If standard shrugs aren’t giving you the trap development or shoulder control you’re after, it might be time to switch things up.
The best shrug alternatives—like incline rows, face pulls, and farmer’s walks—target the traps more effectively while supporting better posture and long-term joint health.
Keep reading for a breakdown of each exercise and how to use them in your training.
Why You Might Want to Move Beyond Traditional Shrugs
Shrugs have long been a go-to for building trap size, especially the upper portion.
But the movement is often oversimplified—and when done with sloppy form or too much weight, it can do more harm than good.
Shrugs primarily target the upper traps, the muscles responsible for lifting your shoulders toward your ears.
While they do play an important role in stabilizing the neck and upper back, constantly hammering them with upward shrugs leaves the rest of the trapezius—especially the mid and lower portions—undertrained.
These neglected areas are just as important, especially for shoulder health, posture, and overall pulling strength.
One of the most common issues with traditional shrugs is poor form.
You’ll often see lifters loading up heavy dumbbells or a barbell and rushing through the movement with minimal control.
Instead of isolating the traps, this tends to invite momentum, leaning, and tension in the neck or arms—all of which shift focus away from the intended muscles.
The result? Overworked neck muscles, limited scapular movement, and a pattern that encourages the shoulders to stay elevated, reinforcing poor posture.
Another downside is that shrugs don’t train scapular retraction or depression—both key functions of the mid and lower traps.
These muscles help pull the shoulder blades back and down, which is critical for maintaining proper mechanics in overhead lifts, rows, and even day-to-day posture.
Shrugs simply don’t address that, which leaves a big gap in your upper back development.
This doesn’t mean shrugs are useless—but if your goal is balanced trap development, long-term shoulder health, or improving your posture and functional strength, then a more strategic approach makes sense.
Movements that allow for scapular motion, train different trap regions, and minimize neck strain give you far more upside in the long run.
The shrug alternatives covered in this article—like face pulls, incline chest-supported rows, and rack pulls—aren’t necessarily better for everyone.
But they are more effective for lifters who want full trap development, smarter loading patterns, and less risk of reinforcing the wrong movement habits.
If that’s where you’re headed, moving beyond traditional shrugs is a smart step forward.
A Smarter Trap Strategy: Understanding the Upper, Mid, and Lower Traps
To build stronger, more functional traps, it helps to understand what the muscle actually does—and why shrugging alone won’t cut it.
The trapezius isn’t just one muscle doing one thing. It’s a large, layered structure with three distinct regions, each playing a different role in how your upper body moves and stays stable.
The upper traps are the most visible and commonly trained part of the muscle.
They help elevate the shoulders and support load during carries or static holds.
Think of these as your “shrug muscles”—they’re heavily involved when you lift your shoulders toward your ears, like during dumbbell shrugs or when holding a heavy barbell in a deadlift lockout.
But that’s only one part of the picture.
The middle traps run horizontally across your upper back and are mainly responsible for scapular retraction—pulling your shoulder blades together.
This function is essential in any rowing movement, and it’s what helps you maintain tightness in your back during exercises like bent-over rows or when setting up for a bench press.
Without strong mid traps, your shoulder blades tend to drift, which can lead to instability and even injury.
Then there are the lower traps, which often get overlooked entirely.
These run downward in a V shape from your scapulae and play a crucial role in scapular depression—pulling the shoulder blades down and anchoring them during overhead movements.
They’re particularly important for shoulder health, helping to prevent impingement and supporting good mechanics in lifts like overhead presses, snatches, or pull-ups.
If your training only targets the upper traps, the result is a muscular imbalance.
You may end up with tight, overdeveloped upper traps while the mid and lower traps remain underactive.
This imbalance can show up as poor posture—rounded shoulders, forward head, and a constant “shrugged” look—or even as performance issues.
For example, if you can’t retract and depress your scapulae properly, you’ll struggle with stability during heavy pressing, rowing, or pulling exercises.
In practical terms, this means your trap training needs to go beyond simple elevation.
A well-rounded approach should involve:
- Elevation (upper traps) through movements like farmer’s walks or trap-bar shrugs
- Retraction (mid traps) through rows and pulling exercises
- Depression (lower traps) through movements that emphasize scapular control, like face pulls or incline chest-supported rows
The Top 5 Shrug Alternatives (And How to Do Them Right)
If you want stronger traps without relying on endless sets of shrugs, these five alternatives cover all the bases.
Each one emphasizes a different region of the trapezius and supports better posture, movement control, and joint health.
