This exercise targets different areas of the traps that are not worked with regular shrugs. This is accomplished with a unique body position.
How to incorporate this exercise into your workouts:
The Ski-Jump Shrug can be done anywhere in your workout routine, though I usually prefer to work traps towards the end of a workout.
1. Not leaning forward enough
For this exercise to be effective, you need to be leaning forward enough so that if you let go of the bar, you’d fall forward. On the flip side, be sure you’re not leaning so far forward that you can’t get a decent shrugging movement.
2. Failing to squeeze at the top
This trap exercise benefits greatly from a strong hold and squeeze at the top of the movement.
1. Sink into it
As you shrug up, allow your bodyweight to pull you down. This forces your arms even further behind your back, increasing the contraction in your traps.
2. Using an incline bench
You may be thinking “can I just lie face down on an incline bench?” Of course you can. You’ll be hitting the muscle fibers from a similar angle. The main drawback to lying on a bench is in the tension. When you are suspending your bodyweight from the bar, you put more tension on the middle traps as they are contracting in order to help support you. This continuous pulling increases the contraction. When you take away this supporting role by supporting yourself, you lose some of the potential value of the exercise by decreasing the tension.