Don't, they are overrated. Just row moar. Meadows, T-bar, barbell, dumbbell, machine, cable, and, not to miss out on, upright row. I have a difficult time deciding which is a worse waste of time, shrugs or front raises.
When I saw Tom Hardy's traps right before his first fight in the movie Warrior, my jaw hit the floor. What's funny is if you look at the rest of his body, it's not all that astonishingly impressive - but big, thick, peaked, meaty traps can really make a body look imposing and impressive all on their own.
One tip I would like to throw into the hat from my personal experience is that Myorep shrug work has been amazing for me personally. Once you finish a set, holding the weight in that deep stretched position as Dr Mike talks about for 5 seconds before hitting another set of Myoreps, taking a break and leaving it in that deep stretch position and then hitting another set of myoreps.. Doing that a few times and by the god of Broden the stimulus is unreal
Myorep is an intensity modifier. If I am going to do a myorep set, I will do X amount of reps for my first working set. Then I would aim to get the same amount of reps within my next 1 or 2 sets, but I will shorten the rest time between sets by about 50-75% depending on the muscle I'm training. Let us say I am aiming for 25 reps on the Pec Dec, but due to the shorter amount of rest since my first set, I will probably only get 12-15 reps before the lactic acid is too painful to continue. I will then rest between a very short amount of time, ie. Less than 10 seconds before I pump out more reps, repeating this until I hit my goal amount of reps.
@@RenaissancePeriodization Ain't that right. I was actually just going edit mine and add that my grip will fail to quickly doing myoreps, so I have to use Versa grips. And I've used all sorts of different grips, but the Versa grip Pro with the extra rubbery feel locks them in and allows me to rest with the weight sort of above my knee. Without grips no way I could do more than a straight set.
I literally just did shrugs, so I'm a bit annoyed at the timing but grateful for the superb advice :D Edit: i always have trouble feeling my traps in barbell shrugs, so i looked up to see if there was a video about said subject with Mike, i bike home, and this video got released 😩
Over a period of 5 year exercising, i obviously managed to grow my traps until a certain point. But never felt a pump or felt confident with the technique i used. Today after 5 years training, i have FINALLY got a bloody pump on them traps. Thanku Doc. 🙏🏼
Hey Dr Mike, this channel has been SO valuable to me as I learn to lift. You've probably heard this request before, but I'm sure many of us would appreciate if you labeled chapters. I've watched enough of these to recognize the common threads, and I'd like to be able to jump straight to the next step.
@ivanmilite371 used straight bar. Although I've generally switched to smith machine. I'll stand with heels under the bar and lean back. Try underhand grip on some sets for an even better contraction and stretch
I stopped training traps because I’m far too lazy/ it’s too tiring to fetch every plate in the gym to shrug, and it never really did all that much. Time to make some real gains with mike!!
@@tallpaul69 because I wanted to make them effective. Since watching this video, the trap gains have been immense and I am getting better workouts. Mike’s videos are good quality and you can always learn something!
I love this video! Super inspirational and helpful. I'm curious, have you ever heard of Next Level Diet? I got a personalized muscle-building meal plan from them and I love it.
Traps is one of your best body part for sure! they lifting the shirt up nicely, I love upper traps .. for me I like rack pull to really stretch them under heavy load and then mix it with regular shrugs full ROM.
Mike's the first who taught me about the focus on the eccentric stretch. I've always been a ROM focused guy but never beyond 90 on my joints. The stretch, mainly with pull downs, straight leg dead and incline presses has made a discernible difference on experienced DOMS and amount of weight needed for sessions.
I've worked with the bent over and wide grip technique for a few months and love it! I had to go way lighter, but like you mentioned, it takes the axial load off and gives me a much better SFR. I haven't tried the big stretch at the bottom, but am definitely giving it a shot! Thanks for the great video Dr. Mike & RP!
Really loved the video! Excellent work. Everything is so well explained. Appreciate the phenomenal reasoning behind using the recommended technique, rest times and rep range. This is super high quality comprehensive information. Thank you so much! 💪🙏👍
LOVE the bent over shrugs. Those and vertical rows are what I credit with fixing my shoulder muscular imbalances that were causing me issues. The trap is a fucking wild muscle that does so so so so many things it’s mindblowing
I do shrugs with a hex bar. I sometimes use that forwards lean and that feels good too. It's the weighted stretch at the bottom that fatigues the traps.
