TrapsDumbbellsBeginner

How to Do Dumbbell Shrugs

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

· Updated Sep 30, 2026

A dumbbell shrug is a trap exercise. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, keep your arms straight and lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears, then lower them all the way down. It trains the upper and middle traps and the levator scapulae. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

Sets x reps 3-4 x 8-15

Median 10-rep weight, per dumbbell 6530 lbkg men 32.515 lbkg women

Muscles Upper and middle traps, levator scapulae

Setup Arms at your sides, palms in

1Start. Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms in, arms straight and shoulders down.
2Top. Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears, pause for a second, then lower them all the way down.

Watch 1 video demonstration

Technique

How to do a dumbbell shrug

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing your thighs.
Let your shoulders sink all the way down. Your arms stay straight and loose for the whole set.
Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as they go. Keep your chin level.
Pause for a second at the top.
Lower over 2 seconds until your shoulders are fully down, then start the next rep.

Setup

Where your arms hang changes the shrug

StandardAt your sides, palms inThe dumbbells hang beside your thighs. The heaviest you can load.

Upward rotationArms 30 degrees outHands out to the sides. More upper and lower trap activity than arms at your sides (Pizzari 2014). Needs lighter dumbbells.

Palms backIn front of your thighsThe barbell shrug position. No study has compared it with the dumbbells at your sides.

Light onlyArms straight overheadThe same upper trap activity as a shrug at your sides, with less levator scapulae and rhomboid work (Castelein 2016).

Your upper traps attach to the collarbone and raise the shoulder by rotating it, not by pulling straight up (Johnson 1994). Starting with the arms slightly out gets the shoulder blade rotating, which is why upper trap activity rose in Pizzari 2014. For heavy sets, arms at your sides is fine.

Gravitus data

How much weight should you use for dumbbell shrugs?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 65 lb (30 kg) per dumbbell for 10 reps on the dumbbell shrug, and the median woman 32.5 lb (15 kg).

Men, typical 65 lb per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 50 to 90 lb
Top 10% lift: 110 lb or more
Starting out: under 50 lb

Women, typical 32.5 lb per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 25 to 45 lb
Top 10% lift: 60 lb or more
Starting out: under 25 lb

Men, typical 30 kg per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 22.5 to 40 kg
Top 10% lift: 50 kg or more
Starting out: under 22.5 kg

Women, typical 15 kg per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 11 to 20 kg
Top 10% lift: 27.5 kg or more
Starting out: under 11 kg

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, per dumbbell, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 8,691 men and 595 women who log the dumbbell shrug on Gravitus, computed Oct 14, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	65 / 50 lb	32.5 / 25 lb
Median	90 / 65 lb	45 / 32.5 lb
75th	120 / 90 lb	60 / 45 lb
90th	145 / 110 lb	80 / 60 lb

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, per dumbbell, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 8,691 men and 595 women who log the dumbbell shrug on Gravitus, computed Oct 14, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	30 / 22.5 kg	15 / 11 kg
Median	40 / 30 kg	20 / 15 kg
75th	52.5 / 40 kg	27.5 / 20 kg
90th	67.5 / 50 kg	37.5 / 27.5 kg

Weights are per dumbbell. Grip often gives out before your traps do; use straps when it does. Compare yourself to your own log.

Research

Shrug claims the research does not back

Most shrug guides repeat the same warnings. Three are wrong or unsupported:

Rolling your shoulders strains the joint. No study shows it. Rolling adds nothing either: a dumbbell pulls straight down, so only the height you lift it counts. Moving your shoulders forward or back on top of that adds motion with no extra load. Go straight up and down because that is the part that is loaded.
Shrugs only work the upper traps. The biggest trapezius fibres start at the base of the neck (C7 and T1) and run almost straight across to the shoulder blade (Johnson 1994). In a five-person EMG study, the middle trapezius was the most active region during a shrug (Johnson 2005).
Arms pinned to your sides gives the most upper trap. Holding the arms 30 degrees out to the sides drew more upper and lower trap activity than a standard shrug, in lifters with healthy and unstable shoulders (Pizzari 2014).

