Developing a strong mid- and upper back is critical to the success of a strength athlete. A strong mid- and upper back allows athletes to maintain optimal posture in movements such as the squat, deadlift, and overhead press and provides a stable platform to allow the shoulders to function correctly during lifts such as the bench press. At Westside, a considerable portion of our accessory exercise training focuses on training the back. 

One exercise that can be performed in various ways to target the mid and upper back is the shoulder shrug. So, what do shoulder shrugs work? Depending on how the shoulder shrug is performed, we can target a few mid and upper back muscles, including the upper and lower trapezius and the rhomboids. 

Additionally, the shoulders will benefit, as these movements will include the rear deltoids to various degrees. 

When combined with other back exercises, such as barbell rows and cable pulldowns, shoulder shrug variations will help ensure the back is properly trained. This attention to detail will lead to direct improvements in the competition lifts when training the mid and upper back. Whether squatting, benching, or deadlifting, the mid and upper back play a crucial role in completing the lift. 

Below, we will discuss the muscles targeted when performing shoulder shrugs and provide exercise selection and programming advice. 

Anatomy of a Shoulder Shrug

A shoulder shrug can be executed with the torso in three standard positions: standing, incline chest-supported, and horizontal. We can target different mid- and upper back muscles depending on the torso positioning. These include the upper/lower trapezius, rear deltoids, rhomboids, and levator scapulae. 

These muscles all play an important role in shoulder function and mobility and help the body maintain optimal spinal posture during any squat/hinge movement. Shoulder strength and function improvements will also enhance stability and performance in pressing movements. Further, athletes will increase strength and stability in the neck. 

If you look at any strength athlete competing at a world-class level, you will notice significant mid- and upper back development. Developing these muscle groups is not negotiable; athletes must ensure the mid- and upper back are adequately trained to reach peak sports performance. 

How to Properly Perform Shoulder Shrugs

Proper execution of the shoulder shrug exercise is critical to ensuring gains and progress. No matter the angle of the torso, athletes must be strict and proficient at each shoulder shrug exercise to yield the most significant training adaptations. This means executing reps in a manner that directly targets the intended muscle groups without using additional movement to complete the rep. 

The most important aspect of proper shoulder shrug execution is ensuring the training weight selections make sense. With standing shoulder shrug movements, we expect to go fairly heavy. This is due to the athlete's leverage advantage, considering the barbell is close to the torso throughout the shrug. 

With other movements, such as incline chest-supported or horizontal shoulder shrugs, athletes must be strict and choose appropriate training weights to target the intended mid- and upper back muscles. If too heavy of a training weight is selected, the emphasis on the intended muscle groups will be reduced, and the exercise will turn into a broad-focused posterior chain exercise where an athlete must raise the torso upward to move the weight. 

Once the training weight for the selected shoulder shrug exercise has been dialed in, we can then worry about the actual execution of the exercise. Fortunately, this is a relatively simple movement to complete. 

First, we want to ensure the arms are lengthened in a way similar to how they would be during a deadlift. This will help ensure emphasis is placed on the appropriate muscle groups of the mid and upper back. Once this position has been achieved, we can move the barbell, dumbbell, or cable, depending on the variation. 

As we begin the rep, we want to ensure we pull the weight with the back muscles. Again, the emphasis on specific muscles will change depending on the exercise. However, this will generally involve ensuring the traps, rear delts, and rhomboids do as much work as possible. 

When executing a standing shoulder shrug, we want to bring the delts as high up near our ears as possible. When performing an incline chest-supported or horizontal shoulder shrug, we want to focus on pulling the shoulder blades together. As the shoulder blades retract, we want to hold the position at the top briefly before lowering the weight in a controlled fashion. 

If we were to hinge at the elbow or try to row the weights, we would reduce the emphasis placed on the target muscle group or groups. Again, the goal here is to target specific mid- and upper back muscles. We are not focused on broad posterior chain development as we would be with a barbell row variation. 

The key to proper execution when executing any shoulder shrug variation will come down to training weight selection and the level of control an athlete exerts during each rep. We want to ensure the selected training weight allows us to access the intended muscles or muscle group, and we want strict execution with adequate time under tension in each set. 

This does not mean to purposely accentuate the concentric or eccentric, but just to move through the concentric and eccentric portion of the movement in a controlled manner. 