I stopped deadlifting cuz I was lifting heavy in march. Recently I’ve noticed how my traps have atrophied since. Disheartening and eye opening. I appreciate the video this video for the tips and knowledge. Definitely gonna try your technique out.
I broke my left femur and won't be able to hit legs until March the soonest so operation Johnny Bravo is in full effect can't wait for the specialization videos for the lower body to drop so I can plan for Operation Thunder Thighs!
I pretty much do my traps like this already. I get ego tempted at times to go heavy, but realized I hit them way better with lighter weight and slower with greater ROM. Nice to see an expert (who I respect) confirm to me that I am rad! Thanks Dr Mike! 💪🏼👍
My direct trap work is heavy KB holds with straps, like 5 sets of 1-1.5 min. I get an incredible stretch without the neck aggravation I get from shrugs.
amazing tips ! I've been doing shrugs with high-rep, full range of motion and slow eccentric and it damn works much better than the heavy chicken dance style. I'd also add at that least for me, dumbbell shrugs hits a bit better to my traps due to the chance to stretch 'em more at the bottom. definitely worth to give it a try !
I've been doing trap bar shrugs with only 195 for 12-15 reps, but super strict, hold the pause. Obviously wanting to go heavier but it's amazing how much it humbles you when you try to have perfect form.
Great tips, Dr. Mike. One more tip to consider -- I find that if I keep my chin up, i.e., eyes up looking toward the ceiling in front of me -- it can be a good cue to get a full range of motion. If I keep my head down, I fool myself into thinking I did a full shrug by dipping my head down into my traps, instead of bringing the weight up to my head with my traps. Furthermore, I think it may help get a better stretch on the traps in the fully lengthened position at the bottom. Thanks for your work and great content! 👍
OH DR I NEEDED THIS! Been struggling doing light 4x15 and full ROM side rises combined the top ROM also hits traps like hell, but ill go with the rest time and technique today and see how it feels!
Did this by accident! Lifting heavy on barbell shrugs and decided to take plates off until failure. Started shrugging to raise above my belly button (had to get around my belly too btw 😅) with lighter weights. Traps are sore af today. I like to play around and try different things and it’s nice when it works. Glad I saw this video to validate the technique further.
For some strange reason, I've always had trouble getting a strong mind/muscle connection with my traps. Experimenting with the stretch in the bottom position as demonstrated here absolutely fixed that. I don't know if the day will ever come when I need that much direct trap work, but now I know what to do if I do. Thanks for sharing this insight.
I definitely feel like I connect to the shrug better when I bend over slightly, also can do a mechanical drop and go upright when you tire out from being bent over
As I’ve gotten older I’ve went lighter on everything and spend my time focusing on mind muscle connection. I only wish I knew how much better this years ago. There’s a place for heavy lifting but it isn’t for most people.
A lot of these movements are following Olympic lifting protocols as there is a snatch grip and clean grip shrug progression exercises that are built into some programming. Additionally the second pull for clean and snatch really incorporates traps too. The biggest take away for me here is forcing your traps down at the bottom of the movement. I've never considered that and I'm definitely going to try it.
Oly work is super demanding of the traps through a full range of motion. Probably just too fatigue inducing and abusive to the rest of the body for RP to suggest for bodybuilders.
I like to do shrugs with dumbbells, yea I know less weight but I can retract and elevate my scapula with great range of motion without my neck get in the way because I can push it forward
I don't go above 70lb dumbells or 225 barbell. Slowing it down and controlling it adds up quick. I also do 1 min rest periods. High volume and low rest sucks at first but my ability to recover is rediculous now. Variety is huge but rather than doing variations that hit the same fibers you need to vary the angle to hit mid and lower traps just like varying angles for upper mid and lower pecs. I focus on lower and mid traps and proof is in the puding.
I've never been a big fan of the typical bb shrugs. I do shrugs in every other direction, overhead shrugs, hanging shrugs, leaning rest shrugs etc.... I think most of my grap growth came snatch grip DLs & high pulls, and heavy carries.
