Press - shrug only

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have no reasoning other than, at some point in the last 6 years of my 1000000 hour spent reading and rereading the books and scouring this forum, I thought I remembered it being said that the shrug itself at the top of the press is what strengthens the small rotator cuff muscles.

Also, sometimes to warm up for bench or press I will holy an empty bar in a shrugged position, or hang from a pat pull down shrugged, or do a few exaggerated shrug face pulls. So I thought maybe just focusing on the shrug would potentially provide some additional useful strengthening of the rotator cuff.

Beyond that, I have no other reasoning, and certainly nothing scientific.

The shrug protects the rotator cuff tendons from impingement. It doesn't strengthen them per se. They are in contraction in this position, and so they are being progressively loaded, but the shrug itself is traps.

[Philbert]

Wouldn't this risk shoulder impingement (between the head of the humerus and the AC joint)?

This would be my concern as well (in addition to thinking there would be little benefit). Specifically, the end point of the eccentric portion would have the arm elevated above the head, the elbow locked, and the traps relaxed causing the acromion to point down toward the supraspinatus tendon. In the normal end range of a press the shrug is occurring as the humerus passes horizontal. If someone felt they absolutely had to strengthen their overhead shrug with specific work they should do isometric holds at the top of the movement.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Trap strength is not terribly specific to the movement pattern. Deadlifts and barbell shrugs (see the blue book) do the job admirably.

[Chickma2]

And power cleans, no?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Power cleans are sub-maximal traps.