StrengthIn review

Dumbbell Shrug

A shoulder elevation with a dumbbell in each hand.

This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.

Pattern: Scapular elevation
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner
Mechanic: Unknown
Force: Unknown
Laterality: Bilateral
Impact: Low
Trains where: Gym, Home
At home: Yes

How to do it

Set up

Stand tall with the feet about hip width apart.
Hold one dumbbell in each hand with the arms straight.

Do the rep

Lift both shoulders toward the ears without bending the elbows.
Lower the shoulders under control to the start position.

What counts as a rep

A rep counts when both shoulders rise and return to the start position with the elbows straight.

Breathing

Exhale as the shoulders rise; inhale as they lower.

Cues

Lift the shoulders.
Keep the elbows straight.
Keep the head still.

Common mistakes

Elbows bend
What you seeThe dumbbells rise because the elbows bend.
FixUse less weight and keep the arms straight.
Straight elbows keep the movement at the shoulders.
Shoulders roll
What you seeThe shoulders circle forward or backward.
FixLift and lower the shoulders without circling them.
A direct lift preserves the shoulder elevation path.

Stop the set if

Stop if you feel sharp pain.
Stop if you cannot lower the weights under control.
End the set when you cannot complete the stated rep under control.

General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.

Muscles worked

Prime movers

Trapezius · moderate confidence

Assisting

Upper back · moderate confidence
Forearms and grip · moderate confidence
Deep core / trunk stabilizers · moderate confidence

Equipment

Dumbbell

Optional: Bench

Stand tall with the feet about hip width apart. Hold one dumbbell in each hand with the arms straight.

In the app

You log this by hand. The camera coach does not watch this movement yet.

Tracking: Camera candidate

How this page was checked

Draft. A editorial reviewer has not signed this off yet.

Draft text is original copy for Wave 2 batch 10, written from the blueprint CSV row and the owner rules approved on 2026-10-12 in #340. No human review is complete.
Technique, cues, rep standard, breathing, stop cues, and error corrections need independent sources and the assigned review tier (blueprint two-source rule).
Programming roles, skill tier, failure cost, timed use, goal fit, and equipment follow the owner rules; the switch-on PR must confirm them.
Anatomy uses the CSV planning hints unless an exception is stated; the assigned review tier must confirm it.
Legacy relations and engine edges stay empty until the progression ladder lane and S2-CAT-005.
Rule 4 skips no aliases in this batch. All 21 rows remain separate draft records; the owner can make overlaps aliases in the switch-on PR.
Timed use and goal fit copy ex_face_pull, the closest Wave 1 record. Timed use remains disallowed; no Wave 1 review evidence is claimed for this draft.
Exception to the CSV horizontal-pull pattern and its row role mapping (rule 2): a shrug elevates the shoulders and pulls nothing toward the torso. Use scapular-elevation with secondary_pull and isolation_target, as ex_face_pull.
Skill tier beginner (rule 3): a new user can perform one clean rep in the first session with a suitable load.
Failure cost low (rule 3): the user stops by lowering the dumbbells, as ex_dumbbell_biceps_curl and ex_dumbbell_lateral_raise.
Exception to CSV home False (rule 1): home is yes because the required dumbbells and bench are home items.
Rule 1 sets dumbbell quantity 2: the movement uses two dumbbells, as ex_dumbbell_biceps_curl.
Anatomy exception to the generic CSV row hints: traps are primary for shoulder elevation; upper-back, forearms-grip, and deep-core are secondary. Remove lats, mid-back, biceps, and rear-deltoids from this shrug draft. Coach review must confirm the muscle priorities.
Prescription uses load-and-reps with load in kg (rule 1), as ex_one_arm_dumbbell_row and ex_dumbbell_biceps_curl. The load_unit constraint states the unit explicitly; load basis and rep range still need review.
Shoulder range and neck position need coach review. The optional bench permits a seated setup.

All instruction and editorial text in this record is original draft copy written for Allena. Planning metadata comes from the internal Wave-2 blueprint CSV.

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