The Hise Shrug

[Keith Wassung]

The Hise shrug, invented by Joseph Curtis Hise, who was often referred to as the "Father of American weight training" was a staple movement for strength athletes in the past. Today, it is seldom, if ever performed. In my 32 years of training, I have never seen anyone other than myself perform this movement which is unfortunate because it's an incredible exercise for upper back and even overall strength and development. To perform the Hise shrug, get into the exact position that you would for performing a back squat, with the bar high up on your traps. Stand erect and simply shrug your shoulders as high as possible to your ears. Pause as the top for a least a full second, lower and repeat. Coordinate your breathing so that you inhale as you shrug upwards and exhale as you let the shoulders back down. Start with moderate weights to get the form down, but eventually the goal is to use very heavy weights for very repetitions in the 20-25 range. This exercise will hurt-I can promise you that-but you will be rewarded with increased growth in your upper back and traps. I have also found that it also helps to establish a solid base for positioning the bar when doing squats.

Another version of this movement is to get into a standing calf machine with a solid foot placement and do shrugs with the yoke of the machine across the top of the shoulders. Use the same formula as the traditional Hise Shrugs-one heavy set of 20- 25 reps. I would perform the Hise Shrug at the end of the back workout as it can be quite taxing.

Let me add something about shrugs and trap work in general. The vast majority of people, including athletes and people who lift, have a VERY restricted range of motion in their trapezius. I have been doing clinical exams for nearly 19 years now and literally everybody I have ever examined has a VERY restricted ROM in the traps. Some exceptions would be Olympic lifters, some field athletes and or guys who have worked in the gym to improve their ROM. If you are tight and or have restricted ROM in the traps-and I bet that is 80-90% of you, then you will have to spend some time working to improve it. The best way that I know is do do a bunch of no weight shrugs throughout the day-do it in the car, in the bathroom, in the empty hallway, standing in line at the restaurant or gas station, you do a quick shrug to the ears-get up as high as you can, hold the contraction for 2-3 sections and then go even higher. Aim to touch your shoulders to your ears. Do it over and over and over-a little tip in weight training-repetition will fix just about anything. Do this in the morning when you wake up, do it in the shower, as you brush your teeth. Do this for 2-3 weeks and then start doing it with a broomstick-learn to do full rom shrugs with an empty bar, then do shrugs with an empty bar and gradually add weight. Once you improve the trapezius ROM, you will see INCREDIBLE results when you train them-contraction is one of the key elements and I dont care how much weight you use, if you are not getting the proper muscular contraction, you are selling yourself short in terms of reaching your own potential.

As is true with life and in the gym-if you are willing to pay the price that others will not-you will reap the benefits that others will not"

Keith Wassung

[Tim Francis]

Interesting stuff. Definately will give these a try, do these have any effect on the rhomboids when the arms are back holding the bar on the shoulders?

Keith have you read the Kelso shrug book, what are your thoughts?

[Keith Wassung]

Interesting stuff. Definately will give these a try, do these have any effect on the rhomboids when the arms are back holding the bar on the shoulders?

Keith have you read the Kelso shrug book, what are your thoughts?

Paul (Kelso) actually references me in one of his shrugs books-very, very good stuff in there

[D.J. Satterfield]

Interesting, will give these a try.
I have been doing these on the calf machine(on and off) but never with a barbell.

[Tim Francis]

Paul (Kelso) actually references me in one of his shrugs books-very, very good stuff in there

Always looking for something new on the training front. You've whetted my appetite with these, will be in the gym trying them, I may also get kelsos book.

[Randall Strossen]

Keith -

Thank you for launching this thread - I am always surprised when someone mentions Hise shrugs because I think so few people know about them.

I've never done Hise shrugs but ran into them when I was reading extensive amounts of J.C. Hise material inspired by my research for my book SUPER SQUATS. Hise referred to these shrugs as symbolic squats, to give you an idea of how highly he esteemed them - saw them as an a gentler way to get at least some of the growth-stimulating benefits associated with classic 20-rep squat programs.

You aroused my curiosity with that line "Father of American weight training" - had never heard that before that I can recall, so maybe you can say some more about that, please?

[KarstenJensen]

The Hise shrug, invented by Joseph Curtis Hise, who was often referred to as the "Father of American weight training" was a staple movement for strength athletes in the past. Today, it is seldom, if ever performed. In my 32 years of training, I have never seen anyone other than myself perform this movement which is unfortunate because it's an incredible exercise for upper back and even overall strength and development. To perform the Hise shrug, get into the exact position that you would for performing a back squat, with the bar high up on your traps. Stand erect and simply shrug your shoulders as high as possible to your ears. Pause as the top for a least a full second, lower and repeat. Coordinate your breathing so that you inhale as you shrug upwards and exhale as you let the shoulders back down. Start with moderate weights to get the form down, but eventually the goal is to use very heavy weights for very repetitions in the 20-25 range. This exercise will hurt-I can promise you that-but you will be rewarded with increased growth in your upper back and traps. I have also found that it also helps to establish a solid base for positioning the bar when doing squats.

