which is its distinct advantage.