Barbell Shrug

Start

Finish

How to do it

Hold a barbell at arm's length in front of your thighs, stand tall, and shrug the shoulders straight up toward your ears, pausing at the top before lowering fully.

Muscles worked

Primary: traps · Also works: forearms

Equipment

Barbell, Full gym

Common mistakes

• Rolling the shoulders backward at the top, which adds joint stress without adding trap work
• Bending the elbows so the biceps help lift the bar
• Bouncing the bar with the knees instead of moving only at the shoulders

Variations

• Behind-the-back barbell shrug
• Shrug with a two-second hold at the top of every rep

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Dumbbell Shrug
• Cable Shrug
• Resistance Band Shrug

Related exercises

• Dumbbell Shrugtraps
• Cable Shrugtraps
• Resistance Band Shrugtraps
• Band Pull-Aparttraps
• Prone Y Raisetraps
• Dumbbell Rear Delt Flytraps