Another version of this movement is to get into a standing calf machine with a solid foot placement and do shrugs with the yoke of the machine across the top of the shoulders. Use the same formula as the traditional Hise Shrugs-one heavy set of 20- 25 reps. I would perform the Hise Shrug at the end of the back workout as it can be quite taxing.

Let me add something about shrugs and trap work in general. The vast majority of people, including athletes and people who lift, have a VERY restricted range of motion in their trapezius. I have been doing clinical exams for nearly 19 years now and literally everybody I have ever examined has a VERY restricted ROM in the traps. Some exceptions would be Olympic lifters, some field athletes and or guys who have worked in the gym to improve their ROM. If you are tight and or have restricted ROM in the traps-and I bet that is 80-90% of you, then you will have to spend some time working to improve it. The best way that I know is do do a bunch of no weight shrugs throughout the day-do it in the car, in the bathroom, in the empty hallway, standing in line at the restaurant or gas station, you do a quick shrug to the ears-get up as high as you can, hold the contraction for 2-3 sections and then go even higher. Aim to touch your shoulders to your ears. Do it over and over and over-a little tip in weight training-repetition will fix just about anything. Do this in the morning when you wake up, do it in the shower, as you brush your teeth. Do this for 2-3 weeks and then start doing it with a broomstick-learn to do full rom shrugs with an empty bar, then do shrugs with an empty bar and gradually add weight. Once you improve the trapezius ROM, you will see INCREDIBLE results when you train them-contraction is one of the key elements and I dont care how much weight you use, if you are not getting the proper muscular contraction, you are selling yourself short in terms of reaching your own potential.

As is true with life and in the gym-if you are willing to pay the price that others will not-you will reap the benefits that others will not"

Keith Wassung

Hi Keith,

I agree with your statement.. "If you are tight and or have restricted ROM in the traps-and I bet that is 80-90% of you, then you will have to spend some time working to improve it"..However, in my experience the problem is often that the upper traps are to short and have trigger points. So to get that full range of motion, I find that most lifters will have to also stretch the upper traps and massage the muscle, for example with the stick.

I personally feel that all powerlifters should do Hise Shrug to build that platform for the bar.

Karsten

[jakesalisbury]

sweeet

dunno about you guys but i cant wait for back day

[Bill Crawford]

Great thread Keith. I did Hise shrugs when I was recovering from bicep tendon surgery. I did them with a safety squat bar and found them to be effective. Why not do them all the time? I guess they should become part of training.

I really like the bit about trapezius ROM. Could you elaborate a little more on the particulars of gaining more ROM in the trapezius area? Also, what are the main problems associated with a lack of ROM in the traps?

Bill

[Keith Wassung]

I believe in full range of motion exercises whenever possible---and if there is a restriction in that range of motion--often due to tightnes and maybe training patterns or scar tissue--then training and results will never be optimal. For example, I have seen a lot of guys that wanted to do full squats but lacked the flexiblilty to do so--and then can stretch till the cows come home with little improvement (nothing against stretching mind you) but doing repetitive range of motions will improve the flexibility and range of motion far better than any type of static stretching. I have had guys do countless number of bodyweight squats--not just in training--but all day long-standing in line at Starbucks, while watching tv, just before bed, etc and within 2-3 weeks they have improved their flexibility (mostly because they have worked the joints through a full range of motion) to a degree that they can begin doing full squats. Pavel talks a lot about this in his book and I think he is largely correct and it mirrors what I have seen in the clinic.

I also like to do overhead shrugs--press a bar overhead--either with a pres grip or snatch grip and then "shrug" up and down. Take two dumbells-press then overhead and then shrug them as high as possible and go "for a stroll" almost like an overhead farmers walk. One of my favorites is to do bent leg deadlifts--or even a Romanian style deadlift-but keep the bar "shrugged" throughout the entire exercise--you cant use a heavy weight on these--burtual--you will feel as though you have been smacked by the hand of the Almighty himself. Lots of fun on shrug variations.

K

[Keith Wassung]

Doc,

I grew up near the Raders in Nebraska and got to know both of them over the years. Mabel was the first to make this reference and she was quite the iron historian. I have seen it in print as well and will try to find the exact reference

Keith -

Thank you for launching this thread - I am always surprised when someone mentions Hise shrugs because I think so few people know about them.