I very rarely do shrugs but agree light weight with as big a ROM as poss and high rep is the way. However, I personally feel that no matter how good I get my technique for isolation down on rows, pullups, side laterals etc etc my traps are getting a ton of work, then again I am always going for a lean, muscular athletic build, not a bodybuilder physique and kind of think the massive trap thing (especially with gear) kind of looks ridiculous. Suppose you could say the same with arm training to be fair but enjoy training them 😅, bit whatever anyone says my biceps get waay more growth from chin-ups than any curl
I'll disagree with that. Big traps are a way to make your shoulders look broader (even if they are not) and they fill out a shirt fantastically. If you are going with an 'athletic' look, basically de-emphasize chest/back. Not ignore but the super big upper body is what usually makes a bodybuilder look different than a standard 'athlete.' But most people get good enough traps with all the pulls so its not a point of emphasis.
@@TheGreektrojan you don't really disagree though what I said is that the traps get enough volume from the pulls (and even pushes) and its only if you want 'oversize traps' that shrugs in particular benefit. I train full body so not anti shrug per se just way better exercises I can put in my program in place. I do get it though if your traps are a weakness can definitely hinder shoulder stability and compromise all upper body lifts. Again though I suspect that usually comes from waay too much volume for chest over back and really as the whole back has over 3 times the muscle as the chest it should receive 3 times the volume. But even I am guilty of over training chest as who doesn't love chest work?
I found upper traps to be really hard to target. For reference I'm a skinny dude who comes from "no muscle", but trained everything else for many years. For me to get really into targeting my traps, I found success with a lot of the tips in this video - such as using lighter weights, arms out from your body, and then something similar to "leaning forward". At least I think the effect is similar: Instead what I did was kind of begin the movement as if doing a row - bringing the shoulders back pretty much as far as they go, and then changing the direction of the pull to 'up' as opposed to 'back', with que's such as "bring elbows back and then lift them up as far as you can". Doing this really SLOW also helped a lot. I also spent a lot of time just holding the contraction at the top, and try and feel out the muscle. Some good ol mind muscle connection. Now after some months, I am having much less trouble connecting with my traps and I can manage with simpler shrug variations if I want to. But I must say I'm still favoring the pull-to-upright-row kinda movement pattern. I'm sure It would be slighty more effective having a strictly 'up' pattern if I was a bit better at it, but that's not the best move for me (yet). And I am seeing results with what Im doing now, so :D
I bend over slightly to 1) avoid dicking the bar 2) that pose helps a LOT to actually pull my shoulders a bit backwards - this helps target the muscles so much better. Elbow bend is also necessary, you can't pull a larger weight upwards properly without that bend.
I injured my shoulder / neck doing heavy shrugs 6 months ago, hoping this is a way i can get back to training shrugs without so much danger of injury in the future
After a meso of no trap and very little bicep (RP 3xweek full body 😘 amazing meso btw) i’m going into the next meso with traps and biceps focus to finish off the 2 standard hypertrophy phases. This is gonna come in handy, especially because the w.o. get long and hard and I didn’t feel like “wasting” too much energy on these
I know this is not very traditional, based on evidence method, but I found that my traps really started to grow from snatching, especially the high pull accessory. Which I'd describe almost as cheat shrug since you contact with hips and you pull the hands almost shoulder level (great stimulus for delts at the same time). I don't know if it works as well for advanced bodybuilders obviously, but for less experienced it's a killer.
@Renaissance Periodization, hello!! First of all thank you for the video. I would like some help with the upper traps. 2 years ago i was doing two exercises for the upper traps(Saw the program from a bodybuilder on youtube), the first was dumbell shrugs ( light weight) with 3 second pause at the contraction(many reps) (1 minute rest between sets) and the second exercise(2 minutes rest between exercise) was upright rows with 4 sets heavy weight 8-12 reps(first set was drop set). I was doing this program twice a week and once a week i was very sore( i think i had really good muscle mind connection). After a year off due to military and started hitting the gym again for a month i was getting sore( i hit my old level). Now its a year and cant get stronger anymore. My first question is what other exercises to do? And second question to get stronger i must feel sore?
When you do strength training to change things up and not let the body get too adapted how long is it for a month a week? And do you do progressive overload during that time?