Whether you're training for strength, aesthetics, or function, these exercises are solid replacements that offer more well-rounded benefits.
Incline Chest-Supported Row
This is one of the best ways to directly target the mid-to-lower traps without overloading your spine.
Lying face-down on an incline bench removes the temptation to use momentum and forces your scapulae to do the work.
Set the bench to about a 30–45° angle.
With dumbbells or a barbell in hand, row by squeezing your shoulder blades together—not just pulling with your arms.
It’s important to move with intent here; rushing through the motion will shift the focus away from the traps and onto your arms or upper back.
Keep the reps controlled and pause briefly at the top of each row to reinforce scapular retraction.
This movement rewards patience more than heavy weight, so think of it as a stability-builder rather than a max-strength lift.
Face Pulls
Face pulls are often dismissed as a warm-up or corrective drill, but they’re incredibly valuable for building strong, functional traps—especially the lower portion.
They encourage good posture, improve shoulder mobility, and reinforce the mechanics your scapulae need to support bigger lifts.
Use a rope attachment on a cable machine set at about eye level.
As you pull the rope toward your forehead, keep your elbows high and flared outward.
The key is to actively squeeze your shoulder blades back and slightly down at the end of the motion.
That moment of peak contraction is where most of the trap engagement happens.
You don’t need much weight.
Focus on clean reps, a controlled pace, and holding the top position for a second or two to get the full benefit.
Rack Pulls (Partial Deadlifts)
Rack pulls are a heavy-duty option that let you overload the traps and posterior chain without the mobility demands of a full deadlift.
By limiting the range of motion—typically starting just below or above the knees—you remove stress from the hips and low back while zeroing in on upper and mid-trap activation.
Set the bar on safety pins or blocks inside a rack at knee height.
Use a standard deadlift stance, grip the bar, and pull by driving your hips forward and pulling your shoulders back at lockout.
That final position—standing tall with a retracted upper back—is where the traps work hardest.
To get the most from this lift, don’t just stand up and drop the bar. Hold the top for a second and lower under control to reinforce scapular stability.
These are best done for lower reps with heavier loads, as they’re more about strength and tension than volume.
Farmer’s Walks
Few movements build functional trap strength like a properly loaded farmer’s walk.
Holding heavy weight in each hand challenges the upper traps isometrically, while forcing your entire upper body to stay engaged and upright.
You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, or a trap bar.
Keep your chest up, shoulders pulled slightly back and down, and walk with slow, deliberate steps.
The goal isn’t just to carry the weight—it’s to carry it well.
This is a great option for improving posture under load and developing trap endurance, especially for athletes or lifters who need carryover to real-world or sport-specific movement.
Trap-Bar Shrugs
This is the most direct alternative to traditional shrugs, with one key advantage: the neutral grip and positioning of the trap bar reduce stress on the wrists and spine while allowing heavy loading.
It’s one of the safest ways to target the upper traps directly.
Stand inside a trap or hex bar, deadlift it into position, and shrug straight upward.
Don’t roll your shoulders or lean forward—just lift and lower in a vertical path.
To increase trap engagement, pause briefly at the top and lower slowly with control.
The trap-bar shrug gives you the freedom to go heavy without sacrificing posture, which makes it a valuable finishing move on upper-body or full-body training days.
Programming Tips: How to Fit These Moves Into Your Training
Adding shrug alternatives into your program isn’t just about swapping exercises—it’s about being intentional with how, when, and why you use them.
These movements work best when they’re treated as part of a broader strategy, not just thrown in at random.
To start, consider replacing standard shrugs once or twice a week with one or two of the alternatives covered earlier.
The goal isn’t to hit every single variation in every session but to build a well-rounded rotation over time.
For example, you might include face pulls and farmer’s walks on upper-body accessory days, and incline chest-supported rows and rack pulls on back- or pull-focused days.
Trap-bar shrugs can work well at the end of full-body or lower-body sessions as a finisher.
A simple weekly setup could look like this:
- Day 1 (Pull Day or Upper Body A):
– Incline Chest-Supported Rows – 3 sets of 8–12 reps
– Rack Pulls – 3 sets of 6–8 reps, focusing on scapular control at the top - Day 2 (Upper Body B or Conditioning/Finisher Focus):
– Face Pulls – 3–4 sets of 12–15 reps, slow and controlled
– Farmer’s Walks – 3 rounds of 30–60 seconds or 20–40 meters - Optional Add-on (Full Body/Lower Day):
– Trap-Bar Shrugs – 3–4 sets of 8–12, using a slow eccentric
Use 4–6 week cycles to track progress, adjusting weight, reps, or sets gradually.
