60% of a bull’s mass is in his traps.

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Hey guys, Shrugthug here.

Let me go off the record in saying this –

I don’t actually think my traps are that big. Well, they aren’t big ENOUGH. I admit they are disproportionate to the rest of my body, sure, and they are probably one of the only remotely visible pieces of evidence of the fact that I lift weights. The bottom line is I weigh 175lbs and this just isn’t a significant amount of mass in general.

But as you all know, I am aggressively working to rectify this.

Justin and I have had several discussions about the need for me to develop more muscular bodyweight, particularly in my upper body, but basically, it’s generally been agreed that I need to fill out 85kg with some quality weight, and eventually 94kg if I’m planning on doing anything cool.

There have been disagreements between us about how I should go about adding that mass though (paraphrased):

Brent: so i want to get more yoked, man

Justin: Oh yeah? What are you planning on doing?

Brent: probably some shrugs, Bill Starr style. i want bigger traps

Justin: (sigh) Your traps are big enough. You have the traps of a 215lbs guy on a 175lbs body. Maybe you should hit some other areas.

Brent: what do you mean?

Justin: I don’t know, maybe the rest of your upper body OTHER than your traps?

We’ve had some other disputes regarding this.

Brent: look, all i’m saying is, i don’t see why there’s a problem with me wanting to be yoked like a bull

Justin: There isn’t, but a big yoke requires the body of a bull, not a calf.

Well, here is my response to THAT:



Shrugging for 17 reps isn’t really standard ops for me. It was kind of a special day since I was training at the WFAC with Mike, and I wanted to get a PR set of 10 in. I typically have been doing these shrugs for a top set of 5 once a week, but I wanted to have some fun. I wasn’t counting reps; I think I was more concerned with telling myself I WANNA BEAT ‘EM. BEAT EM. BEAT EM. BEAT EM! with each rep. I figured at some point that I’d done about 10, and so I did two more “just to be sure.”

I asked Mike if I got 10. He said, “Seventeen. Close though.”

As my friend Chris says, I was feeling reckless.

51 thoughts on “60% of a bull’s mass is in his traps.”

  4. Brent came home one evening and found a glass of red wine waiting for him. Candles were lit throughout the apartment.

    Next to the wine as a note saying “Come into the bedroom.” Someone had kissed the note with dark red lipstick.

    Brent walked into the bedroom to find a beautiful woman naked in his bed. The woman said “Brent, I’ve seen you around town and know who you are. I’m yours – I want you to make love to me in any and every way you could possibly think of.”

    Brent shrugged.

  9. The Fox Network has just announced that they are to begin production on a new reality show, “So You Think You Can Shrug?”
    Working on the proven Idol format, SYTYCS will feature a panel of three judges: Bill Starr – the grizzled industry veteran who’s seen it all before; Brent Kim – the cocky young hotshot with a bad attitude and a point to prove; and Mary Murphy – the crazy alcoholic white chick on an emotional rollercoaster.
    Contestants will go through a gruelling series of auditions and live shows hoping to prove they are the one with the most swole yoke.
    Filming starts November.

  10. this might go down as one of the greatest posts 70sbig has ever seen.

    Coincidentally today is shrug day for me. Needless to say, I have been motivated.

  22. Pixar insiders have this week revealed that the follow-up to their successful first movie (Toy Story) was initially intended to be a controversial departure from that style.

    Pitched as a 3hr epic featuring only 1 actor, an obscure young Korean Olympic lifter, the project ran into trouble when the studio struggled to motion capture the youth’s mighty yoke. It’s fate was sealed, however, when studio bosses baulked at the need for so much unexplained full frontal nudity and a 45min interpretive dance dream sequence, stating audiences “just weren’t ready for it”.

    As for the film’s star, he was said to be enraged at the decision and resolved to get even more “jacked”.

    What was the film to be called? “A Shrug’s Life”.

  27. Pingback: Yoke « Knife City Creamery

  32. Two lesbian vampires sat on a picnic blanket in an isolated section of a city park. Then one looked at the other and said, “OK, see you next month.”

    Creeping in a nearby bush, Brent shrugged in disappointment as he realized he’d missed the show.

  36. Been wanting to add shrugs for a while, the time is now–this post sealed the deal. Madcow’s now will officially have 3×10 Starr shrugs on Deadlift days. Brent Kim has officially surpassed Chuck Norris on the badass scale.

    If you don’t mind me asking, what are your current PRs for lifts besides Shrugs (assuming you are in fact still doing other lifts)?

  37. as a pre-schooler, while most kids were learning about circles, squares, and triangles, Brent Kim was teaching everyone about the geometrically superior “trapezoid”

    This one makes the highlight reel.

    –Justin

  39. 1n 2004 Brent went diving for the first time, happened to be in the Indian Ocean. As he reached the seabed his traps felt light and he worried his yoke was shrinking, so he picked up a huge rock and did a quick set of 20

    230,000 people died because Brent didn’t understand buoyancy.

    Tsunami early detection systems don’t search for earthquakes, they search for Brent

  40. on his birth, Brent was diagnosed with muscle twitching in both his shoulders where they would rise up uncontrollably with reckless abandon.

    and Brent, being the smart ass, math wiz,spelling bee champ, cricket playing Asian the he was decided to ditch using a backpack and instead hold his stuff with his hands as a counterweight and “theoretically” stop the twitching.

    unfortunately the twitching never stopped …thus, the trapper keeper was born/

  41. Dustin C…well done haha.

    Although, I’d be lying if I said I don’t have numerous friends who think that the correct name for ones traps is actually trapezius…this makes me think that I need to get some new friends.

    Stillgrowing…I second that. But who will play Taylor Swift?

  43. Good luck picking comment of the week, Justin!

    I know. I’m actually doing it this week because it’s the first weekend in over a month that I’m not traveling.

    –Justin

  46. Improving my favorite one for more of the funny (in my opinion):

    Brent came home one evening and found a glass of red wine waiting for him. Candles were lit throughout the apartment.

    Next to the wine as a note saying “Come into the bedroom.” Someone had kissed the note with dark red lipstick.

    Brent walked into the bedroom to find a beautiful woman naked in his bed. The woman said “Brent, I’ve seen you around town and know who you are. I’m yours – Make love to me in the fiercest way you know how! Make Love To Me!.”

    Brent shrugged her off.

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