Great videos thanks. Should I do shrugs on my shoulder or back days. Right know I've been doing them on back days for a year have good trap development but the reason I do them on. Ack days is not to put too much stress on my left shoulder I injured 2 years before the pandemic. Is this ok?
My question is this; Does the trap respond better when the barbell is behind the back, or in front? Also, what are your thoughts on neutral grip for the traps?
Jeff Nippard has a video on Traps science. Traps have more activation during neutral grip shrugs. So Trap bar shrugs and cable shrugs are superior. But if u r serious abt traps do heavy rack pulls with static hold and farmers carries.
People don’t mention how much that slight elbow bend helps in shrugs. Love Mike showing it here.
Thanks, I was wondering about that
@KeithBurtons Recruiting your forearms into the exercise doesn't impede the traps' involvement at all.
@KeithBurtonsjust tried the exercise. Traps are burning way more than with your “method.”
I have a feeling your just mouthing off to seem smart
I've left out shrugs for a couple months honestly and was just about to get back into them. Perfect timing
Don't, they are overrated. Just row moar. Meadows, T-bar, barbell, dumbbell, machine, cable, and, not to miss out on, upright row. I have a difficult time deciding which is a worse waste of time, shrugs or front raises.
@@AppendixVermiformis Definitely not overrated, its the best way to build huge traps really
@@PanConides If you row enough, you don't need them. If you need them, you don't row enough. Deep stretch, pause, control, grow.
@@AppendixVermiformis agreed. Very few people need shrugs. - Dr. Mike
@@RenaissancePeriodization I need shrugs and a hug because the people on the internet are so mean! Great content Doc!
When I saw Tom Hardy's traps right before his first fight in the movie Warrior, my jaw hit the floor. What's funny is if you look at the rest of his body, it's not all that astonishingly impressive - but big, thick, peaked, meaty traps can really make a body look imposing and impressive all on their own.
Traps and shoulders are some of the best responders to gear.
also he was on gear
That’s due to gear bud - tell tale sign
Dont forget the big and girthy neck.
He just has really good trap insertions.
One tip I would like to throw into the hat from my personal experience is that Myorep shrug work has been amazing for me personally. Once you finish a set, holding the weight in that deep stretched position as Dr Mike talks about for 5 seconds before hitting another set of Myoreps, taking a break and leaving it in that deep stretch position and then hitting another set of myoreps.. Doing that a few times and by the god of Broden the stimulus is unreal
What are Myoreps? Sounds brutal though
@@Osama-Bon-Jovi-01taking very low rest times and continuing the set with the same weight
Myorep is an intensity modifier. If I am going to do a myorep set, I will do X amount of reps for my first working set. Then I would aim to get the same amount of reps within my next 1 or 2 sets, but I will shorten the rest time between sets by about 50-75% depending on the muscle I'm training.
Let us say I am aiming for 25 reps on the Pec Dec, but due to the shorter amount of rest since my first set, I will probably only get 12-15 reps before the lactic acid is too painful to continue. I will then rest between a very short amount of time, ie. Less than 10 seconds before I pump out more reps, repeating this until I hit my goal amount of reps.
Dude, same same, especially if you have VersaGripps to not be held back by grip! - Dr. Mike
@@RenaissancePeriodization Ain't that right. I was actually just going edit mine and add that my grip will fail to quickly doing myoreps, so I have to use Versa grips. And I've used all sorts of different grips, but the Versa grip Pro with the extra rubbery feel locks them in and allows me to rest with the weight sort of above my knee. Without grips no way I could do more than a straight set.
Thanks for going so indepth into WHY you recommend a technique, it really helps in understanding and remembering this stuff!
I literally just did shrugs, so I'm a bit annoyed at the timing but grateful for the superb advice :D
Edit: i always have trouble feeling my traps in barbell shrugs, so i looked up to see if there was a video about said subject with Mike, i bike home, and this video got released 😩
Luckily you have a workout next week…
@@1brunner699 yeah and you betcha I'm looking forward to rewatching this video and feeling my traps 😂
Sorry we didn't post it a day early! - Dr. Mike
@@RenaissancePeriodization Voted #1 on UA-cam for the worst timing! I needed this content 20 years ago not now that Im 45 ...
