How to Start Dumbbell Shrugs With Abduction

In physical fitness, "abduction" is a lateral movement that moves a muscle away from the midline of the body. While some people try to do shoulder shrugs by rolling the shoulders, that's actually not the right way to do the exercise, reminds ExRx.net. Instead, you should just raise and lower your shoulders, which will help strengthen the trapezius muscles at the top and center of the back. If you're looking to combine both shrug and abduction exercises, do them in supersets.

Things You'll Need

  • Dumbbells
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Instructions

    • 1

      Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing one another just in front of your thighs. Stand with your feet close together and your knees and elbows bent slightly. Lean forward slightly.

    • 2

      Press the dumbbells outward, raising your arms to the sides until they're parallel with the floor. Check your form to make sure your elbows are not sagging below the height of your wrists; they should be elevated to the same level.

    • 3

      Lower your arms back to the starting position, and then repeat the entire motion a total of 12 to 15 times. After that many repetitions, your arms should feel fairly fatigued, as though you couldn't complete any more repetitions with good form. That's a sign that you've chosen a proper amount of weight to lift. If your muscles didn't feel fatigued toward the end of the set, choose a heavier weight the next time you do this superset.

    • 4

      Lower your arms down during the last repetition, but at this point, don't stop when your hands are in front of your thighs. Instead, allow your hands to hang down at your sides, so your palms face toward the outsides of your thighs.

    • 5

      Squeeze your trapezius muscles at the top and center of your back as you shrug your shoulders upward and hold for a second. Raise your shoulders up as high as you can, but don't crane your neck.

    • 6

      Lower your shoulders back down slowly and carefully. Avoid dropping them down forcefully.

    • 7

      Repeat the motion of shrugging your shoulders up and then down a total of 15 times. After doing this superset with the two exercises, your upper body may feel quite fatigued. Take a break for about 1 minute before moving onto other strength training exercises.