Thread: Best way to do shrugs?

up and down

I have read NOT to do the rotation, I try to hold my shoulders about normal position and just go up and down.

Behind the back with barbell. It really isolates them.

Start light and work your way up. It takes some getting used to.

your Chiropractor said to rotate? What a quack!
that could damage the rotator cuff.
either with DB or BB...try to 'touch your shoulders to your ears'
up and down, squeeze at the top for a second.

I have read that traps really like high rep workouts...

First read my last post in the threas entiteld shrugs about 5 threads down.

Second.....Fire your stupid chiropractor.........up and down only.....never circular

Originally posted by Burner02


I have read that traps really like high rep workouts...

hmm i always have held the belief that every muscle is the same in that you need to lift heavy (w/good form of course) in order to simulate growth...no?...
ie for abs, instead of doing a million crunches like some people, i just pyramid and lift as heavy as i would for any other exercise.

I go as heavy as I can while still using good form (Good holds) and NEVER roll your shoulders, like someone else said, that can mess up your Rotator cuff.

what about the whole high reps deal

You can rotate if it is a light weight...Arnold swears by them

However up and down is the best way to isolate since that is the way the muscle fibers run...rotating uses the rear delts and pecs.

yerp i pulled my rear delt twice by circuling em with heavy weights

think of it as gripping the bar and sqeezing your traps to your ears. also differnt body parts require differnt training methods to get the most out of them down the road. I mean if u are still fairly new its fine but a ways down the road u will find that certain body parts do better with certain styles of training. Ie my quads do great with hit while my traps do better with more volume

Originally posted by J'Bo
You can rotate if it is a light weight...Arnold swears by them

He also drank beer with his chicken, he swore by alot of things.

I happen to like a barbell or shrug machine alot more than dumbells.

Originally posted by the Scarab
is there a correct way to do shrugs ? Ive always taken a pair of dumbells and just shrugged up and down, though I see a couple people working then in a circular motion. My chiropractor once told me that was the correct way to do them though i just prefer doing them up and down

WHOLLY F@#K NOOOO. Never and I repeat EVER roll the shoulders. You are soo risking major shoulder injury. Regardless of wether you use D/B's or a Straight Bar, you bring the weight up in a straight line. You shrug your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a count of 1 or 2 and sloooowly lower to starting position. NEVER ROLL them there shoulders.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by the Scarab
"My chiropractor once told me"

Well that part of your quote tells it all. A chiropractor. Seriously, he may have told you to do a rotation due to an injury of some sort and to work on gaining lost shoulder movement but I doubt 100% he meant with any substantial weight. He may have said while holding a large book or something like that but not as a bodybuilding movement.
If he did say to roll the shoulders as part of a weight training routine then I'd suggest a new Doc.

Grab the bar, and imagine Eienstein is asking your about relativity. With each question he asks, you will have no fucking idea what the answer is, so just shrug like the confused bastard we all are!

hahahahahaha fuqing great post Freeman. got a good laugh from that one. It reminds me of what I tell people to say when I show them in person to do shrugs. At the top of the movement I tell them, instead of counting the reps out loud say: I dunno. I dunno (Translated: I don't know) That is a true story. I really do that.

just till they get the form down then they can go back to counting reps.

can you use a trap bar for this or what? which bar would be better, a straight bar, dumbells, or a trap bar?

I use dbs and barbells..