How is a power shrug different from a regular barbell shrug?

A regular Barbell Shrug starts standing tall and moves the bar with the traps alone. The power shrug starts from a hinged position on the pins and uses an explosive hip and knee drive to get the bar moving, so it trains speed and full-body extension and allows heavier loads.

Should my arms bend or my heels come up?

In this version the arms stay straight and the feet stay flat, so the hips, legs and traps do the work. Some coaches add a rise onto the toes or let the elbows bend at the very top of a heavy rep, but once you pull with the arms the lift becomes a Barbell High Pull.

How heavy should a Barbell Power Shrug be?

Coaches commonly load it at or above your best power clean, as long as the bar still moves fast and the back stays flat. A study of the countermovement shrug, a hang-start version of this explosive shrug, in 29 men found that 40% of their best power clean produced the highest velocity during the drive, while 140% produced the highest force, so lighter loads train speed and heavier loads train force.

Do I need a power rack for power shrugs?

The rack sets the same starting height on every rep and gives you a safe place to return the bar. Without one, you can deadlift the bar to standing and shrug from a hang with a short dip, which changes the start but keeps the explosive finish.

Should I use lifting straps?

Yes, once your grip gives out before your traps and hips do. The goal of the lift is the drive and the shrug, so straps let you load it properly while grip work is done elsewhere.

Barbell Power Shrug

What Is the Barbell Power Shrug?

Barbell Power Shrug is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, especially the upper trapezius, and also engages the glutes, hamstrings, lower back and grip. It is an intermediate-level movement that pairs an explosive drive through the hips and knees with a hard shrug, so the legs get the bar moving and the traps finish the pull.

This version starts from a dead stop, with the bar resting on the safety pins of a power rack at about knee height. Each rep begins from the same spot, which makes the starting position easy to repeat and lets you reset between reps. Because the hips and legs help, the power shrug handles more weight than a strict Barbell Shrug, and it is usually done for low-rep sets after the main lifts of the session.

Weightlifters and athletes use it as a pulling derivative of the Barbell Power Clean: it rehearses the finish of the pull, a full extension of the hips and knees followed by a shrug, without the catch. Strength and contact-sport athletes also use it to build the upper traps, which support the shoulder girdle and neck.

The traps do the shrug, the glutes and hamstrings extend the hips, and the lower back holds the torso firm as it rises from the hinged start. Setting the pins higher, around mid-thigh, shortens the leg drive and puts more of the work on the traps, while a lower start adds more back and hip work, much like a Barbell Rack Pull. Bending the arms and pulling the bar higher turns the lift into a Barbell High Pull.

It suits lifters learning the clean, athletes who want explosive hip extension and trap strength, and anyone who has outgrown strict shrugs. Before adding speed, build a solid hip hinge with the Barbell Romanian Deadlift or the Barbell Rack Pull, and learn the shrug itself with the Barbell Shrug.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Upper Trapezius: Primary
Erector Spinae: High
Gluteus Maximus: High
Biceps Femoris: Medium
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Medium
Vastus Lateralis: Medium
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Rhomboid Major: Low
Semitendinosus: Low
Deltoid: Minimal

Instructions

Set the safety pins of a power rack so the loaded barbell rests at about knee height.
Stand facing the bar with your feet about hip-width apart and your shins close to it.
Hinge at the hips with your knees slightly bent and grip the bar overhand, just outside your thighs, with straight arms.
Flatten your back, lift your chest, let your shoulders hang down and brace your core.
Drive through your feet and extend your hips and knees explosively, keeping the bar against your thighs.
As your hips reach full extension, shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears while your arms stay straight.
Pause briefly at the top, standing tall with your feet flat and without leaning back.
Lower your shoulders, then hinge back down and return the bar to the pins under control.
Reset your back and grip before the next rep.

Common Mistakes

Bending the arms
Pulling with the elbows turns the lift into an upright row or high pull and takes work away from the traps, so keep the arms straight like hooks.
Rounding the lower back
Breaking the bar off the pins with a rounded back puts the heavy load on the spine instead of the hips, so set a flat back and brace before each rep.
Shrugging too early
Shrugging before the hips and knees finish extending wastes the leg drive, so let the legs get the bar moving and shrug as you reach full extension.
Letting the bar drift forward
A bar that swings away from the thighs pulls you forward and loads the lower back, so keep it in contact with your legs throughout.
Leaning back at the top
Throwing the hips forward and leaning back to finish the shrug strains the lower back, so stand tall and stop at a vertical torso.
Dropping the bar onto the pins
Letting the bar crash down jolts the shoulders and back, so lower it to the pins under control and reset.

Injuries

Barbell Power Shrug is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The heavy loads and explosive drive put the most strain on the lower back as the bar leaves the pins from a hinged position, and on the neck and upper traps if the shrug is jerked or the head pushes forward. Pulling with bent arms also shifts stress onto the elbows and biceps.

Brace your core and set a flat back before every rep, keep the bar against your thighs, and let the hips and legs start the bar before the shrug. Lower the bar back to the pins under control rather than letting it crash down, and use lifting straps once your grip, not your traps, is what limits the set. Keep your chin neutral and shrug straight up instead of rolling the shoulders.

If the explosive version is too much, regress to the strict Barbell Shrug or a Barbell Rack Pull from the same pin height, or use lighter loads until the timing is smooth. Once it is solid, progress to the Barbell Clean Pull and the Barbell Hang Power Clean. People rehabbing the upper back, neck or shoulder girdle should stick to slow, strict shrugs until cleared for explosive work.

Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, pain in the neck or shoulders, or numbness or tingling running down an arm.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Barbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is a power shrug different from a regular barbell shrug?: A regular Barbell Shrug starts standing tall and moves the bar with the traps alone. The power shrug starts from a hinged position on the pins and uses an explosive hip and knee drive to get the bar moving, so it trains speed and full-body extension and allows heavier loads.
Q: Should my arms bend or my heels come up?: In this version the arms stay straight and the feet stay flat, so the hips, legs and traps do the work. Some coaches add a rise onto the toes or let the elbows bend at the very top of a heavy rep, but once you pull with the arms the lift becomes a Barbell High Pull.
Q: How heavy should a Barbell Power Shrug be?: Coaches commonly load it at or above your best power clean, as long as the bar still moves fast and the back stays flat. A study of the countermovement shrug, a hang-start version of this explosive shrug, in 29 men found that 40% of their best power clean produced the highest velocity during the drive, while 140% produced the highest force, so lighter loads train speed and heavier loads train force.
Q: Do I need a power rack for power shrugs?: The rack sets the same starting height on every rep and gives you a safe place to return the bar. Without one, you can deadlift the bar to standing and shrug from a hang with a short dip, which changes the start but keeps the explosive finish.
Q: Should I use lifting straps?: Yes, once your grip gives out before your traps and hips do. The goal of the lift is the drive and the shrug, so straps let you load it properly while grip work is done elsewhere.