Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Dumbbell Shrug: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The dumbbell shrug lifts your shoulders straight up toward your ears with a dumbbell in each hand. It isolates the upper trapezius, which elevates the shoulder blades.

Primary muscles
Traps
Secondary muscles
Shoulders
Equipment
Dumbbell
Level · type
Beginner · Compound

Written by the FitStack training team. Last reviewed .

Demonstration of the dumbbell shrug
Front view: muscles worked by the dumbbell shrug. Primary: traps. Secondary: shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by the dumbbell shrug. Primary: traps. Secondary: shoulders.
Primary Secondary

How to do the dumbbell shrug

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.
  2. Step 2: Keep your arms straight and let the dumbbells hang by your sides.
  3. Step 3: Raise your shoulders as high as possible, as if you are trying to touch your ears with your shoulders.
  4. Step 4: Hold the contraction for a second, then slowly lower your shoulders back down to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Form cues

  • Stand tall with heavy dumbbells at your sides.
  • Lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears.
  • Hold the top for a second, then lower to a full stretch.

Common dumbbell shrug mistakes

  • Rolling the shoulders in circles.

    Fix: Move straight up and down; rolling adds nothing.

  • Short bouncing reps.

    Fix: Pause at the top and lower all the way.

Sets, reps and programming

Do 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps. Deadlifts, rows and farmer’s walks already train the traps, so shrugs are optional extra volume.

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the dumbbell shrug by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Variations and progressions

Dumbbell Shrug alternatives

More exercises that train the traps as their main target:

Dumbbell Shrug FAQs

Are shrugs necessary?

Not for most people. Heavy pulls and carries train the traps well. Shrugs are useful if you want extra upper-trap size.

More traps exercises

See the best trap exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset; cues, mistakes, programming and FAQs are written by FitStack.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.