Leverage Shrug
Trains the Traps.
- Equipment
- A machine
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Load the machine and stand on its platform with the handles beside your thighs.
- Take the handles with a neutral grip, palms facing each other, and stand up tall with the arms straight.
- Keep the chest up and the stomach braced.
- Shrug the shoulders straight up towards the ears as high as they will go.
- Hold briefly at the top, then lower the shoulders all the way down under control.
- Keep the arms straight the whole time; they are hooks, not levers.
Common mistakes
- Rolling the shoulders. A shrug goes straight up and straight down; rolling them backwards adds nothing and grinds the joint.
- Bending the elbows. Once the arms bend the biceps are lifting; the shoulders alone lift the load.
- Leaning back to help. The torso stays upright; leaning back turns the shrug into a lean.
- Cutting the range. The shoulders drop fully at the bottom and rise fully at the top; a short bob in the middle misses both ends.