The trapezius muscles seem to be overlooked by some people. Pecs, calves, and other muscle groups get a lot of focus and fanfare, but the trapezius or ‘traps’ muscles can really add to a person’s buffed look.
For folks who may not know what muscle group I am talking about, the trapezius muscle group is what connects your shoulders to your neck. When you shrug your shoulders, the humps that form on either side of your neck are your trapezius muscles. They also go from the base of your neck down to the middle of your back. The trapezius muscle group gets its name because the muscles are shaped like a trapezoid.
A great example of how developed traps can contribute to an overall fit look is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. To be fair, every muscle group on The Rock is stellar, even as he has aged, but really focus on looking at his traps, and you will see that they are elite. The Rock’s traps set him apart from many other celebrities.
I personally focus on developing my traps in the weight room on the same day of the week that I focus on my shoulders, because the two work in tandem on many lifts. The same is also true for many back workouts to a lesser extent.
In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, he recommends doing the following lifts to build your traps. I have also sprinkled in some of my own advice into the bullet points:
- Upright rows – this can be done with a barbell, resistance bands, cables, or dumbbells
- Front shrugs – I have found doing this with dumbbells is best, and doing it while lying face first on an inclined bench (30-45 degrees) to support your chest
- Side shrugs – With a dumbbell in each hand, keep your hands to your sides and shrug your shoulders
- Reverse shrugs – For this one, I use a barbell behind me (behind my glutes), and usually incorporate a squat rack so that I don’t have to lift the barbell too high (just enough to shrug)
As with all muscle groups, you want to hit your traps from multiple angles. People often make the mistake of just doing one type of shrug and then wonder why their traps aren’t growing enough. I do all of the above-mentioned lifts every Friday, in addition to doing multiple shoulder lifts. By the end of the session, I can feel that my traps are exhausted and pumped up, and I have experienced great results over time.
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