Notice that I said it’s
simple to build big traps; it’s not necessarily easy.
However, by putting great effort and focus
on some very simple movements, you can build traps beyond your wildest dreams,
get yoked and carry around a massive set of shoulders.
Quit Being a Sissy and Lift Heavy
While it’s true that you can develop an impressive physique
by doing moderate weight isolation exercises with impeccable form applying the
principle of continuous tension, to build a profoundly muscular body that draws
attention from every onlooker, passerby and wannabe, you’ve got to overload the
muscular and nervous systems with heavy weight.
I’m not just talking about heavy bench presses, squats and deadlifts;
I’m referring to every compound movement you can think of or dream up.
When specifically focusing on the muscles of the upper back,
particularly the trapezius muscle complex, the following are several examples of
lifts that will place tremendous tension on the traps and lead to explosive
muscle growth. Keep in mind, for best results
these movements need to be executed using heavy loads.
- Zercher Squats
- Barbell Rows
- Push Press
- Carries of any kind
- Rack Pulls
Train Like a Strongman
Take a look at how impressively developed the upper backs
and traps of competitive strongmen are.
Many of the movements they perform in training and competition rely
heavily on the recruitment of muscle fibers of the trapezius muscles. I have never seen a strongman competitor who
doesn’t possess a massive set of traps.
When lifting to build big traps, heavy movements that
involve the entire posterior chain must be performed. By their very nature, these movements place
great stress on the trapezius muscles and result in massive muscle growth when
performed intensely and with heavy loads.
Get Yoked with Zercher Squats
Among the best exercises to build big traps is the Zercher
Squat. Zercher squats can be uncomfortable, even
downright painful, to execute. However,
Zercher squats rank among the most effective exercises to develop the traps and
upper back.
There are many variations of the Zercher squat that can be
performed to build huge traps. One of my
favorites is the Zercher carry, which requires you to carry a barbell loaded
with as much weight as you can stand and walk for distance while keeping the
core tight and traps squeezed back and together.
Give Zercher carries a try and you may
experience one of the best pumps in your traps you’ve ever experienced and feel
delayed onset muscle soreness in your upper back like never before.
Carry Heavy Stuff
What makes building big traps so simple is the fact that no
specialized equipment or technical skill is required. All that is needed is the
desire to develop huge trapezius muscles and the willingness to get down and
dirty and move heavy weight.
Another one of the best exercises to build big traps
involves simply picking up something heavy and carrying it around. By picking up heavy objects and either
holding them against your upper body or holding them in your hands, your traps
will get a tremendous hypertrophy-inducing workout. Some heavy objects that can be picked up and
carried around include:
- Kegs
- Large rocks
- Pieces of furniture
- Chunks of lumber
- Dumbbells
To simply build massive traps, get creative. Take every opportunity you can to put stress
on your trapezius muscles, particularly by carrying heavy stuff around. In the winter time I like to pick up as much
firewood as I can fit in my arms and walk around my house a few times before
taking it inside. I volunteer to help my
neighbors stack wood and move heavy objects when they’re too weak to do
so. This gives me the opportunity to
build my traps and be a neighborly at the same time.
Despite what some may say, it is possible to simply build
big traps through repetitiously picking up, carrying and pulling heavy loads on
a regular basis. Remember, the simplest
way to big traps is not necessarily the traditional high-rep, low resistance
shrug workout.
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