Part of the
You Can Learn Weightlifting series.
By Ken Brown
Editor, YouCanLearnSeries.com
Updated: February 19, 2005
The shrug with dumbbells is
a terrific shoulder exercise. The shoulder shrug works the trapezius muscle in
the back of your neck and will give you the look of larger shoulder muscles.
The key is to stand up straight and try to bring your shoulders to your ears.
Do not roll your shoulders with this exercise.
Remember to breathe out when shrugging your shoulders up. Keep your legs
shoulder length apart. Tighten your abdominals (stomach muscles) when doing
this exercise. Concentrate on maintaining good posture. Holding the shrug at
the top for one second helps the muscle become stronger.
This is a great exercise for the trapezius muscle. If you are looking for that
perfect bodybuilding body then do 5 sets of 12. Or do the pyramid workout. The
pyramid is a weight training classic. Start at 20% of your max. Do a set of 12.
Then increase the weights. Do a set of 10. Then increase your weights and do a
set of 8. Then place the max weights, and do 2 sets of 4 to 6. When you can do
more than 6, it's time to increase your weights.
If you are looking for workouts for the shoulder, then you need to add this
exercise to your repertoire. Big shoulders don't just happen. You need to
concentrate on doing at least 3 different shoulder training workouts to
maximize size and bulk.
As always, if you haven't exercised in a long time or you
have long standing medical problems, be sure and see a doctor before starting
this or any exercise routine.
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