5 Necessary Exercises for Bigger Traps

Achieving well-developed trapezius muscles is a goal for many lifters, whether for aesthetic appeal or functional strength. The traps contribute significantly to the overall appearance of the upper back and shoulders, creating a powerful and imposing silhouette. To build bigger traps, it’s crucial to incorporate exercises that target different portions of the trapezius muscle. This detailed guide expands on five essential exercises for bigger traps: the barbell shrug, bent arm lateral raise, deadlift, incline dumbbell shrug, and farmer’s walk.

The Trapezius Muscle: A Quick Recap

The trapezius muscle, or traps, is a large, diamond-shaped muscle that spans the upper part of the back and neck. It is divided into three regions:

• Upper Traps: Extend from the base of the skull to the upper thoracic vertebrae, responsible for elevating and rotating the scapula (shoulder blade).
• Middle Traps: Lie between the shoulder blades, retracting and stabilising the scapula.
• Lower Traps: Run from the mid-back to the lower thoracic vertebrae, depressing and rotating the scapula.

Each of these regions plays a distinct role in upper body movement and stability, making it important to target them specifically for balanced trap development.

1. Barbell Shrug

How to Perform

The barbell shrug is a staple exercise for targeting the upper traps. It is a simple yet highly effective movement that allows for significant weight to be lifted, promoting muscle growth.

1. Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with an overhand grip. The barbell should be in front of your thighs, with your arms fully extended.
2. Execution: Keeping your arms straight, lift your shoulders upwards as if trying to touch them to your ears. Focus on using your traps to drive the movement.
3. Peak Contraction: At the top of the movement, squeeze your traps as hard as possible for a brief pause.
4. Lowering: Slowly lower your shoulders back down to the starting position, ensuring a full stretch at the bottom.

Expanded Benefits

The barbell shrug isolates the upper traps effectively, making it ideal for increasing the size and strength of this area. The exercise can be loaded heavily, which is crucial for hypertrophy. Additionally, because the movement is straightforward, it allows you to concentrate on contracting the traps fully, leading to better muscle activation and growth.

Advanced Variations

• Behind-the-Back Shrug: Holding the barbell behind your body instead of in front shifts the emphasis slightly, engaging the middle traps more intensely.
• Smith Machine Shrug: Using a Smith machine can help maintain a strict form and balance, allowing you to focus entirely on the trap contraction without worrying about stabilising the barbell.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Using Momentum: Avoid using your legs or back to jerk the weight up. This reduces the effectiveness of the exercise by shifting the load away from the traps.
• Partial Range of Motion: Ensure that you are moving through a full range of motion, from a full stretch at the bottom to a full contraction at the top.
• Improper Shoulder Positioning: Keep your shoulders back and avoid rounding your upper back to prevent injury and maximise trap activation.

2. Bent Arm Lateral Raise

How to Perform

The bent arm lateral raise is a modified version of the lateral raise that increases emphasis on the middle traps.

1. Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells with your arms bent at 90 degrees. Your elbows should be in line with your shoulders.
2. Execution: Keeping the 90-degree bend in your arms, lift your elbows out to the sides until they are level with your shoulders. Your upper arms should be parallel to the ground.
3. Peak Contraction: Squeeze your traps at the top of the movement and hold for a second.
4. Lowering: Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, controlling the movement to maintain tension on the traps.

Expanded Benefits

The bent arm lateral raise is particularly effective for targeting the middle traps and rhomboids. By keeping the arms bent, you reduce the involvement of the deltoids, allowing the traps to take on more of the load. This exercise also helps in building shoulder stability, which is beneficial for other compound lifts like the bench press and overhead press.

Advanced Variations

• Cable Bent Arm Lateral Raise: Using cables instead of dumbbells provides constant tension throughout the movement, increasing the intensity of the exercise.
• Single-Arm Bent Arm Lateral Raise: Performing the exercise one arm at a time can help you focus more on each side, correcting any muscle imbalances.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Overextending the Arms: Keep your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle throughout the movement. Straightening your arms shifts the focus away from the traps and onto the deltoids.
• Lifting Too High: Avoid lifting your elbows above shoulder level, as this can place unnecessary strain on the shoulder joints.
• Swinging the Weights: Use a controlled movement to prevent momentum from taking over. This ensures that the traps are doing the work.

3. Deadlift

How to Perform

The deadlift is a fundamental compound exercise that engages multiple muscle groups, with significant involvement of the traps, particularly during the lockout phase.

1. Setup: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a loaded barbell on the floor in front of you. Bend at the hips and knees, gripping the bar just outside of your knees.
2. Execution: Drive through your heels to lift the bar, keeping your back flat and chest up. As you rise, extend your hips and knees simultaneously. As you reach the top, pull your shoulders back to engage your traps.
3. Peak Contraction: At the top of the movement, squeeze your traps by pulling your shoulder blades together.
4. Lowering: Reverse the movement by hinging at the hips and bending your knees to lower the bar back to the ground, maintaining control throughout.

