Originally Posted by Eric3237

Good on ya.

JW, I would definitely rate the power shrug over "shrugs" but it is a very misunderstood thing due to the usual internet BS.

You got some people who hate them and just call them a cheat movement. Which is ignorant and others who say to load up the bar with everything you got and introduce leg drive....

As usual a bunch of extremes.

People (not necessarily you) seem to think the PS is a way to basically shrug heavier by introducing more drive into it. Really a good way for people to get screwed.

For anyone wanting to do power shrugs start out with much less weight than you would normally shrug and work it up. And it's not leg drive it's hip drive.

The PS is bascially a component of the clean. It is used as a teaching tool leading up to the clean. You can't clean as much as you can shrug and you damn sure should not be trying to power shrug near as much as you shrug. You can build on the weight and it will prepare you more for the hang clean but it's not just a "heavier shrug". The advantage to trap development is similar to all the OL lifts but like any power of speed lift you should be using less weight. Going too heavy can severely strain the shoulder girdle and it may be that the weight and force will simply be more traction than someone can control...meaning pop, there goes RC.

Eventually you should probalby be PS'ing huge loads but I simply want to counter the instruction I've read quite a few times about "needing more weight" in general.

So to begin start with a good deal less weight than you would use in a regular shrug. If you are already experienced at heavier cleaning exercises like power clean then you will of course be able to power shrug more. But NEVER start out by using it as a "cheat movement" to the regular shrug.