Smith Machine Standing Shrugs

How to do it

1. Set the Smith bar to about mid-thigh height and stand facing the bar with feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width with palms facing the body.
3. Unrack the bar by rotating the wrists and stand tall with arms hanging fully extended.
4. Brace your core and shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as you can.
5. Pause briefly at the top, squeezing the upper traps for a full beat without rolling the shoulders.
6. Lower the bar slowly over 2 to 3 seconds back to the start position before the next rep.

Common mistakes

• Rolling the shoulders forward or backward at the top, which strains the joint without adding trap work.
• Bending the arms during the lift, which turns the shrug into a partial upright row.
• Bouncing the bar at the bottom and using momentum instead of a controlled trap contraction.
• Cutting the range short and never reaching a full shoulder elevation at the top of the rep.