Dumbbell Shrugs are the most effective trapezius exercise. Shrug exercise with dumbbells is equally useful for increasing the strength of our traps, which helps to increase our result in basic exercises performed with a barbell (deadlift, shvungs, taking a barbell to the chest, etc.), and for gaining muscle mass for the entire shoulder belts.
Agree, visually, the athlete's figure looks disproportionate if the athlete has well-developed shoulders and arms, and the trapezius muscles are absolutely not in good shape. For these and other reasons, dumbbell shrugs are widely used in fitness, crossfit, martial arts, powerlifting, bodybuilding and other sports disciplines.
Today we will figure out how to properly perform shrugs with dumbbells, how to get the most out of this exercise and what are its main advantages.
The benefits and benefits of exercise
For the trapezius muscles, there is hardly a single exercise more effective than dumbbell shrugs.
Shrugs with dumbbells and a barbell differ in two ways:
- range of motion:
- grip.
For most athletes, it is anatomically much easier to perform full range shrugs with dumbbells than with a barbell, since the vector of motion is directed along the line of the body, not in front of it. This allows you to better focus on stretching and contracting the working muscle group, to work out more muscle fibers and ultimately achieve better results in gaining muscle mass and increasing strength. It is much more difficult to perform barbell shrugs in a similar manner, since the deltoids and biceps are included in the work.
When making shrugs with dumbbells, you use a slightly supinated grip. In the initial position, the palms are located on the outside of the thighs, and this removes almost all the load from the muscles of the hands and forearms, the movement becomes more isolated. In combination with the full amplitude, this gives all the prerequisites for further progress: good neuromuscular connection, a decent working weight and the ability to comply with the principle of load progression due to a constant increase in the weight of the projectile.
What muscles work with scars?
Speaking about which muscles work in this exercise, it should be noted that almost all the load while performing shrugs with dumbbells is focused on the trapezius muscles. Moreover, depending on the position of the body, we can slightly shift the load on one or another part of the trapezoid. For example, standing shrugs load the upper part of the trapezoid more, shrugs in a slight slope - the back of the trapezoid. In addition to the trapezius muscles, the rhomboid muscles and the muscle that lifts the scapula are also loaded.
Also, the work includes the biceps, muscles of the hands and forearms, if you make shrugs with dumbbells on the trapezoid without using wrist straps or hooks. On the one hand, without the straps, we are not distracted by the grip and can better concentrate on working out the traps. But on the other hand, holding the dumbbells in your hands without using the straps implies prolonged static load. And this is the best fit for developing grip strength. In order to get the most out of this exercise, we recommend alternating the two.
Types of dumbbell shrugs
There are several types of dumbbell shrugs: standing, sitting, bent over or sitting on an incline bench. Each of them has slight differences and nuances, which we will discuss below.
Standing dumbbell shrugs
Standing dumbbell shrugs are the most common way to perform this exercise. Pros: the ability to use a fairly large weight of weights, the ability to use cheating if necessary, a comfortable range of motion. Cons: axial load on the spine, connection of stabilizing muscles when working with heavy dumbbells.
Dumbbell Shrugs
Bent-over dumbbell shrugs are a variation of shrugs with an emphasis on the back of the trapezius muscles. Pros: better elaboration of the rear of the trapezoid. Disadvantages: technical complexity (it is difficult to perform the movement precisely due to the work of the trapeziums, without including the latissimus dorsi and posterior deltas), large axial load on the spine, somewhat limited range of motion.
Dumbbell Shrugs
Seated dumbbell shrugs are a type of shrug in which the athlete sits on a horizontal bench and rests on a vertically set back. Pros: more isolated study of the working muscle group, minimal axial load on the spine. Cons: technical complexity (it is more difficult to focus on the peak muscle contraction at the top point and trapezium extension in the negative phase of the movement), inconvenience due to the anatomical features of the athlete (you have to concentrate on not touching the hips with dumbbells).
Shrugs lying on an incline bench
Incline dumbbell shrugs are a safer alternative to bent over dumbbell shrugs. Pros: improved posture by toning the muscles in the middle of the back, giving the trapezium a more peak shape, no axial load on the spine. Cons: risk of injury (through carelessness, you can easily harm the shoulder joint).
