Form cues
- Shoulders straight up
- Arms stay long
- Neck relaxed
- Control the lowering
Exercise
Dumbbell Shrug
Back, dumbbell
An isolation exercise where you hold dumbbells at your sides and lift your shoulders up to train the trapezius muscles.
Target: traps. Also works: shoulders.
Steps
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides and your feet about hip-width apart.
- Let your arms hang straight with your palms facing your body.
- Lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears without bending your elbows.
- Pause briefly at the top while keeping your torso still.
- Lower your shoulders back down under control to the start position and repeat.
Common mistakes
- Rolling the shoulders in circles instead of lifting straight up and down.
- Bending the elbows and turning the move into an upright row.
- Leaning the torso back or forward to swing the dumbbells.
- Jutting the head forward as the shoulders rise.
Breathing
Exhale as you shrug your shoulders up, and inhale as you lower them back down.
In the app, search for Dumbbell Shrug and add it to a workout.