Trap Exercises

[ryan26]

Anything else I can do for traps besides upright rows and shrugs? It seems like traps are going to hardly grow by only doing two exercises even when you are doing them in different order each week. Sometimes I combine both exercises by doing one set of shrugs, one set of rows, one set of shrugs...for a total of eight sets with only 90 second rests in between but even that seems like it will become stagnant. Anyone have any good ideas of how I can mix it up a bit?

[PinPusher_85]

For traps I usually do shrugs, upright rows, and lateral raises. 10-15 reps for 3 sets for each. If you use heavy enough weight and hit them hard, squeezing your traps tight on the exercises, you should start to see some gains. I would suggest to not combine them. Do your rows, then go do your shrugs. Thats my split and I like what I see. But do what your comfortable with and what works for you.

[Mr. Death]

There is only so much you can do with traps. I have had excellent growth in my traps from simply doing dumbell shrugs followed by barbell shrugs or vice versa. Deadlifts also give the traps a good workout.

[DARKSEID]

deadlifts and heavy db shrugs, behind the back bb shrugs, reg. bb shrugs. You don't need a lot of exercises to stimulate them, just keep it heavy and strict, and switch it up

[still growin]

Make sure you take your time and really use a full range of motion in each rep. all the way down and foward till you can't go lower, then all the way up and back. Your traps work to raise your shoulders as well as pull them together behind your back. Don't go too heavy, but use the maximum poundage you can use to do it correctly. Really concentrate on squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.

[Warrior]

I'll just outline what was already said:

Deadlifts. At the top of a deadlift give your traps a good sqeeze - it is a good way to put a heavy load on them and really tear them up.

Don't overtrain them. They get recruited a lot as a secondary muscle, especially in compound lifts. Unless you are Ronnie Coleman - the traps are not a large muscle group... and don't require a lot of different movments - just down and dirty pure intensity.

Use correct form. You have to really understand there purpose. The traps are responsible for pulling up the shoulder girdle. When doing shrugs - be sure to pull up with your traps and sqeeze then hard - don't let your arms help you pull the weight up at any point. Also, don't roll your shoulders - thats just asking for injury.

And I'll add something someone showed me once - Incline Bench Dumbell Shrugs. Set an incline bench at a high angle, grap a pair of dumbells and lop yourself chest first on to the bench. Keeping your feet anchored on the floor and the bench secured from sliding forward - start shruging. This helps to displace some of the load on to the area off your verticle plane in a supporting manner. Basically, your traps are on top of your back - not on top of your shoulders, and this helps move the load a tad more to the rear. IMO, this movement is superior to standing dumbell shrugs - but sometimes I will superset the two, starting off on the bench.

[DBarcelo]

I use cables to shrugs. I don't know how to explain the mechanics of it, but I stand between the two cables holding the handles of the cable from the bottom. When I shrug, I'm pulling in and up with my traps instead of just up like using dumbells or a barbell. That's worked pretty well for me.

[Testsubject]

I use heavy DB shrugs NEVER anything lighter that 100's, dont hunch over stand upright and keep your shoulders back and squeeze at the top of every rep, do that for 3 or four sets and do behind the back BB shrugs, once again go heavy and do 3 or four set of those,I do mine on my back day but doing them on a shoulder day is good too.

[RUDY-14]

I was thinking about adding traps into my back day as well as train them eiht shoulders, I love working traps, prob on of my favourites to hit, would this be a bad idea?

[Warrior]

I was thinking about adding traps into my back day as well as train them eiht shoulders, I love working traps, prob on of my favourites to hit, would this be a bad idea?

For some - for others not. Depends on your training split and how well your traps have been responding thus far. Nothing wrong with experimenting a little too bring up smaller or lacking bodyparts - a bad idea is to continue doing somehting that isn't working...

[goodtobeapimp]

I have an olympic bench that i take the seat and turn it sideways...Leaving the olympic bar racked on the bench i can easily get a sh*t load of weight up and shrug..Even til failure you just gotta let it fall on the pins.Plus you dont have to pick it up off the floor your already halfway to the top..

[RUDY-14]

Good call Warrior, I wouldn't say they are lagging I just f ucking love working them and I really like the way thick traps look.

[TOMMY-GUNN]

i love hitting up behind the back barbell shrugs.....when i started doing them sonsistently i saw great gains

[RudeBwoy]

Tuck in your chin to your chest while doing heavy barbell shrugs. I use lifting straps because my grip cant hold the weight I shrug with. Alternate with seated dumbell shrugs best seated at the end of a bench with your back to the edge. Dont waste your time with light weights, trust me, they need heavy shruggin to grow!

Try lift straps on barbell shrugs bro they take the strain off your forearms so you can putt 110% into the trap!