Smith Machine Behind the Back ShrugMuscles Worked
The behind-the-back Smith shrug works your upper traps, with your rear delts and the muscles around your shoulder blades helping keep the bar steady. Holding the bar behind your thighs lets your shoulders sit slightly back, and the fixed track makes heavy sets easy to control.
How to do it
- Set the Smith machine bar at about mid-thigh height and stand with your back to it.
- Reach back and grip the bar overhand about shoulder width apart, then twist it off the hooks.
- Stand tall with your arms straight, chest up and the bar resting against the backs of your thighs.
- Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears, keeping your arms and wrists relaxed and straight.
- Pause at the top, lower slowly to a full stretch, and rotate the bar back onto the hooks when the set is done.
Form tips
- Stand close enough that the bar slides along your legs, because standing too far forward pulls you off balance.
- Don't bend your elbows to help the lift, since that shifts work from your traps to your arms.
- Keep your chin level rather than pushing your head forward as you shrug.
Why it made the list
No. 11 of 12
Best Trap Exercises
Smith machine provides a fixed path for behind-the-back shrugs. Safe for heavy loading.
More trap exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Smith Machine Behind the Back Shrug sets in KasMaker and watch your traps and shoulders fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
