Reverse Vs. Forward for a Shoulder Shrug

The shoulder shrug exercise strengthens the muscles of the upper back. The movement has a small range of motion, so it isn't likely to be the most exciting exercise in your repertoire. The reverse shrug is a variation of the forward shrug, but it doesn't offer any specific advantages over the forward version.

  1. Technique

    • The exercise technique is the same for both movements. The only difference is the placement of the bar. For the forward shrug, the bar sits in front of your thighs; with the reverse shrug, the bar sits behind your thighs. Hold the bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip -- your palms facing behind you. Lock your elbows into a slight bend. Lift your shoulders toward your ears as far as is comfortable. Pause for a count and then slowly lower back to the starting position.

    Purpose

    • Both variations of the shrug work the same muscles. Placement of the bar doesn't affect the muscles worked; the upper traps are the primary movers. They originate at the base of your skull, extend down your neck, across your clavicle bone and attach on the far portion of the clavicle, near your shoulder. The middle trap, a small triangular bundle of muscle fibers below the upper trap, and the levator scapulae, a long muscle that runs down the side of your neck, assist in the movement. The low back muscles act as stabilizers.

    Comfort

    • The forward shrug allows your arms to hang almost directly by your sides with your your hands just slightly in front of your shoulders. The reverse shrug forces your arms into an angled position with your hands several inches behind your shoulders. This stretches the front shoulder muscles. The reverse shrug may not be comfortable for some lifters and could be contraindicated if you've had any previous shoulder injuries. Using dumbbells allows your arms to hang directly at your sides in the most neutral anatomic position.

    Precautions

    • Forward and reverse do not refer to the movement of the shoulders. Do not roll your shoulders during the shrug exercise. Because the muscles are working against gravity, rolling them forward or backward does not provide any resistance. The shrug consists of a simple up and down movement. Do not make the exercise more complicated than it is. Warm up the upper back muscles with two to three light sets of shrugs, 15 to 20 repetitions each before moving to your working sets of eight to 12 repetitions.