Dumbbell Shrug

Directions:

Preperation/body position

1. Find dumbbells that are of a suitable weight for you to execute the exercise.
2. Keep torso erect and back straight, and grasp dumbbells by either side of your body.

Excution/Movement

1. Whilst keeping good body posture, elevate the shoulders upwards towards your ears. Do not roll shoulder backwards during the movement.
2. Slowly control the dumbbells back to the beginning position.
3. Repeat for desired amount repetitions.

Comments

The dumbbell shrug is an effective exercise to stimulate the upper fibres of the trapezius.

The upper fibres of the trapezius are responsible for scapular elevation, therefore a straight forward up and down motion of the shoulders is all that is needed. Many people seem to roll their shoulders backwards when performing a shrug variation, this is not needed. The middle and lower fibres of the trapezius will get stimulated from other exercises much more effectively.

The dumbbell shrug also allows for isolateral training, thus training each side of the body independently.

For hypertrophy 6-12 reps will likely yield the best results, providing optimal time under tension. This will provide adequate stimulation for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, and acute response to anabolic hormone concentrations, compared to that of lower rep ranges.