Part Four in a Series
SHOULDER SHRUGS We have three rules to follow when selecting an auxiliary exercise for an athlete. The first: It must be of benefit to a high degree toa particular sport For example, working on the neck would be very important for football and wrestling but not very important for basketball or baseball. The second rule:
Auxiliary exercises must leave us with time and energy to work on running, agility and technique work The last rule: If there is a additional] auxiliary exercises may be increased or included.
Perhaps an athlete has a high percentage of body fat, ora weak upper body or is recovering from a knee injury. These are situations auxiliary exercises. We also have a basic premise that all sports should do the Shoulder Shrug: Starting Position Notice Trapezius Development core program. After this is done, then auxiliary exercises may be chosen. This is where each coach can establish his own identity. For example, the track coach may want his kids to do leg curls, leg extensions and step-ups. The wrestling coach may want to climb rope, do pull ups and neck exercises. The baseball coach may not want to do any auxiliary exercises inseason. All of these decisions fit into the BFS philosophy.
Shoulder Shrug: Lift as High as Possible MON.
WED.
Leg Curls & Ext.
Shoulder Shrugs have been selected as a high priority auxiliary lift for football and also wrestling. Shoulder Shrugs develop specifically the trapezius muscles. These muscles connect from the lower neck to the top of the shoulder. It is felt that strong thick trapezius muscles aid greatly in stabilizing the neck during contact or stress. These muscles may also have a cushioning effect upon the neck. Injury prevention is the key word with this auxiliary exercise. It is, of course, permissable to do this exercise twice a week but we feel with power pulls, cleans and dead lifts that once is sufÏcient. It is recommended that 2 sets of 10 reps be used for shoulder shrugs. Use a heavy weight.
| suggest a weight of 145 for high school athletes and work up from there.
[tis desirable to do your Shoulder Shrugs ina slow controlled manner. strong thick cord ofa trapezius muscle is developed it will also aid in the ability to place the bar on the shoulders during the squat A complete line of auxiliary lifts for all sports is shown on our video cassette programs. (See pages 8-9.)
Then Rotate Backward and Return to Starting Position.
Body Wt.
Body Wt.
H.S.
THE BFS HEIGHT —- WEIGHT HIGH SCHOOL LINEMEN
From BFS Magazine — January/February 1985. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
