In this article we'll cover a great shoulder, lateral movement known as the standing dumbbell shrug.  This exercise will help tie in the rear shoulder to the trap area and it's one of the most unique shoulder movements that you'll ever do.  One of the first things you'll need to do before doing this exercise is choose a weight that is right for you.  I'm pretty experienced with this exercise so I use a set of forty five pound dumbbells, if this is your first time doing this exercise however I recommend starting off with something between fifteen and twenty five pounds.  If you consider yourself an intermediate lifter you can go with a dumbbell between thirty and thirty five pounds. 

Just remember when selecting a weight for a new exercise, always error on the side of choosing a weight that is too light.  Also, it's important to not go to heavy on this exercise because you'll limit your range of motion which will end up limiting it's effectiveness. 

To get started grab your dumbbells and hang your arms with the weights down to your sides, once you're in the starting position you'll want to lean forward, bringing the dumbbells in front of you and close the chest up.  You'll know you're in the right position if you feel a stretch in your upper back.  Next you'll take a big breath in, open your chest up, at this point the dumbbells should be at your sides and then drive you're eblows up nice and high behind you.  Be sure to keep the pinky head of the dumbbell in so it touches the top of your buns and hold it there for a couple of seconds.  As you lower the weight back down and close your chest up you'll inhale slowly and then once you open your chest back up and have the weights at your side you'll do what I like to call "blow and row" which means you'll exhale quickly and explosively bring that weight up to that top position.  

You'll want to do two sets of this exercise, as far as number of reps that is up to you.  If you are looking to add some bulk to your back find a weight that allows you to do about eight to ten reps.  If you are just looking to tone your back find a weight that will allow you to do about twelve to fifteen reps. 

One thing I'd recommend on your second set is to use hand straps, one of the best ways to increase your grip strength is to do back exercises without hand straps so for the first set I recommend not using hand straps but if you use them on your second set you'll be able to focus less on increasing your grip strength and more on your rear shoulder and trap area.  By including this exercise on your chest and back or leg and back days you'll be well on your way to getting the defined back muscles that you're looking for.