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Paul Kelso Powerlifting



Paul Kelso Shrug System

Paul Kelso is a powerlifter that has done years of research on the best way to do a shrug. The result of all this research produced the Kelso Shrug System, which he markets on Amazon as Kelso’s Shrug Book. Although Paul has researched hundreds of ways to do a shrug he breaks it down to three primary shrugs.

The Lat Shrug: Holding a barbell in a bent-over rowing position with the barbell loaded with a weight that you could do between 8 or 10 with. Then selecting a close, underhand grip, without bending your elbows you then shrug the weight towards your chest, not your ears.

The objective is to shrug the weight towards your traps, as the barbell is lowered you need to think lats so that it is your lats that are lowering the weight. This takes a bit of practice, just the same as doing a lat pull-down without using biceps will come from your thinking as you try to isolate.

Bent Over Shrug: Standing in the same bent-over positions using an overhand grip on the barbell loaded with the same kind of weight used in the lat shrug. The accent this time will be on the middle trapezius and not on the lats. As your two scapula’s crunch together the traps will be contracted maximally.

The Rolling Motion: Standing in the same bent-over rowing position using the overhand grip you should shrug the loaded barbell up towards the ears. The objective is to move from focusing on the ears then rolling this contraction using your scapula towards the lower back.

This rolling motion puts the accent on a large area including from the upper back and neck muscles to the lower lat inserts towards the waist. The control of this moving contraction can be done from the top to the bottom or the other way around.

It takes time to master the different accents and how to use the weight to put a different angle of stress on the traps and lats, but with practice Paul assures us that using one of three moves above is the only way to get results. In his book Paul explains exactly how these three basic shrug lifts should be alternated for maximum results.


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DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.