Hypertrophy researcher Chris Beardsley recently posted this:
The upper trapezius runs vertically down the neck and then diverts horizontally across the clavicle. It cannot elevate the scapula, since it is not attached to it… Historically, the trapezius has been trained by shrugs. Yet, research suggests that the trapezius is not the prime mover during this exercise…. In fact, the levator scapulae is the main prime mover during shrugs, while the trapezius is more strongly activated during scapulae retractions.
I would somewhat agree—which is why I’ve always recommended you do your dumbbell shrugs with a forward lean….
Or if you’re using separate cable handles, step back so that you’re pulling up and back rather than straight up…
You want to turn the conventional shrug into a scapulae retraction for the upper area of the fan-shaped trapezius muscle (illustration by Larry Eklund).
One last point: The most important part of a forward-lean shrug and a middle-back scapulae retraction is the stretch, so it’s not necessary to emphasize the top contraction…
In fact, just the opposite: When you can’t do any more full-range reps, do only the lower third to half of the stroke—stretch partials, a.k.a. end-of-set X-Reps.
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