These 12 exercises should be used to build mind-blowing
traps that will turn heads and make you look like a monster in the gym and on
the street.
The purpose of this article is to identify the best exercises to
build the trapezius muscle complex rather than explain how each movement is
performed. More extensive research should be conducted for information on how
to perform each specific movement.
I've updated this post by eliminating three exercises that I originally suggested that may not be optimal for building the biggest traps that you can. Ever-evolving research gives us a greater insight into the most effective exercises for the desired result.
The following exercises are still among the best trap building movements that you can incorporate into your muscle growth program starting today.
These 12 exercises should be used to build mind-blowing
traps that will turn heads and make you look like a monster in the gym and on
the street.
The purpose of this article is to identify the best exercises to
build the trapezius muscle complex rather than explain how each movement is
performed. More extensive research should be conducted for information on how
to perform each specific movement.
I've updated this post by eliminating three exercises that I originally suggested that may not be optimal for building the biggest traps that you can. Ever-evolving research gives us a greater insight into the most effective exercises for the desired result.
The following exercises are still among the best trap building movements that you can incorporate into your muscle growth program starting today.
1. Deadlifts Build Big Traps
The deadlift should be a mainstay in everyone’s bodybuilding
arsenal, especially if you want to develop thick, dense muscle mass to the back
and hamstrings. What many people fail to
consider is that the deadlift is one of the best builders of the trapezius
muscle.
Pulling and standing upright
with hundreds of pounds on a barbell or trap bar puts tremendous stress on all
muscles of the back, especially the low back and traps.
2. Barbell Upright Rows Target the Traps
Barbell upright rows are considered by many as one of the
best isolation exercises for the trapezius muscle complex. This exercise can be performed as a heavy,
primary movement in your upper back workout or lighter to pump blood into the
muscles and to subject the muscles to continuous tension.It is suggested that you use wrist straps when performing barbell upright rows to take stress off of the wrists and forearms.
3. Cable Upright Rows for Big Traps
The cable upright row is performed much the same as barbell
upright row but the load is typically lighter within a higher repetition
range. This movement can be performed
with a straight bar or one of my favorite attachments, a rope.
4. High Pulls Grow the Muscles of the Traps
The high pull is used in many sports to develop explosive
power and brute strength in the entire posterior chain.
The movement mimics an upright row but
heavier weights are utilized and every muscle of the posterior chain is
activated when the barbell is explosively pulled to chin level from the “hang”
position. All of the muscles of the
upper back are activated, especially the trapezius muscle.
5. Rack Pulls for Strong Traps
The rack pull is basically a partial deadlift performed in a
power cage. It allows you to use heavier
weights than typically used with deadlifts because the range of motion is
limited and you are in an advantageous position of leverage.
The benefit is increased stress on the entire
upper back, especially the trapezius muscle complex.
6. Rack Pull with Shrug: Powerful Combination for Huge Traps
Rack pulls with a shrug at the top of the movement is a
variation that allows you to emphasize the stress and tension on the trapezius
muscle by adding one of the best trap building exercise, the shrug.
The amount of weight used for this movement
will be less than that used for the strict rack pull, but heavy enough to place
stress and target the trapezius muscle.
7. Barbell Shrug: Big Trap Builder
The barbell shrug is considered by many in bodybuilding
circles to be the absolutely best trap builder.
If only one exercise is performed to develop the trapezius muscle, it
should be the shrug or one of its many variations.If you’ve ever performed heavy barbell shrugs you know what an incredible blood pump in the traps occurs and a soreness in the upper back is achieved that few other exercises can produce.
8. Dumbbell Shrug: Alternative for Huge Traps
Dumbbell shrugs are performed just like a barbell shrug but
allow you to hold your hands, and thus the stress-producing weight, at your
sides rather than in front of the body.
You can perform dumbbell shrugs
standing, seated or on an incline bench.
9. Seated Hammer Strength Shrug: Simple Exercise for Big Traps
Hammer Strength makes a seated shrug machine that is usually
found in hardcore bodybuilding gyms. It
allows you to load hundreds of pounds of plate weights onto the machine and
perform trap building shrugs in an extremely isolating manner.
If your gym has a Hammer Strength seated
shrug machine, you’d be well advised to add it to your trap building arsenal.
10. Incline Dumbbell Shrug: Another Great Trap Exercise
As discussed above, dumbbell shrugs add variation to the
traditional barbell shrug by allowing your arms to hang at the side rather than
the front of the body. Performing the
dumbbell shrug on an incline, either seated facing forward or in the reverse
position, allows the stress to be focused on the trapezius muscle at a different angle
than would be otherwise be possible.
11. Trap Bar Shrug: True Trap Builder
The trap bar shrug combines the benefit of the traditional
barbell shrug with the hand and arm position of the dumbbell shrug. The movement allows you to use a tremendous
amount of weight and place tension on the traps to allow for explosive muscle
growth.
If you have access to a trap bar, take advantage of this exercise and use it watch your traps grow.
If you have access to a trap bar, take advantage of this exercise and use it watch your traps grow.
12. Face Pulls Build the Traps
Cable face pulls and reverse pec dec are known as great rear
deltoid builders, but they also develop the trapezius muscle as well. A lighter load should be used when performing
face pulls to allow for a tremendous blood pump and ability to maintain continuous
tension on the muscle fibers.
The exercises listed above are the 12 best exercises to build
the traps. To build a truly awe-inspiring
upper back and traps, three of the movements mentioned above should be
conducted two to three times per week.
Be careful about the selection of the exercises to avoid over-training or injury. However you develop your trap building program, the exercises listed above should be utilized with appropriate frequency and intensity.
Be careful about the selection of the exercises to avoid over-training or injury. However you develop your trap building program, the exercises listed above should be utilized with appropriate frequency and intensity.
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