Shoulder Shrug Exercise Variations 

As we mentioned, the shoulder shrug can be executed in a few different ways to emphasize specific mid- and upper back muscles. Depending on an athlete's identified weaknesses or needs, we can work these different variations into a program to improve the strength and development of these muscles. Ideally, athletes will perform 1-3 shoulder variations weekly, preferably during upper-body training days. 

Here are the shoulder shrug exercise variations we use at Westside Barbell:

Standing Barbell/Dumbbell Shoulder Shrug

This is the variation most people think of when a shoulder shrug is mentioned. The standing shoulder shrug places significant emphasis on the mid and upper trapezius muscles. In addition to the strength benefits, athletes will improve their thoracic and cervical spine stability. 

Incline Chest-Supported Shoulder Shrug

This variation will bring the rear deltoids and the rhomboids into the mix while still training the mid and upper trapezius. If the standing shoulder shrug is mostly mid and upper-trap-focused, and the horizontal shoulder shrug is mostly rhomboid-focused, the incline chest-supported shoulder shrug is a good middle ground. 

Horizontal Shoulder Shrug

The horizontal shoulder shrug is executed with the torso in the same position it would be when executing a seal row. This helps to isolate the rhomboids and lower trapezius sufficiently and will improve strength and posture. 

Typically, the standing shoulder shrug variations involve heavy training weights, which are lowered as the torso angle changes. 

How to Program Shoulder Shrugs

The Conjugate Method provides many opportunities to include shoulder shrug training in our programming. The most common approach is to perform at least one shoulder shrug variation each upper body training day. However, we can also include shoulder shrugs and other back-focused exercises on our lower body training days.

Most often, our shoulder shrug training is executed towards the end of a training day. A typical upper-body accessory strategy is to work through the back and arm movements first, then move on to the shoulder-focused accessory work. This is where shoulder shrugs enter the equation. 

Here is an example of how we would program shoulder shrugs during an upper-body training day:

Main Exercise

Bench Press – work up to a top-set single

Primary Accessory Exercise

Incline Barbell Bench Press – 4 x 5-8

Secondary Accessory Exercises

Rolling DB Tricep Extension – 4 x 10-12
Lat Pulldown – 4 x 10-12
Hammer Curl – 3 x 12-15
Standing Shoulder Shrug – 4 x 12-15
Banded Tricep Pressdown – 2 x AMRAP

Here is how we can program shoulder shrugs during lower-body training days if our upper-body accessory movements cannot be adjusted:

Main Exercise

Deadlift – work up to a top-set single

Primary Accessory Exercise

Front Squat – 4 x 5-8

Secondary Accessory Exercises

Inverse Curl – 3 x 10-12
Horizontal Shoulder Shrug – 4 x 10-12
Reverse Hyper – 4 x 12-15
GHD Sit-Up – 4 x AMRAP

When performing a shoulder shrug exercise variation, we will typically adhere to the following set and rep prescriptions:

Low Volume 

3-4 sets x 8-12 reps

Moderate Volume 

3-4 sets x 12-15 reps

High Volume 

3-4 sets x 20+ reps

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can shoulder shrugs improve my posture?

A: The shoulder shrugs help strengthen the mid, upper, and lower trapezius muscles, as well as the rhomboids and scalene muscles. These muscles all impact thoracic and cervical spine posture.

Q: Are there different types of shoulder shrugs?

A: Yes. We typically execute shrugs in one of three ways: standing, incline chest-supported, or horizontal. As the torso position changes, the involved muscle groups and the demand placed upon them change as well. 

Q: How important is execution when performing a shoulder shrug?

A: As with any exercise, strict execution is critical. This helps ensure that the targeted muscles are appropriately engaged, and that each rep is as beneficial to the athlete as possible. 

Q: Can lifting straps be used when performing shoulder shrugs?

A: Yes, athletes can wear lifting straps when executing shoulder shrugs. For some, this can help place proper emphasis on the targeted muscles. 

Q: Can shoulder shrug variations be performed using cable machines?

A: Yes. Shoulder shrug variations can be executed using barbells, dumbbells, or cable machines. We can also use kettlebells or bands if needed. 

For more information regarding how we train the back muscles at Westside Barbell, check out the WSBB Blog.