Don’t feel pressured to overload these movements too quickly.
Progression can come from longer carries, tighter form, longer pauses, or more time under tension—not just heavier weights.
Most importantly, focus on quality over quantity.
Every movement in this category relies on proper scapular mechanics to be effective.
That means you should feel your shoulder blades moving deliberately, your posture staying upright, and your traps—not your neck or arms—doing the work.
If you're chasing numbers at the expense of clean, controlled reps, you're missing the point.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Shrug Alternatives
Shrug alternatives are only as effective as the way you perform them.
While these exercises offer more comprehensive benefits than standard shrugs, they also demand more control, awareness, and precision.
Avoiding a few common pitfalls can make the difference between just “doing the movements” and actually getting long-term results.
One of the biggest mistakes is rushing through reps without moving your shoulder blades properly.
Many of these exercises—like face pulls and incline rows—are designed to train scapular retraction and depression.
If you're just pulling with your arms or bouncing through the motion, you're bypassing the very muscles you’re trying to train.
Slowing down your reps and focusing on the squeeze at the top can dramatically increase trap engagement.
Another issue is using momentum instead of control, especially in cable and row variations.
This often shows up as swinging the torso or yanking the weight rather than keeping the movement clean and tight.
Not only does this reduce the work your traps are doing, it increases the risk of compensating with the neck, arms, or lower back—all of which can lead to imbalances or irritation over time.
When it comes to heavy lifts like rack pulls and loaded carries, it's easy to fall into the trap of going too heavy at the expense of posture.
If you're rounding your shoulders forward during a farmer’s walk or leaning back to lock out a rack pull, you’re not effectively targeting the traps—and you’re reinforcing poor movement patterns.
Always keep your chest tall, shoulders slightly pulled back, and spine in a neutral position.
The load should challenge your stability, not break it.
It’s also important not to overemphasize one part of the trap at the expense of the others.
Just because upper traps are more visible doesn’t mean they should get all the attention.
A smart training plan balances movements that hit all three regions: upper (shrugs, carries), mid (rows), and lower (face pulls, scapular depressions).
Ignoring this balance can lead to muscular imbalances and limited progress.
Other Variations Worth Trying (Bonus Section)
While the five main shrug alternatives cover a lot of ground, there are a handful of lesser-known options that can add even more variety and precision to your training.
These variations aren’t mandatory, but they’re worth exploring if you want to fine-tune your trap development or work around equipment limitations.
Kelso shrugs are a smart addition if you want to zero in on mid and lower traps without loading the spine.
Performed while lying chest-down on a flat or incline bench, they involve retracting the shoulder blades without rowing the weight.
That small, deliberate shrug-like movement—done with light dumbbells or a barbell—teaches pure scapular control.
It’s ideal as an activation drill or high-rep accessory when you’re trying to build awareness and balance across the traps.
For upper trap isolation, Smith machine shrugs or behind-the-back barbell shrugs can be useful when you want strict movement with less room for error.
The fixed path of the Smith machine removes some stability demands, letting you focus purely on elevating the shoulders with control.
Behind-the-back shrugs shift the line of pull slightly, which some lifters find helps reduce neck involvement.
Both work best with lighter loads and longer time under tension.
If you're training at home or want something bodyweight-friendly, push-up scapular shrugs offer a simple but effective option.
In a plank or push-up position, allow your shoulder blades to sink together, then push them apart without bending your elbows.
It’s a great way to train scapular control and trap activation in a low-load, high-frequency setting—especially helpful for posture and shoulder health.
Advanced lifters looking to build explosive upper-back strength might experiment with snatch-grip shrugs.
These are done with a wide grip and typically heavier weight, mimicking the top position of an Olympic lift.
The movement requires a quick, forceful shrug while maintaining tension through the traps and lats.
It’s a more dynamic, technical variation, but for those with the experience and mobility, it’s excellent for reinforcing explosive trap recruitment.
These variations are tools, not essentials.
If your main movements are dialed in and your goals demand more nuance, they’re worth rotating in.
Otherwise, keep them in your back pocket as optional upgrades or solutions for specific needs.
Conclusion
Shrug alternatives offer a more balanced, joint-friendly way to build strong, functional traps.
By targeting different parts of the muscle with smart, controlled movements, you get better posture, shoulder health, and carryover to real lifts.
Rotate a few of these into your routine and you’ll quickly feel the difference.
