Dumbbell Shrug
Muscles worked: Traps (assisted by forearms).
How to do it
- Stand erect with a dumbbell on each hand (palms facing your torso), arms extended on the sides.
- Lift the dumbbells by elevating the shoulders as high as possible while you exhale.
- Lower the dumbbells back to the original position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Bells at your sides, not in front
- Straight up, hold the top a beat
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 10 to 15 rep range, progressing in 2 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Barbell Shrug - traps
- Rack Pull - back, traps
- Farmer's Carry - forearms, traps
- Cable Shrug - traps
Track the dumbbell shrug properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.