Calf-Machine Shoulder Shrug
Trains the Traps.
- Equipment
- A machine
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Stand under the pads of a standing calf-raise machine so the pads rest on the shoulders, feet flat on the platform.
- Stand up tall to take the weight, with the arms relaxed at your sides or holding the frame lightly.
- Keep the chest up and the knees slightly bent.
- Shrug the shoulders straight up towards the ears, lifting the pads with the traps rather than the calves.
- Hold briefly at the top, then lower the shoulders fully under control.
- Keep the heels flat on the platform throughout so the calves cannot join in.
Common mistakes
- Rising onto the toes. This is the calf machine, and it wants to be a calf raise; the heels stay down so the movement stays at the shoulders.
- Rolling the shoulders. Straight up and straight down, nothing circular.
- Locking the knees. A soft knee keeps the load from jolting the lower back at the top of each shrug.
- Pushing with the hands. If the hands are on the frame they are for balance; pressing on it lifts the pads with the arms.