Exercise Technique

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BARBELL SHRUG

 

Purpose: Develop muscles of the upper trapezius and supportive muscles of the back - ground based multi-joint exercise.

Secondary Purpose: Stress the entire ground-based postural muscles through a synergistic summation of forces, also a transitional lift for the Power Clean.

Equipment Set-up:

• Position an Olympic barbell loaded with, preferably, rubber bumper plates on a power rack at mid-thigh height.

• Make sure the floor is clean, dry and free of any uneven areas.  Do not allow any workout sheets, towels, drinks, or anything besides the barbell and the athlete on the lifting area.

• The lifting area needs to be off limits to any traffic and free of anyone except the athlete performing the exercise.

Starting Position:

• Using a hip to shoulder width stance, reach down and grip the bar outside of your legs with an overhand grip.

• Step into the barbell, placing your shoe laces directly underneath it, push your knees forward under the bar, hold your chest high and your hips flexed in the ready position.

• Position your weight evenly across your feet and push your heels down. Keep your shoulder blades pulled together and a flexed strong arch in your middle to lower back.

• Put force down into the ground and extend your body upward pulling the bar up off the rack.  Take a step or two back away from the bar catches.

• Grip the bar tightly with straight arms and contract your traps applying force to the bar - shrug the weight straight up by driving force down through your feet and up through the bar.

• Once the bar is shrugged to it's highest possible point squeeze the contraction for a second before the descent.

• The descent of the bar should follow the same path as the ascent, straight down.

• Maintain a tall, upright posture on the descent and don't let the weight pull your forward.  Keep your back tight and stand tall.

• Keep the bar as close to your body as possible.

• The weight should be distributed across your entire foot throughout the entire exercise.

• Control the movement and start with a weight that doesn't cause you to lose your balance.

• Hold your breath in, so to create a tight core (increased intra-abdominal pressure) until you proceed through the sticking point and then exhale.  Exhaling too early causes a loss in core stability.

Caution:

• Avoid shrugging and rotating either forward or backward (shoulder rolls), this will not target the middle or lower traps and only puts you at risk for shoulder laxity issues.