What does PocketAthlete actually do?

You log each morning: sleep, soreness and fatigue. It scores your readiness, adjusts that day's session, and builds four-week training blocks around your sport, your position and the equipment you have.

Is it only for footballers?

No. It covers football, rugby, basketball, running, weightlifting and general gym training, with position-specific work for the team sports.

No. Tell it what you have and it programs around it. Many of the technical drills need nothing but a ball and a wall.

Can it work around an injury?

It works around soreness you log and avoids body parts you tell it to leave alone. It is general training information, not medical advice — see a physiotherapist for a diagnosis.

PocketAthlete Join the waitlist

Barbell Shrug

Directly builds the traps.

StrengthBarbellControlledAll barbell exercises All back exercises

What it works

Back

How to do it

1Hold the bar at arm's length in front of or behind you.
2Shrug the shoulders straight up toward the ears, hold for a beat, then lower fully.
3Rolling the shoulders is pointless and hard on the joint — the movement is straight up and straight down.

Cues that matter

›Shrug straight up to the ears
›Pause at the top
›No rolling the shoulders

Watch a form guide for the barbell shrug ↗

Train the same thing

Barbell PulloverBarbell · Back
Barbell RowBarbell · Back
Bent Over RowBarbell · Back
Bent-over barbell rowBarbell · Back, Rear delts, Biceps
Conventional deadliftBarbell · Hamstrings, Glutes, Back
Meadows RowBarbell · Back

Get a training block built around you

PocketAthlete builds your program from your sport, your position and how recovered you actually are that morning — then adapts it as you log sessions.

Join the waitlist →