Dude same here! First video that popped in my feed right after I got home from the gym. C'maahhhnnn. Lol
Over a period of 5 year exercising, i obviously managed to grow my traps until a certain point. But never felt a pump or felt confident with the technique i used. Today after 5 years training, i have FINALLY got a bloody pump on them traps. Thanku Doc. 🙏🏼
Hey Dr Mike, this channel has been SO valuable to me as I learn to lift. You've probably heard this request before, but I'm sure many of us would appreciate if you labeled chapters. I've watched enough of these to recognize the common threads, and I'd like to be able to jump straight to the next step.
Thank you. We'll definitely give that some thought! - Dr. Mike
@@RenaissancePeriodization that would definitely be helpful! It can be organised in playlists too. Thanks for you work ❤
I love doing them with a low cable and leaning back slightly. They've really made a huge difference
which handle, flat bar?
@ivanmilite371 used straight bar. Although I've generally switched to smith machine. I'll stand with heels under the bar and lean back. Try underhand grip on some sets for an even better contraction and stretch
I stopped training traps because I’m far too lazy/ it’s too tiring to fetch every plate in the gym to shrug, and it never really did all that much. Time to make some real gains with mike!!
That makes no sense. You could just pick up 70kgs bb 😂
@@kurasaki81 idk, A lot of people can easily shrug 400-500lbs or more in the standard way people do them. I’m one of those people.
Just start shrugging the squat rack with all the plates on them 💀💀
So why you watching a Shrug video?😂
@@tallpaul69 because I wanted to make them effective. Since watching this video, the trap gains have been immense and I am getting better workouts. Mike’s videos are good quality and you can always learn something!
My favorite variation is setting the bench to 30 or 45 degrees and doing a chest supported dumbbell shrug. The stretch is intense.
Cant wait to try this. My traps explode with minimal work but because I always went heavy I would get the worst hypertension headaches to known to man
im gonna barbell shrug until i turn into a frog
😂
hahahhahda this why I love internet
Gorilla would be a cooler choice
And don’t forget neutral grip with a trap bar or DBs. Great tips. Snatch grip on shrugs definitely elicits more of a response for me in the mid traps.
You are the man Mike. Do this for every exercise.
Doctor mike to you
@@qv8075 how do you know my relationship with him cur
I love this video! Super inspirational and helpful. I'm curious, have you ever heard of Next Level Diet? I got a personalized muscle-building meal plan from them and I love it.
Single handed let the best video for locking down the technique for barbell shrugs! 💯🙏
Hands down one of the best fitness channels on this platform
Traps is one of your best body part for sure! they lifting the shirt up nicely, I love upper traps .. for me I like rack pull to really stretch them under heavy load and then mix it with regular shrugs full ROM.
Love the humor.
So no rolling motion. Got it!
Loved Warrior the movie.
Mike's the first who taught me about the focus on the eccentric stretch. I've always been a ROM focused guy but never beyond 90 on my joints. The stretch, mainly with pull downs, straight leg dead and incline presses has made a discernible difference on experienced DOMS and amount of weight needed for sessions.
I've worked with the bent over and wide grip technique for a few months and love it! I had to go way lighter, but like you mentioned, it takes the axial load off and gives me a much better SFR. I haven't tried the big stretch at the bottom, but am definitely giving it a shot! Thanks for the great video Dr. Mike & RP!
Really loved the video! Excellent work. Everything is so well explained. Appreciate the phenomenal reasoning behind using the recommended technique, rest times and rep range. This is super high quality comprehensive information. Thank you so much! 💪🙏👍
trying to hold at the top (particularly with a wide grip) is also a great cue to maximize time under tension
I don’t know if I have seen Dr. Mike make those type of faces before. Must be good. Tomorrows workout is getting an addition
I recently tweaked my back post a heavy set of shrugs. Was a little traumatized. This video really helps, going to hit them soon with lesser weights.
LOVE the bent over shrugs. Those and vertical rows are what I credit with fixing my shoulder muscular imbalances that were causing me issues. The trap is a fucking wild muscle that does so so so so many things it’s mindblowing
I do shrugs with a hex bar. I sometimes use that forwards lean and that feels good too. It's the weighted stretch at the bottom that fatigues the traps.
