Major Muscles That Act At The Shoulder Girdle

MUSCLE	ORIGIN	INSERTION	PRIMARY FUNCTION(S)
Trapezius	Occipital bone, spines of cervical and thoracic vertebrae	Acromion process and spine of scapula	Upper: elevation of scapula; middle: adduction of scapula; lower: depression of scapula
Levator scapulae	Upper four or five cervical vertebrae	Vertebral border of scapula	Elevation of scapula

EXERCISES

Upright Rows

· Use a close or wide grip.

· Bring the bar up to the chin.

· The elbows should come up higher than the bar.

· Exhale on the lift.

Dumbbell Shrugs

· Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing inward and the weights hanging at arms' length at your sides.

· Drop both shoulders down as far as possible then raise your shoulders while rotating them in a circular motion from front to rear. Keep your spine as straight as possible.

· You can do this standing or seated on a flat bench with your feet on the floor.

· The non-rotating version is shown here.

· You can also do this with a barbell.

Most shoulder exercises also work the traps.