Behind-the-Back Barbell Shrug
Running the bar behind your body pins the shoulders back and lets them travel up and slightly rearward, which brings the mid-trap fibers into the movement alongside the upper traps. It is a smart variation for lifters who already do plenty of front-loaded shrugs and want more complete trap and posture development. Expect to use lighter weight than a standard shrug.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Body part
- Traps
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Trapezius Upper
- Browse by movement
- Shoulder Raise
- Target
- Trapezius Upper
- Secondary
- Trapezius Middle
- Tertiary
- Erector Spinae
How to do it
- 1
Set a barbell on a rack at glute height, or deadlift it and step forward so it rests behind you.
- 2
Grip the bar behind your thighs, slightly wider than hip width, arms straight.
- 3
Stand tall with the chest up and the bar resting against the back of your legs.
- 4
Elevate the shoulders up and slightly back, keeping the bar close to your body.
- 5
Squeeze the shoulder blades and traps together at the top.
- 6
Lower under control until the traps stretch, then repeat.
Tips
- Keep the bar skimming the back of your legs; letting it drift away strains the shoulders.
- Cue 'up and back' rather than a pure vertical shrug to bring in the mid-trap fibers.
- Start lighter than your front shrug; the position is more restrictive.
- A Smith machine version makes the awkward bar path far easier to control.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The bar swings away from the legs mid-set, and the further it drifts back, the more it pulls on the shoulders and wrists held in an already awkward position behind the body.
- Shrugging straight up without any backward pull misses the mid-trap fibers this variation is meant to add over a standard front shrug.
- Gripping too narrow limits how the wrists can rotate behind the body, which shows up as wrist strain before the traps ever get challenged.
- Once the weight gets heavy, the knees bend to help heave the bar up, turning a shoulder-elevation movement into a small deadlift.
Frequently asked
- How many sets and reps of the behind-the-back barbell shrug should you do when you are new to the exercise?
- Two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps with noticeably less weight than a standard front shrug is a sensible start, since the behind-the-body position is more restrictive on the shoulders and grip. Add weight gradually and only once the bar stays close to the legs for the whole set without swinging.
- What can you do instead of the behind-the-back barbell shrug without a rack to set the bar at glute height?
- A trap-bar shrug gives a similarly centered load without needing to position a barbell behind you, and a standard front barbell or dumbbell shrug works if neither a trap bar nor a rack is available.
- What is the behind-the-back barbell shrug good for, and when should you use a standard shrug instead?
- Pulling the shoulders up and slightly back brings the mid-trap fibers into the movement alongside the upper traps, which suits lifters who already do plenty of front shrugs and want fuller trap and posture development. The awkward bar position behind the body makes it a poor choice for anyone with limited shoulder or wrist mobility, and a standard front shrug or a trap-bar shrug is the more comfortable option there.
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