Dumbbell shrugs are the classic go-to for any trap building workout routine so no article outlining the 10 best trap exercises would be complete without a mention of this.
execution
- 1Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand up straight
- 2Keep the dumbbells by your sides, with palm facing the torso
- 3Keep torso straight and look up slightly
- 4Shrug the dumbbells up, contracting the traps up top
- 5Go back down slowly
- 6Repeat the movement pattern
Dumbbell shrugs are excellent for firing up the traps and allowing you to lift heavy, allowing you to gain size and density in your traps, unilaterally.
It’s also another exercise that works great as a superset, so you’d do one set, drop the weight by 20% and then do another of 8-10 reps.
Do keep in mind some guys may want to use straps on this exercise if your traps are already very strong and you find your grip fails before your traps do.
You should aim to avoid straps though until you really need them so as to focus on building grip strength at the same time.