Anatomy

Muscles worked

Trapezius, upper and middle fibresLift the shoulders by rotating the collarbone and shoulder blade. The thickest fibres start at the base of the neck (Johnson 1994).

Primary

Levator scapulaeRuns down the side of the neck to the shoulder blade and helps lift it.

Secondary

RhomboidsWork with the arms at your sides, less with the arms overhead (Castelein 2016).

Secondary

Forearms, grip, coreHold the dumbbells and keep your torso still.

Stabilizer

Compare

Dumbbell shrug vs barbell shrug vs farmer's walk

Attribute	Dumbbell shrug	Barbell shrug	Farmer's walk
Hands	At your sides	In front of your thighs	At your sides, walking
Weight jumps	5 lb per hand	2.5 lb or less	5 lb per hand
Best for	Choosing your arm position, one side at a time	Heaviest loads	Grip and traps together

Verdict

No study has compared dumbbell and barbell shrugs for growth. Use dumbbells to choose where your arms hang and the barbell to load heaviest. A farmer's walk holds the traps still, while a shrug moves them through their full range.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3-4Sets

8-15Reps

0-2Reps left

Stop each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Muscles grow across a wide range of reps when sets are taken close to failure (Schoenfeld 2021), so pick a range you can keep strict with a full shrug.

Add reps before weight. When every set reaches the top of your range, move up 5 lb (2.5 kg) per dumbbell and drop back to the bottom. When grip starts to end your sets, use straps.

Form

Common mistakes

Cutting the range shortHeavy dumbbells turn the shrug into a twitch. Lower until your shoulders are fully down and lift until they reach your ears.
Bending the elbowsYour biceps start to help. Keep your arms straight and loose.
Pushing the head forwardYour neck does not need to move. Keep your chin level and look straight ahead.
Rolling the shouldersIt adds movement with no extra load. Go straight up and straight down.
Bouncing at the bottomLower over 2 seconds and start the next rep from a dead stop.

Variations

Dumbbell shrug variations

Barbell shrugBar in front of your thighs. The heaviest shrug, with smaller weight jumps.

Incline dumbbell shrugLie chest-down on an incline bench and shrug. Your torso cannot swing.

Seated dumbbell shrugSit on the end of a bench, so your legs cannot help.

Trap bar shrugHandles at your sides like dumbbells, loaded like a barbell.

Farmer's walkCarry heavy dumbbells for distance. Your traps and grip hold the load.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What do dumbbell shrugs work?

The upper and middle trapezius lift your shoulders, with the levator scapulae and rhomboids helping. Your forearms hold the dumbbells.

Are dumbbell shrugs effective?

Yes, for the traps. In a 30-person EMG study, a one-arm shrug drew more upper trap activity than any of 10 trapezius and serratus exercises (Ekstrom 2003). In women with neck pain, shrugs drew the highest trapezius activity of five exercises, 102% of a maximal contraction (Andersen 2008).

Are dumbbell shrugs better than barbell shrugs?

Neither has been shown to grow the traps more. Dumbbells let you choose where your arms hang and train one side at a time. The barbell loads heavier with smaller jumps.

Should you roll your shoulders when doing shrugs?

No, but not because it is dangerous. A dumbbell pulls straight down, so rolling forward or back adds motion without adding load. Go straight up and down.

Should dumbbells be at your sides or in front when shrugging?

At your sides, palms in, is the standard and loads heaviest. Holding your arms 30 degrees out to the sides drew more upper trap activity in one study (Pizzari 2014), at the cost of lighter dumbbells.

Are dumbbell shrugs push or pull?

Pull. Your traps pull your shoulders up toward your ears. Put them on a pull, back or shoulder day.

How much weight should I use for dumbbell shrugs?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 65 lb (30 kg) per dumbbell for men and 32.5 lb (15 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 90 lb (40 kg) and 45 lb (20 kg) or more.

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Log every set and see your percentile on every lift, dumbbell shrug included.

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References