Calf-Machine Shoulder Shrug

What it is

This exercise isolates your trapezius muscles, building strength and definition in your upper back and neck. You perform the movement on a calf machine, elevating your shoulders toward your ears. It is a beginner-level pull exercise for focused trap development.

Technique tips

• Ensure shoulder pads rest comfortably above your shoulders.
• Keep your torso straight and your arms relaxed.
• Raise your shoulders directly towards your ears with control.
• Exhale as you lift, holding the peak contraction briefly.
• Control the weight slowly on the way down as you inhale.
• Focus the movement entirely through your trapezius muscles.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.