Exercise technique
Despite the seeming technical simplicity, we consider it necessary to focus special attention on the question of how to properly do shrugs with dumbbells and what pitfalls this exercise has. Below is a technique for performing shrugs with dumbbells with an emphasis on different body positions - standing, sitting, bent over, on an incline bench.
- Pick up dumbbells from the floor or racks. It is better to start with a light weight in order to better concentrate on the neuromuscular connection. To isolate the trapezoid as much as possible, use wrist straps or hooks.
- Straighten your back, look forward. If you are doing shrugs while sitting on a bench, without changing the position of the body, lower yourself onto the bench and position the dumbbells so that they do not touch your legs or the bench seat when lifting. If you are doing bent-over shrugs, bend down about 45 degrees and pull your pelvis back a little. If you are doing shrugs on an incline bench, lie on the bench so that your chest spine does not bend under the weight of the dumbbells.
- Exhale as you lift the dumbbells. We perform the movement only by raising the shoulders up. Work should be done smoothly, concentrating on the peak contraction of the traps. The amplitude should be as high as possible, but the deltoids, biceps, or latissimus dorsi should not be involved. Try not to bend your elbows - this involves the biceps and forearms, and the traps get less blood filling. Do not make circular movements with your shoulders at the top point - this way you risk injuring the rotator cuff of the shoulder.
- Gently lower the dumbbells down, inhaling and feeling the muscle stretch. To achieve a greater pump due to the inclusion of oxidative muscle fibers in the work, work without a pause at the bottom point, maintaining a constant tension in the trapezius muscles.
Common mistakes novice athletes
Listed below are some common technical errors that prevent most athletes from getting the most out of this exercise, and in some cases even get injured. If you have similar problems, reduce your working weight in this exercise. Consult an experienced personal trainer to deliver the correct technique. Also, re-read the previous section on how to make dumbbell shrugs.
- Short range of motion. You will not work the entire trapezius muscle mass unless you stick to full range work, as if trying to reach your ears with your deltoid muscles. The solution is simple - to reduce the working weight and make the movement more controlled, trying to feel muscle tension throughout the approach.
- Do not press your chin to your chest while performing shrugs. This increases the axial load on the cervical spine and overloads the neck muscles.
- Do not bend your arms, this puts more stress on your biceps and forearms. When lifting, the arms should be almost completely straight, only a slight bend in the elbow joints is unacceptable, then nothing will prevent you from concentrating on the correct contraction of the working muscles.
- Exercising the trapezius muscles too often. Many people think that the traps are a small muscle group, and they do not need to set aside a lot of time to recover. This is a common misconception that the trapezoid should not be trained more often than once a week, it is this frequency of training that leads to the greatest progress.
- Most girls are afraid of shrugs like fire. They believe that from their performance, the trapezoid will become too hypertrophied, and it will look terrible and unnatural. In fact, dumbbell shrugs are great for girls. I don't think it's right to ignore the training of any particular muscle group if your goal is to get in good physical shape and a balanced athletic figure.
- Do not use an athletic belt when performing bent over shrugs or lying on an incline bench. This does not prevent injury, but rather only increases the risk of harm to your health. The belt changes all anatomical angles of your body, and the thoracic spine will be rounded. If you feel that the weight of the dumbbells is too heavy for you, and this may be harmful to your lower back, do the exercise with a lower weight.
Possible injuries with scars
In case of excessively intense work with excessively heavy dumbbells or with the wrong technique, you risk causing irreparable harm to your health. For example, a circular motion of the shoulders in the upper half of the amplitude leads to overloading of the articular bag of the shoulder joint, which can lead to a sprain of the shoulder ligaments and even tendonitis or bursitis.
Frequent bent-over dumbbell shrugs overload our lower back, and the extensors of the spine simply do not have time to recover between workouts. All this is fraught with the occurrence of intervertebral hernias and protrusions.
With extreme care, you also need to monitor the cervical spine and neck muscles. The habit of pressing the chin to the chest while standing or sitting can cause a number of neurological disorders, sprains in the cervical spine, erasure of intervertebral discs, hernias and protrusions.
In 99% of cases, all these consequences can be avoided if the following simple conditions are met:
- compulsory articular warm-up before heavy basic exercises with free weights;
- adherence to the correct technique for performing the exercise;
- moderation of working weights. We are not at all interested in strength records in such exercises aimed at working out a separate muscle group;
- do not force events. Good health and athletic longevity are only possible if you know how to listen to your body.
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