Dumbbell Shrug

Muscles worked by the Dumbbell Shrug

Primary

TrapsTrapezius

Secondary

RhomboidsRhomboid Muscles

Also called: trap, traps, trapezius, upper traps, lower traps, mid traps.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Also called: db, dumbell, hex dumbbell, rubber dumbbell, hand weight.

How to do the Dumbbell Shrug

1. Stand holding dumbbells at your sides.
2. Shrug your shoulders straight up as high as possible.
3. Hold briefly, then lower.
4. Repeat.

Form tips

• Do not roll your shoulders.
• Focus on squeezing the traps at the top.

At a glance

Dumbbell Shrug in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Barbell Shrug
• Behind the Back Barbell Shrug
• Chest Supported Dumbbell Shrug
• EZ-Bar Shrug
• Barbell Upright Row
• Cable Upright Row
• Dumbbell Upright Row
• EZ-Bar Upright Row

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "db-shrug",
  "name_en": "Dumbbell Shrug",
  "name_de": "Kurzhantel-Schulterzucken",
  "name_es": "Encogimiento de Hombros con Mancuernas",
  "description_en": "A dumbbell shrug targeting the upper trapezius for neck and upper back thickness.",
  "description_de": "Kurzhantel-Schulterzucken für den oberen Trapezmuskel und die Dicke des oberen Rückens.",
  "description_es": "Un encogimiento de hombros con mancuernas que trabaja el trapecio superior para dar volumen al cuello y la espalda alta.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "pull",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "dumbbell",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "rhomboids"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "shrug",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand holding dumbbells at your sides.",
    "Shrug your shoulders straight up as high as possible.",
    "Hold briefly, then lower.",
    "Repeat."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe mit Kurzhanteln seitlich.",
    "Ziehe die Schultern so hoch wie möglich gerade nach oben.",
    "Kurz halten, dann absenken.",
    "Wiederholen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "De pie, sujeta mancuernas a los costados.",
    "Encoge los hombros hacia arriba lo más alto posible.",
    "Mantén brevemente y luego baja.",
    "Repite."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Do not roll your shoulders.",
    "Focus on squeezing the traps at the top."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Schultern nicht rollen.",
    "Fokussiere dich auf die Anspannung der Trapezmuskulatur oben."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "No hagas círculos con los hombros.",
    "Concéntrate en apretar el trapecio en la posición superior."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/db-shrug-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/db-shrug-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "db-shrug");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.