www.LeeHayward.com — Check out my bodybuilding blog! Do you find that squats hurt your neck? Does the bar dig into your traps and upper back? Do you try and fix the problem by wrapping a towel or foam pad around the barbell? This is a very common problem among people who are new to squatting, but there is a specific exercise that you can do to fix it. The HISE SHRUG that was invented back in the 1930’s by Joseph Curtis Hise. He was also the same guy who first came up with the 20 rep squat program which has helped countless men pack on solid muscular bodyweight. To do the Hise Shrug all you have to do is shoulder a barbell just as if you were going to do a set of barbell squats. But instead of squatting with the weight you are just going to shrug your shoulders as high as you can, hold the peak contraction for a split second, then lower your shoulders down. By regularly doing this exercise you’ll build up your traps and upper back and also toughen up your shoulders so that you can build up your pain threshold to squat with a bare barbell across your back with no pain what so ever. So if you have trouble squatting with the bar on your back, do the Hise Shrug at least 3 times per week. Just do a few easy sets of 10-20 reps and build up the weights gradually over time. Just regularly getting the bar on your back and doing this move will quickly toughen up your shoulders and within about 6 weeks you’ll totally eliminate the shoulder discomfort associated with squatting. If …