Exercise library
Dumbbell Shrug
Back · Vertical pull
Generic vertical pull demo. Follow the steps below for this exact exercise.
Vertical pullIsolation
A straight-up shrug of the shoulders that trains the upper traps.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Tracking
- Measured in reps
Muscles worked
BackShoulders
Equipment
Dumbbell
How to do it
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides and your arms straight.
- Keep your chin tucked and your arms relaxed but straight.
- Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as you can.
- Lower slowly all the way back down until you feel a stretch in your traps.
Coaching cues
- Shrug straight up and down, rolling the shoulders adds nothing useful.
- Pause for a second at the top of each rep.