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dumbbell shrugs
shoulder exercises
Dumbbell Shrugs (also known as shoulder shrugs) primarily target the traps in the upper back and your shoulders, the forearms and grip are targeted from a secondary perspective with this exercise. You can include this exercise in either your shoulder or back workout plan, whichever you prefer.
Here we will delve into the muscles worked, how to perform Dumbbell Shrugs, benefits, common mistakes to avoid, reps and sets, how to progress this exercise, how and where to fit it into your workout plan and finally other exercises targeting the same muscle groups.
Contents
Muscles Worked When Doing Dumbbell Shrugs
Trapezius (Traps): These are the muscles in the upper middle back and also extend up the neck.
Deltoids (Shoulders): Your shoulders are targeted from a secondary perspective.
Grip & Forearms: By simply holding the heavy dumbbells for an extended period as you work through your reps and sets, your forearms and grip get a workout in too.
You can use the muscle highlighted image at the top of this page for a visual guide of the muscles worked.
How to Perform Dumbbell Shrugs
Performing Dumbbell Shrugs is easy, literally anyone can do this exercise:
1. Start Position: Start with a dumbbell in each hand, resting your arms down by your sides.
2. Execution: With the dead weight in your hands, simply shrug your shoulders. Pause at the top for a second.
3. Full Contraction: Squeeze your trapezius (traps) muscles at the top of the movement to ensure maximum engagement.
4. Lowering the Dumbbells: Gradually lower the dumbbells back to the start position through your shoulders.
5. Go for reps.
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Other Weight Types You Can Use to Perform This Exercise
Besides dumbbells, you can also perform this exercise with a set of kettlebells, some weight plates, or even a barbell held in front of you with an overhand grip.
Benefits of Dumbbell Shrugs
Dumbbell Shrugs offer numerous advantages as part of your strength training routine:
Building Traps: This exercise is exceptional for targeting and building well-defined traps.
Better Posture: Strong traps will help you maintain proper posture and reduce the risk of shoulder and neck discomfort in your future.
Grip Strength: A stronger grip will help you perform all pull exercises better.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
To benefit the most from your Dumbbell Shrugs steer clear of these common mistakes:
Going too Fast: This should be a clean and controlled movement. Don’t rush through your sets.
Overloading: Choose an appropriate weight to work with. While we always encourage challenging yourself, you don’t want to strain the muscle past what it can handle. Increase weight gradually.
Reps and Sets
The easiest way to determine your rep set range is to first figure out how much weight you can manage, you should always aim to work with an amount of weight that physically challenges you, especially through the last 2 reps. So if you’re performing a 10 rep set, you should be struggling around rep 8.
Dumbbell Shrugs are an easy to execute exercise, so whether you’re just starting out, or you’re an experienced lifter, you should aim for 10-12 reps with a weight that challenges you, for anywhere between 3-6 sets.
How to Make Dumbbell Shrugs More Challenging
Add weight, it’s that simple, as soon as it gets easy, go heavier. You can also increase the time under tension by going slower and squeezing for longer at the top of the exercise.
How to Incorporate Dumbbell Shrugs into Your Workouts
Incorporate Dumbbell Shrugs into your Shoulder or Back Workout Plan. This is an easy to perform exercise and it’s an isolation exercise, so it should be positioned towards the end of your workouts.
You should always prioritise compound exercises, the exercises that work the most muscle groups, move the most weight and expend the most energy. Work your way down to smaller isolation / lighter weight exercises from there.
You can learn more about exercise order here.
Exercises That Work Similar Muscles to Dumbbell Shrugs
Similar exercises include Front Raises, Lateral Raises, Dumbbell Shoulder Press or an Upright Row. You may also want to consider complementary compound exercises such as the Military Press, or a Barbell Push Press.
A combination of compound and isolation exercises is recommended for well rounded results.
You can find more Shoulder Exercises at the bottom of this page. Or you can check out our entire exercise database broken down by muscle group here.