Fitness Volt
  • 2022 WSMHot
  • Workouts
  • Nutrition
  • Training
  • Exercises
  • News
    • Videos
    • Bodybuilding
    • Arnold Classic
    • CrossFit
    • Powerlifting
    • Strongman
    • MMA
    • Deals
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • 2022 WSMHot
  • Workouts
  • Nutrition
  • Training
  • Exercises
  • News
    • Videos
    • Bodybuilding
    • Arnold Classic
    • CrossFit
    • Powerlifting
    • Strongman
    • MMA
    • Deals
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Featured

Bigger Traps: Front Barbell Shrugs vs. Behind-the-Back Shrugs

Andy Carnegie, NASM

Written by Andy Carnegie, NASM

Last Updated onOctober 26, 2017

A wise man once said that the traps make the man. Given that your traps are one of the largest muscles on your back and which can also scream power like no other feature on the upper body, you should aim at developing them as much as possible. The upper portion of the trapezius influences the overall roundness to a physiques frame, while the middle and lower portions contribute to back thickness. And if you’re serious about making your back stand out from the crowd, you want both width and thickness.

Which shrugs build bigger traps?

Barbell Shrug:

With an overhand grip, hold a barbell in front of your thighs. Your hands and your feet should be spaced about shoulder-width apart, and your knees should be slightly bent. While keeping your arms straight, lift your shoulders up toward your ears as high as possible. Hold the contraction for a second before lowering the bar back to the start.

Behind-the-Back Barbell Shrug:

With an overhand grip, hold a barbell behind your thighs. Your hands and your feet should be spaced about shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly bent. While keeping your arms straight, lift your shoulders up toward your ears as high as possible. Focus on pulling the bar up and slightly behind you. Hold the contraction for a second before lowering the bar back to the start.

The Evidence

Due to the position of the bar, these two types of shrugs hit the traps a little differently. It’s critical to remember that the traps are a diamond-shaped muscle group that has an upper, a middle and a lower portion. The upper traps are seen from the front and are responsible for raising the shoulders up. The middle traps are seen from the back, and they pull the shoulder blades together.

  • Shrugging with the bar in front of your body causes your shoulders to round forward a bit. You use more of the upper trap muscles, as well as the serratus anterior (as it is responsible for pulling the shoulders forward).
  • Behind-the-back barbell shrugs cause you to lift your shoulders up and back, hitting the upper traps and the middle traps a bit. This form is awkward, so it limits the amount of weight you can lift.
  • Therefore, to work your upper traps to the max, the standard barbell shrug to the front is the better option, as it allows you to lift much heavier weights.

The Verdict

Both versions of the barbell shrug are effective for building the traps, as they both hit them from a slightly different angle, which builds different muscle fibers.

For balanced traps developed from all angles, including both versions in your trap-training program. To build bigger/higher upper traps, the barbell shrug to the front is the winner. To build thicker traps and to hit the middle portion of them, the behind-the-back barbell shrug is a better choice.

Consider doing shrugs in a Smith machine, as well. Performing Smith machine shrugs to the front can allow you to go even heavier; doing Smith machine behind-the-back shrugs can allow you to get your body farther forward away from the bar, helping to move your butt out of the way and allowing you to pull the bar higher and your shoulders back more for better middle trap development.


Author: Jim Stoppani, PhD
Copyright Weider Publications 

For the latest news and updates please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn
Categories: Arms Featured Workouts
Previous Post

Team Mayweather to Recruit Nate Diaz to Walkout with Floyd Mayweather at Conor McGregor Fight

Next Post

WATCH: Joe Rogan & Dorian Yates Talks About Steroids in Bodybuilding!

Andy Carnegie, NASM

Andy Carnegie, NASM

Andy got a Master's in Exercise Science. He's a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He currently writes for many Fitness and Bodybuilding blogs, conducting live interviews with sports athletes and creating pre and post-event copy.

Recommended For You

Best Pull Exercises

The 13 Best Pull Exercises

Whether you’re following the push/pull/legs workout or doing any other kind of training split, it’s usually best to do the...

The Rock Blast Traps

Watch: The Rock Blast His Traps With Heavy Barbell Shrugs In Late Night Training Session

All business at the gym, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is known to push his body to extremes in order to...

How Much Does Hex Deadlift Bar Weigh

How Much Does A Hex Bar Weigh?

Barbells come in all shapes and sizes, but Olympic barbells should all be identical. That’s important because, in competition, standardization...

Exercises For Massive Traps

21 Exercises For Building Massive Traps

What do Brock Lesnar, Batista, and Goldberg have in common? Other than the fact that all three have been WWE...

Bigger Traps: Front Barbell Shrugs vs. Behind-the-Back Shrugs

Build A Bigger Yoke With Kirk Shrugs

A big yoke is a cherry on top of a great physique that you'll see on strength athletes, bodybuilders, and movie...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

16/8 Intermittent Fasting

16:8 Intermittent Fasting Guide and Tips

Half Biceps Curl Guide

Half Biceps Curl: Better Than Full Range for Muscle Growth?

WSM 2022 Finalists

2022 World’s Strongest Man Finalist Lineup

Recent Reviews

Best Powerlifting Belts

12 Best Powerlifting Belts of 2022

Best DMAA Pre Workout Alternatives

Top 12 Best DMAA Pre-Workout Alternatives for 2022

Best Turkesterone Supplements

10 Best Turkesterone Supplements of 2022

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workouts
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • 2022 WSM
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Mr. Olympia
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Diet
    • News
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • Food Facts
    • Deals
    • Fitness Calculator

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.