Intermediate

Haney Shrug

Bodybuilding legend Lee Haney built the behind-the-back Smith shrug into a staple, and it earns its place: the fixed bar path behind the glutes pins the shoulders back so they travel up and rearward, loading the upper traps with more middle-trap work than a front shrug while the guide rails let you focus purely on the squeeze. Because the Smith bar cannot swing, it is far easier to control than a free bar run behind the body. Use it as focused trap volume after your heavy pulls.

Equipment
Smith Machine
Body part
Traps
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Shoulder Raise
Muscles worked
Target
Trapezius Upper, Trapezius Middle
Secondary
Trapezius Lower
Tertiary
Erector Spinae

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set the Smith bar to about glute height and load your weight.

  2. 2

    Stand in front of the bar facing away, and grip it behind your thighs just outside hip width.

  3. 3

    Rotate the bar off the hooks and stand tall with a slight forward lean, arms straight.

  4. 4

    Let the shoulders drop into a stretch, then shrug them up and slightly back.

  5. 5

    Squeeze the traps and shoulder blades at the top of the range.

  6. 6

    Lower under control to a full stretch, then re-rack once the set is done.

Tips

  • Keep the bar skimming the back of the thighs so it never drifts and strains the shoulders.
  • A small forward lean lines the pull up with the traps; do not round the lower back.
  • Because tension stays constant, moderate weight and strict reps beat heavy cheating.
  • Keep the arms straight so it stays a shrug rather than a behind-the-back upright row.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The bar is set too low on the hooks, so unracking behind your body means squatting down to something you cannot see; set it near glute height and step in instead.
  • The shoulders roll forward at the bottom to chase a bigger stretch, which is the one direction to avoid here, because a bar behind the body already holds the shoulders in extension.
  • The rails fix the bar path, so it is your body that has to move; if the bar catches on the glutes at the top, step forward an inch rather than leaning further over.
  • The knees bend to help drive the bar up, and because the machine carries the path the cheat is easy to miss on video and easy to feel the next day in the lower back.
  • It gets loaded like a front shrug even though the hands sit behind the hips at a mechanical disadvantage, and the bar then travels an inch instead of a full range.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the Haney shrug should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Three sets of 12 to 15 with clearly less weight than a front shrug; half is a fair opening guess. Hold the top for a beat on every rep, since being able to do that is the reason to use the Smith machine here at all. Add a small plate per side once fifteen reps look identical, and place it after your heavy pulling rather than before it.
What can I use instead of a Smith machine for the Haney shrug?
A free barbell behind the back does the same job and is the original version, though the bar swings and needs more attention. A cable behind you on a low pulley keeps constant tension and is easier to control than either. Dumbbells held slightly behind the hips get you part of the way, but the arms can only travel so far back before the shoulders start to complain.
What is the Haney shrug good for?
The bar behind the body sends the shoulders up and slightly back, so it reaches middle-trap fibers a front shrug largely skips, and the fixed rails let you chase the squeeze instead of the balance, which suits upper-back thickness and posture work. It is a poor choice for heavy loading, because the hands sit at a weak angle, and it is uncomfortable for lifters with limited shoulder extension, who feel it at the front of the shoulder long before the traps get anything.

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