I've never done Hise shrugs but ran into them when I was reading extensive amounts of J.C. Hise material inspired by my research for my book SUPER SQUATS. Hise referred to these shrugs as symbolic squats, to give you an idea of how highly he esteemed them - saw them as an a gentler way to get at least some of the growth-stimulating benefits associated with classic 20-rep squat programs.

You aroused my curiosity with that line "Father of American weight training" - had never heard that before that I can recall, so maybe you can say some more about that, please?

[Randall Strossen]

Doc,

I grew up near the Raders in Nebraska and got to know both of them over the years. Mabel was the first to make this reference and she was quite the iron historian. I have seen it in print as well and will try to find the exact reference

Keith -

Very interesting - many thanks!

[Kim Wood]

what about "the Rader Chest Pull"?

[John Minster]

I'm a little confused here. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to do the Hise shrug, but if you're talking about ROM, I gotta believe this shrug uses less ROM than a conventional shrug. Am I missing something?

As for the Rader chest pull I think it works triceps/back more than the chest. I do realize this is Kim's dry sense of humor.

Thanks
John

[Keith Wassung]

I'm a little confused here. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to do the Hise shrug, but if you're talking about ROM, I gotta believe this shrug uses less ROM than a conventional shrug. Am I missing something?

As for the Rader chest pull I think it works triceps/back more than the chest. I do realize this is Kim's dry sense of humor.

Thanks
John

John, you are correct. the Hise Shrug does use less ROM than a conventional shrug ( which I seldom do, having switched over to the Bill Starr Power Shrug many years ago) but you still have to get as much of a ROM as you can and if that is biomechanically limited, then I believe your results will be less than optimal.

[Kim Wood]

John, no humor intended. I used to use the Rader Chest Pull...
these days I do shrugs with my "Magic Circle"(I never liked
"the circle" for squats( the weight shifted too much for me))...the "direct"
force on the shoulders is awesome. For any shrugs I always
coached "high shrugs" and "low shrugs"... "high shrugs" lighter weights
"shoulders to ears" and "low shrugs" with very heavy weights and a
much shorter range of motion. I really like Paul Kelso's take on shrugging.

[Randall Strossen]

I'm big on the Rader Chest Pull and probably mentioned in SUPER SQUATS that I feel it's far superior to stiff arm pullovers for lifting/expanding the rib cage.

The Rader Chest Pull is not a direct muscle building movement, but rather something you use immediately following a set of heavy 20-rep squats to really crack open your chest structure. Might take a little practice to learn how to do correctly, but absolutely worth it.

Like Kim, I never preferred the Magic Circle for squatting - frankly, I rarely even use a cambered bar, but just use an Eleiko weightlifting bar for everything.

[Chris Rice]

It's an old controversy but how much stretching do you think is possible as an adult in the ribcage? I tend to think at my age - it's more about keeping what I have and perhaps restoring what I once had when younger. I have done what I call breathing exercises since I was very young and believe highly in them. I have always believed in the old saying "as go the legs and lungs, so goes the man" - keeping the breathing muscles strong certainly should have value but it's not something many place any importance on these days.

[Keith Wassung]

I'm big on the Rader Chest Pull and probably mentioned in SUPER SQUATS that I feel it's far superior to stiff arm pullovers for lifting/expanding the rib cage.

The Rader Chest Pull is not a direct muscle building movement, but rather something you use immediately following a set of heavy 20-rep squats to really crack open your chest structure. Might take a little practice to learn how to do correctly, but absolutely worth it.

Like Kim, I never preferred the Magic Circle for squatting - frankly, I rarely even use a cambered bar, but just use an Eleiko weightlifting bar for everything.

I am sure you have a few of those lying around---kind of like Bill Gates having a few laptops lying around the house-lol

[Randall Strossen]

Keith -

I've never considered myself a collector, but I do have Jim Douglass's and J.C. Hise's Magic Circles (the latter due to the generosity of Joe Roark). Jim Douglass, who invented this piece of equipment, made three - those two, plus one for Chester Teegarden. IronMind made a version for a while, but we have not carried it for years.

Chris -

Yes, absolutely, and I almost mentioned in passing that some people questioned whether the rib cage could actually be expanded, or, as you wonder, whether there's an age at which this is no longer possible.

All -

I had to run home to meet a contractor, so slipped into my garage and did a set of 20-rep squats followed by a set of 20 Rader Chest Pulls while I was there and absolutely guarantee you that the Rader Chest Pulls contribute to the feeling of lifting your chest. They also seem to encourage good posture - pretty important since I'll be spending most of the day at my desk and could easily slip into a slump.