[quote]Ace Rimmer wrote:
deanosumo wrote:
Just don’t roll your shoulders back like a doofus!
why not?[/quote]
Well basically, when you train, you are working against gravity. The goal with a shrug is to lift your traps, and then lower them. Stay in the vertical plane.
[quote]deanosumo wrote:
Ace Rimmer wrote:
deanosumo wrote:
Just don’t roll your shoulders back like a doofus!
why not?
Well basically, when you train, you are working against gravity. The goal with a shrug is to lift your traps, and then lower them. Stay in the vertical plane.
[/quote]
If your body wanted a different angle of pull it would use the rowing muscles.
Think of the plane of pulling relative to where the muscle attatches to the spine. (Shrugging) Traps attach to the neck and run straight down, they dont wiggle around your scapula. Then the second part of your traps attach to your upper spine and go straight out across and under your scapula, which means at no point is there an angle your traps grow at that supports the ‘rolling back motion’. Just up and down. Or assistance to row. Very linear muscle set, despite myriad attachment points your back has.
I use several variations. The barbell shrug is just straight up and down with a second pause at the peek and a ton of weight. I have been coming all the way down on these for years with no problems. Maybe it is bad on the shoulder but not from my experience. I vary the rep range on these but normally I keep it lower with big weight. 6 - 8 reps.
I do dumbell shrugs standing. I like these since my arms are further back and I feel it a bit more in the traps. I will sometimes work barbell shrugs behind the back for this sme reason. I have to reduce the weight a bit for these. I like to do a moderate number of reps on these most days, 8 - 12, but I will go even higher if I want to fry them as a finisher, 12 - 20.
I also do lying dumbell shrug on a high incline, the next level below 90 degress on my bench. I exaggerate the contraction on these a bit more since the ROM is very short. Moderate reps on these as well. 8 - 12
High pulls and face pulls round out my trap work. High pulls I go heavy with a lower rep range 6 - 8. Face pulls I use a moderate rep range, 8 - 12.
I cycle through all of these and normally do at least two of them if not more. Traps are that important IMO, to support other big lifts like deadlifts and rows.
I like to shrug like this:
I make those funny faces too!!
[quote]Avocado wrote:
For me its always explosive shrugs at the top of clean or snatch pulls.
My favorite is power shrugs from with the bar on blocks or in a rack at mid thigh. this is great for me because it imitates the super important 2nd pull through the hips. I also go up on my toes. this is a point in Clean and snatch that i feelweak in so I like to rock these a lot.
I notice that they have the greatest impact on how big my traps are because i can use weights that are well over 100% of my clean and still be uber fast. I keep the reps low but sets high. I like to do about 10 sets between sets of other assistance work.
-chris[/quote]
Yes!!!
Traps are built for dynamic pulling.
Pendlay rows fry my traps/upper back too.
I shrug using 2-4 pause on the top, its just coz these, upper traps, are the muscles that have been evolutionary used for prolonged times of tension, for actions like carrying etc.
Also I use only dumbells, and do it for one arm per set, therfore you can achieve fuller ROM.
[quote]Joebob wrote:
Avocado wrote:
For me its always explosive shrugs at the top of clean or snatch pulls.
My favorite is power shrugs from with the bar on blocks or in a rack at mid thigh. this is great for me because it imitates the super important 2nd pull through the hips. I also go up on my toes. this is a point in Clean and snatch that i feelweak in so I like to rock these a lot.
I notice that they have the greatest impact on how big my traps are because i can use weights that are well over 100% of my clean and still be uber fast. I keep the reps low but sets high. I like to do about 10 sets between sets of other assistance work.
-chris
Yes!!!
Traps are built for dynamic pulling.
Pendlay rows fry my traps/upper back too. [/quote]
x2 on the pendlays.