Smith Machine Behind the Back Shrug

How to perform

1. 01With the bar at thigh level, load an appropriate weight.
2. 02Stand with the bar behind you, taking a shoulder-width, pronated grip on the bar and unhook the weight. You should be standing up straight with your head and chest up and your arms extended. This will be your starting position.
3. 03Initiate the movement by shrugging your shoulders straight up. Do not flex the arms or wrist during the movement.
4. 04After a brief pause return the weight to the starting position.
5. 05Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before engaging the hooks to rack the weight.

Form cues

• —Lead with the elbows and finish by squeezing the target muscle.
• —Control the lowering phase — that is where most of the growth stimulus lives.

Common mistakes

• —Using momentum instead of the target muscle.
• —Cutting the range of motion short to add load.