Shrugs with handle on horn

This exercise strengthens the trapezius muscle and promotes your stability and posture.

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Preparation

Fix the sleds at hip height so that the horn tips are approximately in the middle of your thighs. Turn both sleds slightly inwards and stand with your back to the machine.

Starting Position

Stand stable and parallel. Grab each horn with one hand and keep your arms straight. You will already feel tension on the horn while standing upright. Keep your back straight and your stomach tight.

Execution

Raise both shoulders up and slightly back over the neck muscles at the same time. Hold the position briefly and then slowly return to the starting position. Keep your arms extended throughout the entire exercise.

Variants

Perform the movement alternatively alternating with one side and then with the other. This way you train both sides of the body equally.

Muscles Used

Neck

Tip

Imagine you want to push your shoulders as far back as possible behind your ears - calmly and controlled.

What makes this exercise particularly effective?

Alternating shrug with grip on the horn activates one side at a time, allowing the neck muscles and upper trapezius to be isolated and trained intensively. The guided movement on the EISENHORN DS ensures controlled and stable execution—momentum is minimized, keeping the focus on conscious contraction. The arms remain extended, which maintains constant leverage and delivers a clear, direct stimulus to the shoulder muscles. The alternating execution also stimulates neuromuscular coordination and prevents one side from compensating for the other.

What effect does the exercise achieve?

Targeted neck and trapezius strengthening: The upper trapezius muscle group and neck muscles are trained in isolation.
Muscle balance & compensation: Alternating strain helps identify and correct differences between the left and right sides.
Controlled execution: The guided movement enables precise contraction and minimizes momentum—ideal for clean muscular engagement.
Core stability & posture: The core is also activated to prevent compensatory movements and maintain an upright body posture.
Intensification through focus: Since each repetition is performed on one side, you can focus more on muscle tension, slow control, and maximum activation.

How does this exercise fit into the Big 5 concept?

The Big 5 include the fundamental exercises: squat, deadlift, bench press, pull-up or lat pulldown, and shoulder press. Even though the exercise Shrugs alternating with grip on the horn is not part of the classical Big 5, it can be a meaningful addition:

Strengthening of accessory stabilizers: A strong neck and trapezius chain supports posture and stability during basic exercises such as deadlifts or squats.
Increased shoulder/neck competence: In many sports and everyday activities, a stable neck is important—shrugs build exactly this strength.
Balance training: Asymmetrical exercises help identify and correct imbalances, which is an important aspect of injury prevention.
Varied stimulus setting: In combination with the Big 5, shrugs add an additional training component that specifically targets the upper pulling and holding muscles.