Traps exercise
Smith Machine ShrugHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Traps
- Equipment
- Smith
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Smith Machine Shrug?
- Set the bar at mid-thigh and stand with your feet under it.
- Grip it overhand, hands just outside your thighs, and unhook it.
- Lift your shoulders straight up towards your ears.
- Hold for a second at the top.
- Lower your shoulders slowly, then re-hook the bar after your last rep.
Cues
- Straight up, straight down.
- Arms long, elbows straight.
- Feet under the bar, stand tall.
Common mistakes
- Rolling your shoulders: just lift up and lower down.
- Standing too far back: step in so the bar touches your thighs.
- Bending your elbows: let your arms hang and lift only with your shoulders.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Smith bar hooked at mid-thigh height. Stand facing the bar, close enough that it touches the front of the thighs when unhooked, feet hip-width apart under the bar track, toes forward, knees soft (about 5–10°), hips straight, trunk tall. Overhand grip (palms facing the body), hands just outside the thighs (about 1.1 × shoulder width), thumbs wrapped, wrists straight. Stand up with the bar and rotate it off the hooks. Head neutral, gaze ahead.
The movement
The bar runs straight up and down in its fixed track; only the shoulder girdle moves. The bar stays in light contact with the thighs. No roll of the shoulders, no bend in the elbows, no knee dip, no lean of the trunk.
End position
Shoulders raised straight up towards the ears as high as they will go, about 8 cm above the start. Elbows still straight, the bar higher on the thighs by the same distance. Chin level, neck long. Hold 1 s.
Tempo
Up 1 s / hold 1 s / down 2 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grip width | 1.1 × shoulder width | 1.0–1.3 × | |
| Knee flexion (fixed) | 5° | 0–10° | |
| Trunk angle from vertical | 0° | 0–5°, no change in the rep | |
| Elbow flexion | 0° | 0–5° throughout | |
| Bar rise, start to end | 8 cm | same as the shoulder rise ±1 cm | |
| Bar distance from the thighs | 0 cm | 0–2 cm | |
| Feet position | under the bar track | bar over mid-foot ±3 cm |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Smith Machine Shrug is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
