Shoulder Shrug Exercise: Muscles worked, Health Benefits, How to do?

What is Shoulder Shrug Exercise?

Shoulder shrug exercises are the best and easy to perform home exercises to improve the strength of your trapezius muscles. This exercise is also recommended by your Physiotherapist when anyone has a neck to shoulder pain.

If you have a desk job, you likely spend most of your time in the day with your neck pitched forward, your shoulders slumped, and your eyes focused on a screen in front of you for a prolonged time, this posture can take quite a toll on your neck and shoulder muscles.

Fortunately, there have some exercises you can do to relieve this muscle tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back. Shoulder shrugs are a very popular exercise for strengthening your shoulder muscles and upper arms too.

Shoulder shrugs exercise you can do anywhere and it takes only a few minutes. Even better, shoulder shrugs are the best to improve your fitness levels and can be upgraded for different levels of strength.

Which muscles use for a shoulder shrug?

• The primary muscles that shoulder shrugs target are the trapezius muscles. These muscles are located on either side of your neck. This muscle controls the movement of your shoulder blades as well as your upper back and neck.secondary muscles is rhomboids,biceps,serratus anterior.

• When you strengthen this muscle it will help you to get proper posture.Strong trapezius muscles help to stabilize the neck and upper back.
• In your daily movements like lifting, reaching, bending, and even sitting is more efficient and safer when your trapezius muscles are toned and strong

Health benefits of shoulder shrug exercise

• Helps to boost the strength of your shoulder
• Helps to strengthen your neck muscles
• Helps to strengthen your upper back muscles,
• Helps to improve your posture.
• Strengthening your trapezius muscles
• Help stabilize your neck
• Helps to stabilize the upper back
• Helps to reduce the strain on your neck and shoulder muscles
• Helps to reduce chronic neck pain

How to do shoulder shrugs?

Follow these steps to perform this exercise safely and in proper form.

• For this exercise, you have to stand with a shoulder hip-width apart foot flat on the ground. your both arm by your sides, if you are using wight for this movement then hold it in your hands. turn your palm to face each other. slightly flex your knees so they are in line with your toes.
• Keep your chin up, your neck should be straight, face straight ahead. breath in when you bring your shoulder as high up towards your exercise as you can.
• Do the movement slowly so you feel some resistance to your muscles. then smoothly shoulder back down and exhale before repeating this movement.
• Do 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions.
• You also increase your repetitions when your shoulder is more strengthened.

• If you are doing this exercise too easy for shoulder or neck pain, then try doing this exercise without weights at first.
• Start slowly by doing fewer repetitions and sets to ensure you are not aggravating an injury or pinched nerve.

Shoulder shrugs and weights

• Shoulder shrugs can be performed with or without weights. Shoulder shrugs with weights (also called dumbbell shrugs) boost the strengthening potential of this exercise.

• If you are a beginner for shoulder shrugs (or weight training in general), start with less weight at first. Hand weights of 5 or 8 pounds are still heavy enough to strengthen your trapezius and upper back muscles. you can also do this exercise with barbell or resistance bands.

There have Different variation of shoulder shrugs.

Barbells shoulder shrugs

How To Do It?

• For this variation, you have to Stand tall withholding a bar in an overhand grip with your hands to outside your thighs.
• Lift your shoulders straight up, hold your shoulder in an elevated position for a couple of seconds then slowly lower it down to get the initial position.
• Throughout this movement, make sure your shoulders back and spine and elbows should be straight.
• Repeat this same movement for the next repetitions.

Laying Barbell shoulders Shrugs

How To Do It?

• For this variation, you need one bench and a couple of 12”-18” boxes, and a barbell. Place the bench on top of the boxes and position the barbell on the ground underneath.
• You have to lie on the bench with face moves down, the barbell should be in a direct line underneath your shoulder joint.
• Pick the barbell up with your arms completely extended (the barbell should not touch the floor).

• This movement should put a considerable stretch in your mid trapezius (load the barbell with 25-pound plates to ensure you can get a full stretch).
• From this position, pull your shoulder blades backward, keep your chest on the bench, and hold this for a couple of seconds.
• Return to the initial stretched position. do 20-25 repetitions of 3 sets.

Dumbbells shoulders shrug

How To Do It?

• Hold a pair of dumbbells and hold them by your sides. palms should be facing your legs.
• Your posture should be tall, with your foot shoulder-width apart, and slightly flex your knees.
• Your shoulder joint should be directly over your hip joint with a neutral head and neck position.
• Your arms should remain extended by your sides, with slightly flexed elbows. Your chin should be tucked throughout the exercise as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
• Grip the ground with your feet to create stability in your foot.
• Pre-tension your shoulders, hips, and contract your core. Your ribs should be down, and you should slightly tilt your pelvis.
• While maintaining a neutral head and neck position, keep your arms straight and slowly shrug your shoulders straight up toward the ceiling.
• Hold for a second at the upper movement.
• Smoothly lower your shoulders back to the initial position.
• Do this for 15 to 20 repetitions for 3 sets.

Different Dumbbell Shrug Variations are explained below.

Once you have practiced the basic dumbbell shrug, then you have to try these variations:

Behind-the-back dumbbell shrugs

How To Do It?

• Hold the dumbbells behind your back during the exercise to target your upper trapezius, middle trapezius, and deltoids slightly more than a standard dumbbell shrug.
• From this position, you have to do a shoulder shrug like basic dumbbells shrugs.

Seated dumbbell shrugs

How To Do It?

• If you want to focus more on your shoulder muscles and back muscles and not want to use the core, then try this easier variation for this you have to sit on a chair or a bench and you have to perform a shoulder shrug withholding dumbbells in your hands.

Single-arm dumbbell shrugs

How To Do It?

• For a unilateral variation, perform the single-arm dumbbell shrug by lifting one arm at one time.
• Including this variation in your body-building routine can give you the chance to focus on your movement.
• Hold a dumbbell in your one arm then perform a shoulder shrug.

Farmer’s Walk Shrug Combo

How To Do It?

• For this variation, you need heavy pair of dumbbells and hold them by your side. your posture should be straight and your core should be braced.
• This variation puts extra stress on your spine. withholding dumbbells in your hand you have to walk ten deliberate paces and do shoulder shrugs with walking and hilding dumbbells in your hands.
• Do 6 rounds of this movement, rest for 4 to 5 minutes before starting the next sets.

Overhead Shrugs

How To Do It?

• Keep this exercise light and you have to stay tight. Press a barbell overhead as you would in a military press.
• Hold the barbell at your top. contract your core, squeeze your glutes and move your shoulder blades upward and contract your trapezius intensely.
• smoothly bring your shoulder blades down.do this for 10 to 12 repetitions of 2 to 3 sets.

When you do not do this exercise?

• If you feel more pain during this exercise.
• If you are recently injured.
• If your arm bone is fractured.
• If your doctor advised for rest.