rolling shoulders when shrugging

lunchbox

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can someone please set this straight for me for once and for all. I am having trouble getting my traps to grow, i have tried dumbell shrugs, barbell (front and behind), upright rows. they just arent as big as id like them. i have seen some guys roll their shoulders either to the front or backwards when they shrug..but i never tried this because i was told it would kill my rotator cuff....i am contemplating trying these to help build my traps...whats the good word on this method?
 

dez/null

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aye what they said. it puts strain on the rotator cup.
 

YellowJacket

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You answered your own question.

Not only your rotator cuff muscles, because that motion is not in the anatomical range of motion for the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor or subscapularis. The motions they perform are scaption abduction, internal rotation, external rotation, and decceleration movements. Not a 360 degree (or variation of a 360 degree) movement.

Also, the humerus sits in the shoulder's joint capsule (gleno-humeral joint) and has cartilage and the labram inside. These act as lubes and guides for various movements of the shoulder. Circumduction IS one of them, BUT not intended for over moderate weight baring movements. You're pretty much grinding out that cartilage, which can lead to arthritis, bursitis (from muscle guarding to accomodate the loss of joint capsule function) and just over all pain. Later in life, you will get decresed range of motion, leading to a 'frozen shoulder'.

To make a long story short, I wrote a paper on this a couple years ago and I had a full page of citations that say no to circular shrugs. Your traps are involved in this movement, but there's too many aiding muscles to attack the traps directly.

Keep shrugging, heavy dumbell shrugs, hold at the peak and slow down. Your form is what gets those mountain traps. Dont do them quickly, do a full range of motion (ie. all the way to the top, slow back down, drop your shoulders, take it all the way back up, etc.). Try doing them sitting down. Dont crunch your neck down to a shortened position when shrugging, A LOT Of people do that and count that as a shrug, it happens a lot in the later reps. So take a weight you can normally do for 15+ reps and try them slow, controlled and concentrate to the essentric movement and getting that full inferior to superior range of motion. For barbell shrusg (which never have worked well for me), switch up your hand grips. If you do them in the anatomical position (palms out), try a set or two with your palms in, shock them is what Im trying to say.

Best of luck, traps can be a bitch to get to grow, but once you figure out what works for you, they generally grow at a quick rate. YJ
 
sage

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Dont crunch your neck down to a shortened position when shrugging,
doesnt the shortened position provide a better stretch of the traps on the negative portion of the rep? your point about taking it slow, and contracting hard on each rep is nice. however, im still for allowing the neck to come downwards on the low end of each rep. i do tend to look straight forward/slightly up when shruging the weight up. Sage
 

YellowJacket

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doesnt the shortened position provide a better stretch of the traps on the negative portion of the rep? your point about taking it slow, and contracting hard on each rep is nice. however, im still for allowing the neck to come downwards on the low end of each rep. i do tend to look straight forward/slightly up when shruging the weight up. Sage
The point of a shrug is to get a full range of motion and pull your shoulders up. Depending upon where you're at in the rep, as to what muscle section you're working. You have a deep component and a superficial component. What does shortening your neck do? Nothing other than give the illusion you did a full rep. Its like cheating, you're compensating for not being able to do a full rep, so you're shortening the the upper traps, which do nothing for muscle building. (Traps insert on the occipitus, notch on the back of the head)
 

Sheesh

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As has been said, don't roll the shoulders. I've also found that deadlifts help me to develop my traps, so giving them a try may help.
 

lunchbox

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thanks for all the input...ill be sure to try some slower shrugs...as lately they have been fast and furious
 
sage

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The point of a shrug is to get a full range of motion and pull your shoulders up. Depending upon where you're at in the rep, as to what muscle section you're working. You have a deep component and a superficial component. What does shortening your neck do? Nothing other than give the illusion you did a full rep. Its like cheating, you're compensating for not being able to do a full rep, so you're shortening the the upper traps, which do nothing for muscle building. (Traps insert on the occipitus, notch on the back of the head)
your point is well taken. i switched over to looking down while shurging cuz of two reasons. (1) wanted to mimic an incline db shrug but i never felt comfortable lying face down on the bench...never stable enough. my wanting to do this to hit not only the traps but the upper back (2) pic of arnold in the encyclopedia doing the same thing...ha. But your case makes sense though man. Sage
 

YellowJacket

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As has been said, don't roll the shoulders. I've also found that deadlifts help me to develop my traps, so giving them a try may help.
Excellent point also...... same here.
 

msclbldrguy

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i agree...no rolling shoulders...even without the scientific info if you just hold your arms down at your sides and roll your shoulders, you'll not feel anything in your traps to speak of...so that tells me intuitively that no traps are involved. Besides, as has already been stated, rollin the shoulders is just bad news and only increases your chance for injury/
 

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