Although often included in a shoulder workout barbell shrugs target the muscles of the upper back.
Barbell shrugs muscles worked.
Below is a breakdown of the primary muscle groups involved in this.
Barbell shrugs work the trapezius muscles and the shoulders are also involved to a pretty decent degree.
Shoulder shrugs are easy to do and are a great exercise option for strengthening your shoulders and other muscles too.
What muscles do shoulder shrugs work.
The verdict both versions of the barbell shrug are effective for building the traps as they both hit them from a slightly different angle which builds different muscle fibers.
The trapezius or traps for short is a superficial close to the surface of the skin muscle of the back that was named after its trapezoid shape.
Muscles worked shrugs the shrug is an upper body exercise that can be done to increase trapezius and upper back hypertrophy.
Therefore to work your upper traps to the max the standard barbell shrug to the front is the better option as it allows you to lift much heavier weights.
Understanding muscle function and proper execution of the exercise helps you best incorporate it into your strength training routine.
If you want to build up the upper back barbell shrugs are the move for you.