How to Do Shoulder Shrugs: Form, Benefits, and Tips
Master the shoulder shrug with our expert guide. Learn proper form to strengthen your traps and improve posture using only your bodyweight.
How to Perform
- Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms hanging naturally at your sides.
- Engage your core and keep your gaze fixed forward to maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.
- Elevate your shoulders toward your ears in a straight vertical line without bending your elbows.
- Hold the peak contraction for one second, squeezing the muscles at the top of the movement.
- Lower your shoulders back to the starting position in a slow and controlled manner.
- Ensure your neck remains still and does not lean forward as you move your shoulders.
Common Mistakes
- Rolling the shoulders in a circular motion instead of moving straight up and down
- Jutting the chin forward or craning the neck
- Using momentum or bouncing at the bottom of the rep
- Bending the elbows to lift the weight rather than using the traps
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Trapezius
Stabilizers
- Levator Scapulae
- Rhomboids
- Erector Spinae
Related Guides
- 1-Arm Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown — Back
- Alternating High Cable Row — Back
- Alternative DB Gorilla rows — Back
Trapezius · Back