Back · Cable
Cable Shrug
How to do the cable shrug, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hold the cable handles with an overhand grip, arms straight by your sides. Shrug your shoulders upward as high as possible, squeezing at the top, then slowly lower them back down.
- 1With arms straight, lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears; you should feel your upper traps contracting
- 2Pause at the top and squeeze before lowering under control
- 3Keep your arms relaxed and core engaged throughout
Common mistakes
- Don't roll your shoulders forward or backward, move straight up and down
- Avoid using momentum or bouncing the weight
- Don't crane your neck or lean forward, keep your head neutral and torso upright
Muscles worked
The cable shrug mainly works the upper traps.
- Upper TrapsPrimary
- ForearmsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
Cable Shrug strength standards
See how your cable shrug ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM27.5 lb
Silvere1RM57.5 lb
Golde1RM85 lb
Platinume1RM137.5 lb
Diamonde1RM220 lb
Champione1RM280 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the cable shrug for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the archer pull-up
- How to do the resistance band assisted pull-up
- How to do the machine assisted pull-up
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the machine back extension
- How to do the back lever
Last reviewed April 2026.