Shrug (Smith Machine)
Trains the traps, with help from the neck. You need a machine. None of our programs use it yet, but you can add it to any session you build.
Free to use. The app works out every weight and times your rest.
In the programs
None of our programs use the Shrug (Smith Machine)
It is in the app, so you can add it to any session and log it like anything else. It is just not written into one of our 50 free programs. If you want a traps exercise that is, there are 2 on the Traps page.
Muscles worked
What Shrug (Smith Machine) trains
Technique
How to do the Shrug (Smith Machine)
- Set the bar of the smith machine at thigh height. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasp the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width, and unrack it so it rests against your thighs with your arms extended.
- Elevate your shoulders straight up towards your ears as high as possible, keeping your arms straight.
- Pause briefly at the top of the movement, squeezing your traps.
- Slowly lower your shoulders back to the starting position with control. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then rack the bar.
Form cues
Getting it right
- Stand centered under the bar so it travels smoothly along the rails.
- Keep your arms straight and avoid bending your elbows to lift the weight.
- Exhale as you shrug up and inhale as you lower your shoulders.
- Hold the top position briefly on each rep to maximize trap engagement.
Substitutes
Swap Shrug (Smith Machine) for
The app's swap picker ranks these the same way: same muscles, similar movement, similar equipment.
Let the app run the Shrug (Smith Machine) for you
Durata picks the weight, times your rest and adds load when you earn it. That works on any of our 50 free programs, or on a session you put together yourself.