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The Hise Shrug- Part 2

June 13, 2011
by Stephen R. Santangelo

http://www.primalfitness-systems.com/articles/archives/2011/exercises/the-hise-shrug-pt2.html

In The Hise Shrugs Part 1, I discussed the basic application of the Hise Shrug exercise. The emphasis of this exercise was for strength athletes. Endurance based athletes such as triathletes, biathletes (summer & winter), trail runners, adventure racers and cross country skiers can benefit greatly from this exercise as well.

Think of how many times, in training and competition, you may have had a severe neck cramp or a long, nagging ‘pain in the neck’ causing a great deal of muscular fatigue draining your energy.

The traps are shaped like triangles on the upper back. This design is built for stabilizing the shoulders and the neck. The more stable your traps become, the less movement there will be in the upper torso. This unnecessary movement often causes energy deficiency in body mechanics and deteriorates performance. This will, also, better allow you to position the head directly over the shoulders rather than creating goose neck posture.

Using Pro Athletic Bands or our Environmental Athletic Bands fulfills the needs of the endurance athlete. There’s absolutely no reason for the endurance athlete to handle heavy barbells for this exercise. Rather than wasting energy on heavy weights in the gym, redirect the effort towards something that will help increase performance.

Endurance athletes need to emphasis both muscular strength and muscular endurance. A good basic program would be to alternate every 3 weeks between strength based and endurance based programs.

Weeks 1-3:    3-4 sets x 3-5 reps to failure.

Weeks 4-6:    3 sets x 12-16 reps to near failure. You should max out at about 2 reps before complete failure. With this application you need to save a little gas in the tank.

Begin by placing one band under the left foot and over the top of the right shoulder. Take a second band and place it under the right foot and over the left shoulder. This will form an X pattern in the front & back of the body.

With each rep shrug the shoulders hard.

Squeeze and hold tight for a 2 count.

You must use the proper band size and tension to achieve the desired reps per set.

This exercise is best done at the end of a training session and be sure to stretch the traps and shoulders after completion of the exercise.

After 3-4 weeks of introducing the band resistance Hise Shrug you will notice a positive difference in training and comfort in your upper back and shoulders. This equates to improved performance which we’re all looking for!