I stopped deadlifting cuz I was lifting heavy in march. Recently I’ve noticed how my traps have atrophied since. Disheartening and eye opening.
I appreciate the video this video for the tips and knowledge. Definitely gonna try your technique out.
2:44 "emphasize bottom' gave me a woody mike
I love doing this with a trap bar - really nice!
I broke my left femur and won't be able to hit legs until March the soonest so operation Johnny Bravo is in full effect can't wait for the specialization videos for the lower body to drop so I can plan for Operation Thunder Thighs!
I pretty much do my traps like this already. I get ego tempted at times to go heavy, but realized I hit them way better with lighter weight and slower with greater ROM. Nice to see an expert (who I respect) confirm to me that I am rad! Thanks Dr Mike! 💪🏼👍
Grateful for another dope vid, thanks RP team
Thank you Dr. Mike. You’ve helped correct all the bad techniques I learned in the 80’s. I use your guidance to train my son. Truly Appreciative
My direct trap work is heavy KB holds with straps, like 5 sets of 1-1.5 min. I get an incredible stretch without the neck aggravation I get from shrugs.
thank you doctor.this was yet another eye opener
amazing tips ! I've been doing shrugs with high-rep, full range of motion and slow eccentric and it damn works much better than the heavy chicken dance style. I'd also add at that least for me, dumbbell shrugs hits a bit better to my traps due to the chance to stretch 'em more at the bottom. definitely worth to give it a try !
Go use a standing calve raise machine and try your traps rather then your calves.
You might like it.
so good. was doing heavy (155lbs) shrugs around 10-12 reps. went down to 95lbs and immediately noticed the difference
I've been doing trap bar shrugs with only 195 for 12-15 reps, but super strict, hold the pause. Obviously wanting to go heavier but it's amazing how much it humbles you when you try to have perfect form.
Great tips, Dr. Mike. One more tip to consider -- I find that if I keep my chin up, i.e., eyes up looking toward the ceiling in front of me -- it can be a good cue to get a full range of motion. If I keep my head down, I fool myself into thinking I did a full shrug by dipping my head down into my traps, instead of bringing the weight up to my head with my traps. Furthermore, I think it may help get a better stretch on the traps in the fully lengthened position at the bottom. Thanks for your work and great content! 👍
OH DR I NEEDED THIS! Been struggling doing light 4x15 and full ROM side rises combined the top ROM also hits traps like hell, but ill go with the rest time and technique today and see how it feels!
I really needed to hear this. Thank you!
lol love how mike showing off the shreds every time he shrugs showing his vtaper
Did this by accident! Lifting heavy on barbell shrugs and decided to take plates off until failure. Started shrugging to raise above my belly button (had to get around my belly too btw 😅) with lighter weights. Traps are sore af today. I like to play around and try different things and it’s nice when it works. Glad I saw this video to validate the technique further.
Thanks Doc! I tried these out today and I now have a new found love and fear of shrugs! Haha
Big Mike Vanwyck shows a variation as well that is very similar. Love when there is continuity in the folks I look to for ideas/guidance.
Thank you for all the videos and great advices!
God tier content. Speciba and toda rabba dr Mike!
For some strange reason, I've always had trouble getting a strong mind/muscle connection with my traps. Experimenting with the stretch in the bottom position as demonstrated here absolutely fixed that. I don't know if the day will ever come when I need that much direct trap work, but now I know what to do if I do. Thanks for sharing this insight.
I definitely feel like I connect to the shrug better when I bend over slightly, also can do a mechanical drop and go upright when you tire out from being bent over
The man Dr Mike dropping Gems 💎 👌 straight fire dooooooooodddde
As I’ve gotten older I’ve went lighter on everything and spend my time focusing on mind muscle connection. I only wish I knew how much better this years ago. There’s a place for heavy lifting but it isn’t for most people.
Watching this series has shown me I'm ego lifting without out knowing it on neatly everything. Time to cut the weight right back in my next meso
Not convinced as it goes against what i've learned before, but gonna try it out for myself, cheers!
I've always preferred using a hex bar over a straight bar for shrugs.
