Are shoulder shrugs good?
Shoulder shrugs or shoulder roll: What are they good for, if anything? This would be done with a barbell, dumbbell or Smith Machine. I see it done a lot and have been told that it is not healthy for the shoulders, and I have an older friend who does them all the time yet complains of shoulder pain.
Hefty up-and-down dumbbell shrugs work most safely and effectively to build the shoulder cage and trap muscles. The grip, forearms and biceps are substantially stimulated as well. I’d skip implementing the bars and the rotating (rolling) action as these put an unnatural demand on the rotator regions and contribute to their separation.
Four sets of 15, 12, 10 and 8 reps ascending the rack is a nice mix once a week, wherever they fit your schedule and urge. After arms or back or shoulders or legs… after tea… after the gorilla…
Pull hard and pull again… Dave
Dave Draper - Dave Draper Posted on December 11th, 2007 in Joint Pain, Shoulder Issues, Weight Training by Dave Draper