Expanded Benefits

Deadlifts are one of the most effective exercises for overall strength and mass building, making them indispensable for developing bigger traps. The traps are heavily engaged during the lockout phase of the lift, where you retract your shoulder blades to stabilise the weight. This engagement not only strengthens the traps but also promotes a thicker upper back.

Advanced Variations

• Trap Bar Deadlift: Using a trap bar can reduce strain on the lower back and place more emphasis on the traps by allowing a more natural grip and pulling angle.
• Snatch-Grip Deadlift: Widening your grip forces greater activation of the traps, as they have to work harder to stabilise the bar throughout the movement.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Rounding the Back: Always keep your back flat and your chest up to prevent lower back injuries and ensure the traps are properly engaged.
• Jerking the Bar: Avoid yanking the bar off the ground. Instead, build tension before lifting to engage your traps from the start of the movement.
• Neglecting the Lockout: Fully extend your hips and retract your shoulder blades at the top of the movement to maximise trap engagement.

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4. Incline Dumbbell Shrug

How to Perform

The incline dumbbell shrug targets the traps from a different angle, providing a unique stimulus for muscle growth.

1. Setup: Adjust an incline bench to a 30 to 45-degree angle. Lie face down on the bench, with a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging straight down towards the floor.
2. Execution: Shrug your shoulders up towards your ears, lifting the dumbbells as high as possible. Focus on squeezing your traps at the top.
3. Peak Contraction: Hold the top position for a brief moment, maximising the contraction in your traps.
4. Lowering: Slowly lower your shoulders back to the starting position, allowing a full stretch of the traps at the bottom.

Expanded Benefits

The incline dumbbell shrug is effective for targeting the upper and middle traps, offering a different angle of resistance compared to traditional shrugs. The incline position reduces lower back involvement, making it a safer option for those with back issues. Additionally, this variation can help in improving posture by strengthening the muscles responsible for scapular retraction and elevation.

Advanced Variations

• Incline Barbell Shrug: Using a barbell instead of dumbbells can allow for heavier loads, increasing the stimulus on the traps.
• Single-Arm Incline Shrug: Perform the exercise one arm at a time to focus on each side individually, which can help correct imbalances.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Improper Bench Angle: Ensure the bench is set at the correct angle (30 to 45 degrees) to effectively target the traps without overly involving the deltoids or lower back.
• Rushing the Movement: Perform the shrugs in a controlled manner, focusing on the contraction at the top and the stretch at the bottom.
• Neglecting Range of Motion: Ensure that your shoulders fully lower at the bottom of the movement to engage the traps through a full range of motion.

5. Farmer’s Walk

How to Perform

The farmer’s walk is a highly functional exercise that challenges the traps along with multiple other muscle groups.

1. Setup: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand at your sides.
2. Execution: Walk forward in a straight line, keeping your shoulders pulled back and your chest up. Maintain a strong grip on the weights, and keep your core engaged.
3. Duration: Walk for a set distance or time, then carefully set the weights down.

Expanded Benefits

The farmer’s walk is excellent for building overall trap strength and endurance. It mimics real-world activities like carrying heavy bags or objects, making it a functional exercise. The constant tension on the traps during the walk helps build muscle endurance and promotes hypertrophy, especially when heavy weights are used. Additionally, the farmer’s walk improves grip strength, shoulder stability, and core engagement.

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Advanced Variations

• Single-Arm Farmer’s Walk: Carrying a weight in one hand challenges your core and traps even more as they work to stabilise your body against the uneven load.
• Trap Bar Farmer’s Walk: Using a trap bar can allow you to carry heavier loads, further intensifying the workout for your traps and grip.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Slouching Shoulders: Keep your shoulders back and down throughout the walk to ensure that the traps are fully engaged and to maintain good posture.
• Inadequate Weight: Choose weights that are challenging but manageable, as using too light a load will not effectively engage the traps.
• Short Strides: Take steady, controlled steps to maintain balance and prevent the weights from swinging, which could reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.

Conclusion

Building bigger traps requires a strategic approach that includes both isolation and compound movements. The five exercises detailed in this article – barbell shrugs, bent arm lateral raises, deadlifts, incline dumbbell shrugs, and farmer’s walks – are essential for targeting the different regions of the trapezius muscle. By incorporating these exercises into your training routine, you can achieve significant gains in both the size and strength of your traps, enhancing your upper body power, posture, and overall aesthetic appeal.

Key Takeaways

References

• Escamilla, R. F., et al., 2000. “Biomechanical analysis of the deadlift during the 1999 Special Olympics World Games.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(4), pp. 701-709.
• Swinton, P. A., et al., 2012. “A Biomechanical Analysis of Straight and Hexagonal Barbell Deadlifts Using Submaximal Loads.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(3), pp. 761-769.
• Lusk, S. J., et al., 2010. “The effects of grip width and hand orientation on muscle activity during the flat bench press.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(8), pp. 2169-2175.
• Andersen, V., et al., 2014. “Muscle Activation and Strength in Squat and Deadlift Variations.” European Journal of Applied Physiology, 114(7), pp. 1419-1427.
• McGill, S. M., et al., 2009. “Comparative study of muscle activation patterns during isometric tasks using differing handgrips.” Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 19(6), pp. e401-e406.

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