# My shrug videos



## nissan11 (Apr 18, 2014)

I SUCK at shrugs. I just can not do shrugs and feel the exercise in my traps. Im currently on an eccentric program that does not include deadlifts because the weight is too heavy to hold for long periods of time necessary for the eccentric reps. 

I have to be doing the bar bell shrugs wrong. Last week I tried extra hard and strained my neck real bad. The day after and for the next 4 days I could not turn my head sideways because my neck muscles were so sore and not a bit of soreness in my lower traps. Maybe I was shrugging too high? 

Today I took video of myself doing standard concentric reps for the sake of video. In the video I made a hard effort to not lift my shoulders as high to try to save my neck. It also looks like in the videos I am rolling my shoulders, which I am not trying to do. 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=X14FI9HfD18


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37KgHfGuDRw&feature=player_detailpage


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## Iron1 (Apr 18, 2014)

Lets embed these for you for easier evaluation:

Vid 1


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## Iron1 (Apr 18, 2014)

Vid 2


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## f.r.a.n.k. (Apr 18, 2014)

Your form in the second vid looks better than the first. In the first it seemed like your shoulders were too far forward at the top of the movement.
Best advice I can give you is to really look into the shape of the muscle and learn how it contracts and what it's actually meant to do for the body...than apply. What you learned. You have to learn what each muscle is designed to do in order to maximize performance.


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## JAXNY (Apr 18, 2014)

First off your form is off. Stand straight up. You are bent over forward. 
Slow down your rep. Bring it up high and hold it for 2 seconds. You want pull your shoulders backward slightly on the lift. 
Take one of your hands and place it on your trap. Lean forward like you are in the video and do a few reps. Rremember how your trap feels. 
Now stand straight up put your hand back on your trap. This time pull your shoulders backward on an upward angle.  You should feel it hitting your trap much better this way. 
Do not worry about weight yet. Drop that 45lbs plate and put a 35lbs on there. Use this weight until you get your form down better and build a little strength. Then start upping the weight. 
Also I know it's not a lot of weight yet but get some wrist straps. They will just give you a better feel and more support. You won't gave to worry about losing your grip.


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## f.r.a.n.k. (Apr 18, 2014)

JAXNY said:


> First off your form is off. Stand straight up. You are bent over forward.
> Slow down your rep. Bring it up high and hold it for 2 seconds. You want pull your shoulders backward slightly on the lift.
> Take one of your hands and place it on your trap. Lean forward like you are in the video and do a few reps. Rremember how your trap feels.
> Now stand straight up put your hand back on your trap. This time pull your shoulders backward on an upward angle.  You should feel it hitting your trap much better this way.
> ...



I disagree with you on the part about him leaning forward. There's nothing wrong with it. It makes it easier in fact to contract the shoulders back and squeezing the traps properly in my opinion. I wear A belt when I do shrugs just for the extra core support because I do have a slight lean when I do shrugs. 6 sets of 25 to 50


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## JAXNY (Apr 18, 2014)

Hey if it works for you Frank it works. 
But leaning forward when you start doing several plates one won't be good on your lower back. 
But I have to disagree. You get better contraction straight up. Pulling your shoulders back slightly. Just put your own hand on your trap and try it both ways and you'll see which way gives you better contraction.


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## BigGameHunter (Apr 18, 2014)

I agree with JAX

Hes going to jack his back up Frank leaning forward like that especially if he loads up 275+ lbs on there.  I use to use the same method when I was in my 20s and my lower back was jacked for weeks.  IMO his back should be straight and hold the position for at least 2-3 seconds.  Hands right by his hips.

Shrugs are a hard area to hit with a straight bar.  Best to use heavy dumbells or a hex bar.


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## italian1 (Apr 18, 2014)

I'm with Frank. He needs to do underhand grip shrugs and lean Foward to work the back of the trap to build thickness. I do these until I'm fukn shot. Then do regular grip shrugs standing straight up. This works trap height and there easier so you do them second.


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## Maintenance Man (Apr 18, 2014)

I didn't notice you doing it in the videos but when you hurt yourself, were you craning your neck up or looking down during contractions?? Keeping your head straight can help avoid get those pinches in the neck. Ive gotten quite a few of those pains you speak of before. 

Id also agree with the standing straight up part. At that angle it would seem to put too much pressure on the lower back, especially at heavier weights. Do you ever use the smith machine? That can keep you on track to learn the proper angle which you can feel working the best for you. That can give you a template for the BB. Ill agree to pinch at the top and hold for at least one count. Slow them down and keep them tight as hell.


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## heavydeads83 (Apr 18, 2014)

I love shrugs.  Not trying to be a dick bro but form is pretty much horrible in both of them.  Wear compression shorts to keep from mashing your junk with a straight bar.  Stand Straight up with your chin down bro.  IMO you should never be bent over like that when doing shrugs.   Not sure what you're talking about frank.  Let him throw about 405 on there and see how that feels on the lower back.


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## DocDePanda187123 (Apr 18, 2014)

Did anyone else notice the fact that deadlifts aren't being done?? Or the fact that this is supposed to be eccentric training (the reason deadlifts aren't being done) yet shrugs should optimally be performed with no or very minimal eccentric phase? 

Nissan, while eccentric training has it's benefits you shouldn't ignore the concentric portions. Deadlifts should be incorporated into every training regimen barring some serious injuries. You're only cheating yourself and your progress by not including them. Shrugs should also preferably be done heavy relative to your deadlift max (possibly even higher than deads bc of the limited ROM) so if you removed deads from your training I fail to see why you wouldn't exclude shrugs as well. 

