Exercise
HANGING ASSISTED ONE ARM SHRUGS - LEFT
Form cues
About
The scapular shrug pattern loaded onto your left arm, with your right hand lightly assisting — building single-arm shoulder control before progressing to unassisted one-arm work.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Load the left arm
From a two-hand hang, shift most of your bodyweight onto your left arm while your right hand rests lightly for balance.
Right hand stays lightDepress the shoulder blade
Keeping your left arm straight, pull that shoulder blade down and back, letting your body rise slightly.
Straight arm, shoulder blade onlyRelease with control
Slowly let the shoulder blade rise back up, lowering your body slightly, without losing tension in the arm.
Control the releaseRepeat through the set
Continue shrugging on the left arm for the prescribed time, keeping your core braced and feet together throughout.
Core tight, feet togetherCommon mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Bending the working elbow
Bending the arm turns the shrug into a mini pull-up and shifts the target.
Keep the left arm locked straight for every rep.
Assisting hand takes over
Leaning too much on the right hand removes the single-arm challenge.
Keep that hand light — just enough for balance.
Rushing the tempo
Fast, small shrugs skip the full range that builds shoulder control.
Slow down and fully depress and release each rep.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Two-Hand Scapula Shrug
Return to the two-hand version if single-arm loading feels too advanced.
Unassisted One-Arm Shrug (Left)
Fully release the right hand once single-arm control improves.
Included in