Trap imbalance!

[Kerr]

When relaxed, my traps look absolutely symmetrical. When flexed, different story! My left trap is significantly more developed than my right trap. I have no idea how this has happened because I only ever do upright rows with an EZ bar, or shrugs with a straight barbell to hit my traps. My understanding was that growth would be even? Unlike in a situation where someone would use dumbells to shrug, there would be a possibility of more effort pulling up on the dumbell in the preferred hand? Bearing in mind I'm right handed, I would have thought that if there were to be an imbalance, that it would be more developed on my preferred side?

Look forward to a sensible reply, thanks in advance!

[Kerr]

Forgot to mention that I'm looking for a solution to even them out again, sorry! My bad!

[>Good Luck<]

Upright rows are (IMO) the worst exercise you can do. Regardless of what bar you use, you are exposing your shoulders to internal rotation which is not good. I avoid the exercise completely. Also behind the neck shoulder press for external rotation.

[Zodiac82]

I stopped doin upright rows bcuz I always felt a twinge in my shoulders.....bein uneven isnt uncommon and for whatever reason a lot of guys are indeed more developed on the side of their body they arent predominant in
dumbbells would be the best bet for evening out

[Kerr]

So wild I just ignore the over developed side for a while? Or wil it still need to be worked out, but just not as frequently? And do you mean dumbell shrug?

[Zodiac82]

So wild I just ignore the over developed side for a while? Or wil it still need to be worked out, but just not as frequently? And do you mean dumbell shrug?

reverse flys upright rows and shrugs to name a few....u definitely wanna work the underdeveloped side more....I still hit my stronger side some but nowhere near as much focus than my weaker....maybe 1/4 of the reps as ur weak side 1/2 the sets

[MotoLifter]

Upright rows are (IMO) the worst exercise you can do. Regardless of what bar you use, you are exposing your shoulders to internal rotation which is not good. I avoid the exercise completely. Also behind the neck shoulder press for external rotation.

I do DB uprights and they seem to put a lot less stress on my shoulders. I had a pertty bad structural shoulder injury a few years back so I am very careful with my shoulder lifts and pay alot of attention to how they feel. The DB uprights dont seem to bother me but the weigths I use are very managable for me. But I do agree behind the neck presses are something that makes me extremely nervous especially when going heavy.

[bigsiv]

I stopped doin upright rows bcuz I always felt a twinge in my shoulders.....bein uneven isnt uncommon and for whatever reason a lot of guys are indeed more developed on the side of their body they arent predominant in
dumbbells would be the best bet for evening out

Agree with this except not doing upright rows. I think DB one arm upright rows can be excellent for delt and trap development.

For uneven traps I would add more weight to the undeveloped side but still train both traps and both till failure. The extra weight in the undeveloped side will add mass. The less weight on the developed side will help to maintain muscle.

[Zodiac82]

Agree with this except not doing upright rows. I think DB one arm upright rows can be excellent for delt and trap development.

For uneven traps I would add more weight to the undeveloped side but still train both traps and both till failure. The extra weight in the undeveloped side will add mass. The less weight on the developed side will help to maintain muscle.

I agree with db raises....lol I meant in reference to the ez bar....guess I shoulda stated that :facepalmed:

[>Good Luck<]

Agree with this except not doing upright rows. I think DB one arm upright rows can be excellent for delt and trap development.

For uneven traps I would add more weight to the undeveloped side but still train both traps and both till failure. The extra weight in the undeveloped side will add mass. The less weight on the developed side will help to maintain muscle.

This is a copy and paste of another site. Not trying to say this is my article or anything but its good information.


"A shoulder width grip is suggested when performing the upright row. The greater internal rotation required for a close grip upright row decreases the subacromial space (area between the greater tubercle of the humerus and acromioclavicular joint). This may potentially impinge the supraspinatus tendon and the subacromial bursa (a protective sac of fluid cushioning the bone from the tendon). A wider grip allows for more space between the shoulder joint and the head of the humerus allowing for more clearance of the underlying structures. For the same reason, when performing a one arm upright row, keep the elbow pointing directly to the side, instead of angling it slightly to the front. The subacromial space as well as other biomechanical and biometric factors vary from person to person so some individuals may be more prone to complications while others report no problems performing the narrower grip upright row."

[canesfan804]

I am glad I looked in on this thread. I use to do upright rows about every week and always had extreme pain in my rt shoulder, which I thought was from bench press. I stoped doin upright rows about 8 weeks ago and shoulder has not been hurting near as bad. Funny thing is the only day it didnt hurt was shoulder day.

[Kerr]

Agree with this except not doing upright rows. I think DB one arm upright rows can be excellent for delt and trap development.

For uneven traps I would add more weight to the undeveloped side but still train both traps and both till failure. The extra weight in the undeveloped side will add mass. The less weight on the developed side will help to maintain muscle.

Spot on buddy, that's the answer I was looking for. Can I post pics on this thread? If so ill post pictures of how it looks now, and what it looks like in a few months, or however long it takes to even out.

Thanks guys!

[bigsiv]

Spot on buddy, that's the answer I was looking for. Can I post pics on this thread? If so ill post pictures of how it looks now, and what it looks like in a few months, or however long it takes to even out.

Thanks guys!

Yeah upload the pictures and keep this thread going as a progress report. I've helped a buddy with the same problem his traps were massively uneven it's took him about 12 weeks to get them nearly the same. Not perfect yet but much better.