Thread: shrugs help

Have you thought of using straps? You know the ones that go around your wrists and has a gripper thing in the palm of your hand? They work wonders and they are not just for girls. LOL

I have the same problem...I usually shrug heavy on a squat rack with gloves, if I drop the weight on the bars I simply pick it back up and do it again.

yep...you need straps!

one word.......straps

Get some straps my man......

In the interim, I would do the same thing that
Deeznuts do, except I prefer using the dumbbells,
as soon as my grip gets tired, I rest for only
a moment and then pick the dumbbels right back up

I hate straps.....but the only time I use them is if I am shrugging really heavy weight (405 or more). Other than that I don't use them at all (not for pull ups or even deadlifts). I have found that my grip continuosly has been getting stronger after not using them so I am jsut waiting until it catches up and can hold the weight i need for shrugs...when I will throw them away for good.

Forget the straps.... My ex-boss was one of the strongest men I have ever met. He held several TX titles. He didn't believe in straps at all. He thought people who used straps at all were just cheating themselves. Here is what he did to achive a very strong grip. First he went out and bought some DBs. He cut the handles off of them and would pick up and hold the head of the weight using only one hand. He did this until he could hold a 60 lbs weigth for 30 Seconds. Another thing he did, and I got me doing this too, is to take some 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 in pipe. Cut them into about 4 in sections. He would then slid the pipes over the pull up bar and do his pull up that way. He would also go to the Hammer Strength shrug/deadlight machine and again slide the pipes over the handles. Next he would put whatever weight he could manage and pick the handles up and just hold them in his hands for as long as he can. I have done the pull up and shrug way and it works. I went from being bearly able to hold a 90lb DB to 120lb in just a couple of months.

I dont use dumbells for heavy shrugs, for one they rub against the leg which creates even further resistance.

I use an alternated grip after a warmup set with 225 and a standard grip, then I move to the real weights. My sets are primarily 15-20 reps, then I do upgright grows on an angled smith for roughly 15 reps.

5-6 sets for shrugs, 2 for upright rows.

No strap ons and no gloves, just get a good bar. Some of the bars are very slippery (usually a chrome bar), however some chrome bars are good, etc etc - find one you like and stick to it. There is one steel bar that has some nasty fresh diamond grip but that gives me HUGE calouses so I dont use it.

What about using a standing calf raise machine? Lots of the guys in my gym use it and I've tried it before, it works good for me. Just stand on it and lift your shoulders up in the same fashion as shrugs. Just my .02.

Its a variation of a shrug, not unheard of. You can also use a front squat machine.

You can also use a benchpress machine.

We have a nice shrug machine at my gym, but I prefer the freeweights or angled smith for the last couple months.

Upright rows are probably my favorite shoulder excercise. We have a shrug machine, but i've got bad wrists and unless I have wraps with me it hurts like hell.

I like Mudge's advice, and I agree with him - straps just sound like a way to cheat yourself :P

I should clarify, for upright rows I use the smith, not shrugs Last time I tried it I didn't like it, but I may give it a go again.

Thanks for all of the great replies. I would prefer to stay away from straps if possible, but I still want to be able to maximize my shrug excercise while my grip catches up.

We actually do have the diamond barbells at my gym and I use those but my grip just becomes too weak after about 90lbs.

The calf machine thing is something I would have never thought of, and it should perfectly solve my problem. Plus I think I'm going to start doing shrugs first on my back / shoulder days while my grip is still strongest. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be hitting the calf machine later today!

Originally posted by nas
Thanks for all of the great replies. I would prefer to stay away from straps if possible, but I still want to be able to maximize my shrug excercise while my grip catches up.

We actually do have the diamond barbells at my gym and I use those but my grip just becomes too weak after about 90lbs.

The calf machine thing is something I would have never thought of, and it should perfectly solve my problem. Plus I think I'm going to start doing shrugs first on my back / shoulder days while my grip is still strongest. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be hitting the calf machine later today!

I wouldn't do them first, as you will need your forearm strength for the exercises that follow.....

sometimes I go to a dumbbell rack and just shrug the rack,
beginning with the forty's until I reach a failure point...

I do the forty's for 40 reps, then forty-fives for 45 reps, fifty's for 50 reps and so on with no rest and i swear the next day my traps felt like the weight of the world was upon them.

^^ WTF..that is absolutely insane.

I never really do shrugs with heavy weight, I feel traps are a muscle that are best worked with lower weight, higher reps...have you ever tried switching your trap routine up and trying stuff like olympic pulls, snatch grip deadlifts, overhead shrugs (use a snatch grip, snatch the bar overhead, with elbows locked and arms straight overhead, shrug as you usually would), clean grip pulls (basically a cheating upright row where you begin with your butt out, knees bent, bar at your knees, then you use your whole body to perform an upright row) etc.? I think variation is great for traps, too many people are stuck on just doing shrugs, which doesn't even develop the whole trap area.

Peace.