Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Barbell Shrug
The barbell shrug trains your upper traps by lifting your shoulders against a barbell held at your thighs. It also challenges your grip.
- Beginner
- Isolation
- Moderate injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Grasp the bar with an overhand grip just outside your thighs.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the bar at arm’s length against your upper thighs.
- Lift your shoulders straight toward your ears as high as comfortably possible.
- Lower your shoulders slowly to their starting position.
Form cues
- Keep your chin level.
- Brace your belly.
- Keep your weight evenly across both feet.
Common mistakes
- Rolling the shouldersUse a vertical shoulder path rather than circling forward or backward.
- Curling the barKeep your elbows straight so your arms act like hooks.
- Bouncing through the repsReduce the weight until you can shrug without driving through your knees or hips.
Safety
Excessive weight can strain your neck or lower back as you struggle to support the bar. A fatigued grip can also let the bar slip onto your feet.
- Begin with a light warm-up set before adding weight.
- End the set when your grip starts to open.
- Use collars to keep loaded plates from shifting.
- Return the bar to a rack or lower it to the floor with a controlled hip hinge.
If shrugging causes neck or shoulder pain, stop and ask a physiotherapist about a suitable variation before adding load.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell
- Barbell Collar (optional)
- Lifting Straps (optional)
- Weight Plate (optional)
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 10–15 reps
- Rest
- 1 min
Choose a weight that leaves about two controlled reps in reserve.