A lot of these movements are following Olympic lifting protocols as there is a snatch grip and clean grip shrug progression exercises that are built into some programming. Additionally the second pull for clean and snatch really incorporates traps too. The biggest take away for me here is forcing your traps down at the bottom of the movement. I've never considered that and I'm definitely going to try it.
Oly work is super demanding of the traps through a full range of motion. Probably just too fatigue inducing and abusive to the rest of the body for RP to suggest for bodybuilders.
Yeah Tom Hardy had some monster traps in that movie Warrior. My girlfriend always wants to watch it for some reason 🤔
What reasons?
I like to do shrugs with dumbbells, yea I know less weight but I can retract and elevate my scapula with great range of motion without my neck get in the way because I can push it forward
I don't go above 70lb dumbells or 225 barbell. Slowing it down and controlling it adds up quick. I also do 1 min rest periods. High volume and low rest sucks at first but my ability to recover is rediculous now. Variety is huge but rather than doing variations that hit the same fibers you need to vary the angle to hit mid and lower traps just like varying angles for upper mid and lower pecs. I focus on lower and mid traps and proof is in the puding.
I've never been a big fan of the typical bb shrugs. I do shrugs in every other direction, overhead shrugs, hanging shrugs, leaning rest shrugs etc.... I think most of my grap growth came snatch grip DLs & high pulls, and heavy carries.
Been doing this twice a week for nearly 2 years so this was helpful, i def go pretty heavy in general.
Nice timing. Been focusing on my lacking traps and upper back due to problems with shoulder impingement. Hope it helps
I very rarely do shrugs but agree light weight with as big a ROM as poss and high rep is the way. However, I personally feel that no matter how good I get my technique for isolation down on rows, pullups, side laterals etc etc my traps are getting a ton of work, then again I am always going for a lean, muscular athletic build, not a bodybuilder physique and kind of think the massive trap thing (especially with gear) kind of looks ridiculous. Suppose you could say the same with arm training to be fair but enjoy training them 😅, bit whatever anyone says my biceps get waay more growth from chin-ups than any curl
I'll disagree with that. Big traps are a way to make your shoulders look broader (even if they are not) and they fill out a shirt fantastically. If you are going with an 'athletic' look, basically de-emphasize chest/back. Not ignore but the super big upper body is what usually makes a bodybuilder look different than a standard 'athlete.' But most people get good enough traps with all the pulls so its not a point of emphasis.
@@TheGreektrojan you don't really disagree though what I said is that the traps get enough volume from the pulls (and even pushes) and its only if you want 'oversize traps' that shrugs in particular benefit. I train full body so not anti shrug per se just way better exercises I can put in my program in place. I do get it though if your traps are a weakness can definitely hinder shoulder stability and compromise all upper body lifts. Again though I suspect that usually comes from waay too much volume for chest over back and really as the whole back has over 3 times the muscle as the chest it should receive 3 times the volume. But even I am guilty of over training chest as who doesn't love chest work?
Super set. Barbell shrugs/ dumbbell shrugs / farmer walks =1 set . Repeat for a total of 3 set's.. talk about fried!!
4:00 so wristwraps or no? Or did you mean lifting straps?
Amazing tips💪🔥as always Doc Mike
I found upper traps to be really hard to target. For reference I'm a skinny dude who comes from "no muscle", but trained everything else for many years. For me to get really into targeting my traps, I found success with a lot of the tips in this video - such as using lighter weights, arms out from your body, and then something similar to "leaning forward". At least I think the effect is similar: Instead what I did was kind of begin the movement as if doing a row - bringing the shoulders back pretty much as far as they go, and then changing the direction of the pull to 'up' as opposed to 'back', with que's such as "bring elbows back and then lift them up as far as you can". Doing this really SLOW also helped a lot. I also spent a lot of time just holding the contraction at the top, and try and feel out the muscle. Some good ol mind muscle connection. Now after some months, I am having much less trouble connecting with my traps and I can manage with simpler shrug variations if I want to. But I must say I'm still favoring the pull-to-upright-row kinda movement pattern. I'm sure It would be slighty more effective having a strictly 'up' pattern if I was a bit better at it, but that's not the best move for me (yet). And I am seeing results with what Im doing now, so :D
Why did you bent your elbows (this much)? I used to be doing shrugs with straight arms, but i'll incorporate these tips :)
I bend over slightly to 1) avoid dicking the bar 2) that pose helps a LOT to actually pull my shoulders a bit backwards - this helps target the muscles so much better. Elbow bend is also necessary, you can't pull a larger weight upwards properly without that bend.
