The cable shrug is an isolation exercise targeting the trapezius muscles, performed using a cable machine. It involves shrugging the shoulders upward while keeping the arms straight, focusing on contracting the traps.
Also Works
Shoulders
How to Perform
1
Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2
Grasp the cable handles with an overhand grip and let your arms hang down in front of you.
3
Keeping your arms straight, shrug your shoulders up towards your ears.
4
Hold the contraction for a moment, then slowly lower your shoulders back down to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Pull your shoulders straight up toward your ears without bending your elbows. Your arms should act as hooks hanging from your traps.
•Hold the top position for 2-3 seconds and squeeze the traps as hard as possible. The pause at the top is where most of the trap activation occurs.
•Stand far enough from the machine to keep constant cable tension even at the bottom of the shrug.
Common Mistakes
•Rolling the shoulders forward or backward during the shrug, which does not increase trap activation and can strain the rotator cuff.
•Bending the elbows and turning the shrug into an upright row, which recruits the biceps and delts.
•Using too much weight with an incomplete range of motion, barely raising the shoulders.