If you’ve walked into an old-school gym, you’ve probably bumped into an iron-age strength savant who tried to convince you that there’s only one way to build a set of great traps: shrug. Lots of shrugs.
He was wrong. Not only is this signature trapezius muscle exercise overrated, but when it comes to productive shoulder training, shrugs are more disappointing than effective. What the shrug can be good for, according to Mathew Forzaglia, NFPT-CPTfounder of Forzag Fitness and men’s health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, CSCS, it’s giving you an ego boost every time you hit a few extra 45’s on either side of the bar. That’s not exactly the blueprint for developing a successful shoulder and upper back workout.
Both trainers suggest that you leave the shrugs to the old-school training warriors and instead get a better return on your cheat investment with more effective exercises.
Why you should stop doing shrugs
First, here’s why you should stop shrugging.
Shoulder shrugging hurts your posture
Most people often find themselves in a bad position all day, with tight, hunched shoulders and a technological neck. Instead, it should aim to squeeze and drop our shoulders, which is called scapular depression. The continuous upward driving and compressing movement of the shrug is the opposite. Not only can that lead to shoulder problems, but it also puts a lot of unnecessary strain on your neck. The minimal gains are simply not worth the risks.
The shrug allows you to slip into dangerous positions
Shrugging with heavy weights usually forces us into an awkward forward (or anterior) position. Instead, your focus should be on retracting your shoulder blades to raise your shoulders. Spinal flexion becomes more of a concern than it should be, as we may not be able to stabilize the spine properly.
You already aim at your traps enough
Shrugs are not only overrated, but they become excessive traps when you’re already working the muscle every time you do sets of military presses, lateral raises, and especially deadlifts. That’s more than enough heavy lifting your traps are getting. Time to skip the shrug.
3 alternatives to shrugs to train your traps
3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
This variation of the chest-supported row allows for more scapular retraction while hitting the lower traps at a different angle than you would with a standing shrug. Additionally, by changing the angles of your elbows, you can also change the target areas of your upper back and traps. Don’t forget that the key function of your traps is to stabilize your scapulae, not just shrug your shoulders up and down, and the incline row addresses this with flying colors.
3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
There are many ways to perform face pulls, and each one is excellent for challenging scapular stability. Because the movement can be great for reinforcing scapular retraction, the facial pull can also help improve posture.
3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Finally, an exercise that allows you to move a lot of weight and for a much more effective stimulus than shrugging. You can pin the pins at several different levels, above or below the knee, and with this deadlift variation, you’ll hit not just your traps, but your entire posterior chain, from your hips to your back.
Jeff Tomko is a freelance fitness writer who has written for Muscle and Fitness, Men’s Fitness, and Men’s Health.
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