Dumbbell Incline Shrug

Secondary muscles

How to do it

1. Set an incline bench to about 45 degrees and sit with your chest supported against the pad.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang straight down at your sides with your palms facing in.
3. Plant your feet firmly on the floor and keep your chest against the bench.
4. Lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears without bending your elbows.
5. Pause briefly at the top, then lower your shoulders back down under control.
6. Repeat from a dead hang each rep.

Form cues

• Arms stay long
• Shrug straight up
• Keep chest on pad
• Lower with control

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows and turning the rep into a row
• Rolling the shoulders forward or backward at the top
• Lifting the chest off the bench to move the weight
• Using momentum and dropping quickly between reps

Breathing

Inhale at the bottom, exhale as you shrug your shoulders up, then inhale as you lower back down.