According to Mark Rippetoe



> If you cannot easily hang clean 135lbs, you have no business doing heavy shrugs because of the risk of injury in unadapted trainees (those new to the weight room or unadapted to lifting heavy) in terms of bone density, joint integrity, and motor unit control



As to the shrugs, look into power shrugs and straps. Power shrugs will allow you to use hip drive/extension to begin accelerating the weight and limit the static contraction of the traps which otherwise would be required to break the static position (helping to prevent injury), the higher speed and momentum of power shrugs will allow more weights and reps to be done (allowing for greater sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy), and will be done eccentric less to help prevent injury. Most ppl simply bend the knees to do shrugs but this does nothing since your body moves down in relation to the bar. Straps should be used to help with the snap/explosion at the top of the movement.

Here's a good video explaining the form of a power shrug.


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## DocDePanda187123 (Apr 18, 2014)

Also, your lower back should be locked into place (VERY tightly) while you lift your chest up, keep your elbows straight (your lifting with your hips and traps not arms), and shrug your shoulders back like you're trying to touch the top of your traps to the back of your skull. Your head should not move AT ALL which may be where your neck injury came from. You shrug your traps up and back and keep your head and neck still.


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## CptFKNplanet (Apr 18, 2014)

Agree with everyone about standing up straight. I personally do shrugs on the smith so I can lean back a little bit without falling over. Hard to tell if you are or not, but also rotate your elbows in and lock them as you would for a deadlift. You will notice a huge difference in contraction just from that alone. Also pause at the top as Jaxny said, and let the bar alllll the way down to stretch your traps at the bottom. Try to think of shrugs as the last 1/4 of a deadlift if that makes sense. At the end of the day you gotta find what works best for you though. All the internet advice in the world doesn't mean shit if you can't make it work. Just don't go dickin around with 4 plates before you have your form figured out.


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## mistah187 (Apr 18, 2014)

Slower is better !


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## f.r.a.n.k. (Apr 18, 2014)

JAXNY said:


> Hey if it works for you Frank it works.
> But leaning forward when you start doing several plates one won't be good on your lower back.
> But I have to disagree. You get better contraction straight up. Pulling your shoulders back slightly. Just put your own hand on your trap and try it both ways and you'll see which way gives you better contraction.



I understand what you mean about heavy weight. My shrugs are 25 to 50 reps. Maybe I should have clarified. Heavy barbells yes Def stay straight up and down! Light dumbells for high reps you can manipulate your positioning safely to hit your traps at different angles. 
I do heavy deads for traps and high ass rep shrugs for traps. Not a stickler for low rep heavy shrugs...never worked for me.
Sorry for the confusion. No, don't shrug 405 bent over lol


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## Tren4Life (Apr 19, 2014)

I just use a trap bar. it keeps your junk from getting smashed


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## f.r.a.n.k. (Apr 19, 2014)

Steelers4Life said:


> I just use a trap bar. it keeps your junk from getting smashed



We don't have one of those


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## DocDePanda187123 (Apr 19, 2014)

f.r.a.n.k. said:


> We don't have one of those



You don't have a junk to smash???? Please explain!


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## Azog (Apr 19, 2014)

Steelers4Life said:


> I just use a trap bar. it keeps your junk from getting smashed



The trap bar is def a junk saver, plus I feel I get a better squeeze on it.


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## yeti (Apr 19, 2014)

these are great for trap growth.


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## Yaya (Apr 19, 2014)

What the fuk is a shrug?

Isn't he a member?


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## RJ (Apr 19, 2014)

i stopped reading after "i don't do deadlifts". 

**** shrugs. and that program. start doing deadlifts and solve your problems.


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## RJ (Apr 19, 2014)

sorry, i should have answered your question also. If i do shrugs i never go over 185lbs. I always do them correctly and do alot of them. Most guys you see shrugging more than 2 plates aren't doing anything that will do any good. They look like idiots. Stay light and strict and do high reps. 

fyi, you will never hear me say that for any other exercise. mlp


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## SHRUGS (Apr 19, 2014)

Yaya said:


> What the fuk is a shrug?
> 
> Isn't he a member?



Thank you....
!SHRUGS!


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## nissan11 (Apr 21, 2014)

Thanks for all the replies. I definitely miss deadlifts and I cant wait to get back at them at the end of this program in 2 more weeks. 

I will try shrugs with lighter weight this week and try to adjust my form and see how it feels.


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## LeanHerm (Apr 21, 2014)

What are shrugs??? I do deadlifts and there's no need for shrugs. Lol


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## Bro Bundy (Apr 21, 2014)

i love me some shrugs..do all of them db straight bar trap bar all that shit..good form like my man RJ said


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## bvs (Apr 21, 2014)

yeah you need to stand up straight
i go with the old school method of tilt your chin down and try to use your shoulders to touch your ears (hope that makes sense)
may not be the 'best' method but it works for me. 
and throw in upright rows after shrugs to really get them traps hurting


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## SFGiants (Apr 21, 2014)

I don't shrug but have real good traps  I squat and deadlift heavy is why.

Yes squats will build traps. How you say well where is the bar and what is it your driving into the bar and to so so you must be squeezing it tight well the traps is your answer.


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## regular (Apr 21, 2014)

I don't shrug, I pull.


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