Hit the traps from behind for that thick yoke.
Lift straight up, no rolling the shoulders. Rolling just stresses the joint without adding gains.
Holding the bar behind your glutes changes the pull line on your traps: with the load behind your body it is far harder to lean forward and cheat, and the shrug travels straight up through the meat of the upper traps. The job is the same as any shrug, elevate and squeeze, just from an angle that keeps you honest. A yoke builder for lifters bored of standard shrugs.
With the bar behind you, your shoulders naturally sit back instead of rolling forward, and it is much harder to hitch the weight up with body lean. Many lifters find they feel the traps more directly this way.
No. Rolling adds nothing for the traps and just grinds the shoulder joint. Straight up, hold the squeeze for a beat, straight down.
Behind the back holds are awkward and grip heavy. Use straps or chalk when the load climbs, the goal is trap fatigue, not a forearm test.