First tip: Don't go heavy.
Tell that to fuckin 95% of people I see doing shrugs in commercial gyms, loading up 3 plates and doing ½ of a ¼ rep.
in the smith machine because why not
That t-shirt is awesome. Bring it back for sale!
These tips really help! Thanks
I injured my shoulder / neck doing heavy shrugs 6 months ago, hoping this is a way i can get back to training shrugs without so much danger of injury in the future
Dr.Mike You are awesome . Honor me by letting me please you 🙏🙏
Awesome video. Been lifting for years too heavy. Sets of 10 and 6
Great video. I will try that. Thanks.
After a meso of no trap and very little bicep (RP 3xweek full body 😘 amazing meso btw) i’m going into the next meso with traps and biceps focus to finish off the 2 standard hypertrophy phases. This is gonna come in handy, especially because the w.o. get long and hard and I didn’t feel like “wasting” too much energy on these
Yeah man, you have to have a good reason to do shrugs if you're gonna take the time and effort! - Dr. Mike
thank you for the tips, that shirt looks very good
You got me at 'Tom Hardy Warrior workout'
Yo thank you so much. Greetings from Brazil
I know this is not very traditional, based on evidence method, but I found that my traps really started to grow from snatching, especially the high pull accessory. Which I'd describe almost as cheat shrug since you contact with hips and you pull the hands almost shoulder level (great stimulus for delts at the same time). I don't know if it works as well for advanced bodybuilders obviously, but for less experienced it's a killer.
... Yates row is my go-to trap exercise ...
Superset these with some super full rom lateral raises and you'll conquer the world with your traps!
@Renaissance Periodization, hello!! First of all thank you for the video. I would like some help with the upper traps. 2 years ago i was doing two exercises for the upper traps(Saw the program from a bodybuilder on youtube), the first was dumbell shrugs ( light weight) with 3 second pause at the contraction(many reps) (1 minute rest between sets) and the second exercise(2 minutes rest between exercise) was upright rows with 4 sets heavy weight 8-12 reps(first set was drop set). I was doing this program twice a week and once a week i was very sore( i think i had really good muscle mind connection). After a year off due to military and started hitting the gym again for a month i was getting sore( i hit my old level). Now its a year and cant get stronger anymore. My first question is what other exercises to do? And second question to get stronger i must feel sore?
Hi Dr Mike, would it be possible for you to produce a video on how to do machine cheat fly?
Thank you 😊
Thanks Kurt Angle! 🫡 ✊
I need this, my nephew who just started lifting already has genetically better traps than me... I won't be sharing this video lol
Controlled Barbell Shrugs + MYO Reps = GODZILLA NECK
2:08 BECWAWCK 😂
Thanks RP!
Thanks I needed this bro
Dr Mike the bottom is always going to be the tough part. 😂
When you do strength training to change things up and not let the body get too adapted how long is it for a month a week? And do you do progressive overload during that time?
Great videos thanks. Should I do shrugs on my shoulder or back days. Right know I've been doing them on back days for a year have good trap development but the reason I do them on. Ack days is not to put too much stress on my left shoulder I injured 2 years before the pandemic. Is this ok?
0:09
You might be missing a word there. I'll assume you meant to say "most important".
Power Cleans were always by go to trap exercise. I think catching bar on the way down does a lot of damage.
My question is this; Does the trap respond better when the barbell is behind the back, or in front? Also, what are your thoughts on neutral grip for the traps?
Jeff Nippard has a video on Traps science. Traps have more activation during neutral grip shrugs. So Trap bar shrugs and cable shrugs are superior. But if u r serious abt traps do heavy rack pulls with static hold and farmers carries.
Neutral is great. In front is better, mostly because you can get more load and ROM that way! - Dr. Mike
Isn't that like an upright row when you lift it up, I thought you have to keep your arms straight, but I will give this a go though
Thoughts on overhead shrugs?