Commonly referred to as the ‘traps’, your trapezius muscles are located on each side of the upper back and run from halfway down the spine to the base of the skull. They are the bulky muscles most visible either side of the neck and connect the spine to the shoulder blades and collarbone. They are considered one of the most prominent upper back and neck muscle groups. Constructed of the upper, middle and lower fibres, and with each layer running in a separate direction, they create a layered appearance with triangular shaping.
How Do Traps Muscles Affect Daily Life?
The trapezius muscles help maintain posture when sitting, standing, walking, and carrying shopping, and are engaged during most day-to-day movements like lifting objects, moving the head, and reaching overhead. Well-developed traps also reduce neck strain and improve spinal alignment.
Underdeveloped traps can result in hypertension around the neck, fatigue, discomfort, or even injury, so they play a vital part in an active and able lifestyle.
Why Are Strong Traps Important in the Gym?
The most notable areas the traps assist in the gym are pulling power, overhead stability and postural correctness when executing your reps.
They help maintain form during exercises like deadlifts, shrugs and cleans, and support the neck during overhead pressing movements. They also help provide a stable surface to aid bar control when squatting, as well as reduce injury risk through minimising the overcompensation of other neck and back muscles.
Top 10 Traps Exercises
1 - Shrugs
The most performed trap-specific exercise, when performed correctly, shrugs are a perfect way to build strength and size. They’re very versatile, too, and can be performed with an Olympic Barbell Set, dumbbells, kettlebells, and trap bars.
2 - Single Arm Shrugs
Building on conventional shrugs, performing this trap exercise unilaterally reduces muscle imbalance for a uniform trap appearance. Perform these with dumbbells or kettlebells for optimal outcomes, or practice the bodyweight version anywhere.
3 - Incline Shrugs
Incline shrugs are performed seated on a Adjustable Gym Bench using dumbbells and offer an enhanced range of motion versus conventional shrugs. Like many other exercises for the traps, they also engage the deltoids and rhomboids, making them great for sculpting the upper back.
4 - Upright Rows
Upright rows are a quick and easy way to target your traps, as well as engaging your delts. You can use a cable stack, a barbell, smith machine or EZ curl bar and flexibly achieve solid results.
5 - Wide Grip Seated Rows
Performing seated rows on cables with a wide grip effectively targets the traps, as well as the posterior deltoids and rhomboids. This helps create the appearance of a wider upper back, with added strength and definition in multiple areas.
6 - Farmers Walks
If you’re looking for a lung-busting exercise, farmers walks build trap strength alongside multiple other upper and lower body muscles. Beat the clock, go the distance or carry as much as you can, the choice is yours! Use Farmers Handles or a trap bar for the most effective results.
7 - Face Pulls
Face pulls are best performed on a cable stack using a rope attachment and are a trap and rear deltoid heavy exercise. Not only are they great for strengthening and growing the upper back, but they also help reduce postural issues and encourage increased mind-muscle connection.
8 - Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are a great functional way to train your trapezius muscles, as well as encouraging muscle growth in other upper back, arm and shoulder muscle groups. Perform them with your bodyweight or add a chain with some plates for extra resistance.
9 - Behind the Back Shrugs
These can be performed as an alternative to having the weight placed in front of you, often using a smith machine or a barbell. They are taxing on grip and require enhanced stability and core control as the weight is positioned behind you, altering your centre of gravity.
10 - Isometric Trap Squeezes
If you are looking for an option that doesn’t require any equipment, where the only resistance is your own muscular contraction, trap squeezes are a great option. With reduced workload, this can be a great option for rehabilitation and mind-muscle learning.
Strong, well developed trap muscles provide significant boosts in the gym, particularly when lifting weights across a range of exercises. They contribute to a balanced, visually pleasing aesthetic, and help build a more functional body outside of the gym, with reduced injury risk and improved posture, and even the potential to reduce fatigue. With all this in mind, and such a wide variety of exercises you can perform to obtain solid, powerful traps, why not give some a go next time you are training?
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Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Equipment > Dumbbells
