Training Traps

Traps:

Traps (Trapezius) give you that football player look.  There is nothing more pathetic than a thick muscular chest and a pencil neck on top of it where volcanic traps should be.  That's the mistake I made in the beginning of my training and now I'm trying to fight my way back and build some traps.  Unlike lats, which can only be trained by pulling exercises, traps can also be trained by pushing exercises.  If you do two or more exercises for traps in your work out, it might be a good idea to include both for fuller development. Shoulder Shrugs are a must if you are trying to grow thick, high traps.  They can be done with either a barbell ordumbbells.  I prefer a barbell because the movement is more controlled and I can handle more weight.  But dumbbells are fine too, you will need very strong and enduring forearms if you plan to handle hundreds of pounds in separate arms for 4 to 6 sets (don't do both types in the same work out). You must stay erect through the entirety of the exercise, with your legs slightly bent at the knees.  Lower the weight as low as possible without compromising the integrity of your lower back.  On the upward part of the movement try to reach your ears with your shoulders, even though its impossible. Use a shoulder width or slightly wider grip, overhand or mixed (I use overhand grip for lighter weight and mixed for heavier, where I alternate each hand between overhand and underhand grip from set to set).  Rolling out your shoulders is not necessary, it doesn't add to trap development, but it becomes easy to injure yourself by pinching a nerve in your shoulder.  (can effectively be done on a Smith Machine by allowing you to use even more weight) Behind Neck Press should be done the same way as Seated Press the only differences being a wider grip and lowering the weight behind the neck.  Along with shoulder shrugs, this is one of the best exercises for strength and mass in the trapezius.  Wide grip is what shifts the emphasis from shoulders to traps, so try to grip the bar as wide as you can without sacrificing range of motion. (can be done on a Smith Machine but some effect will be lost, better use free weights). Upright Rows are a tried and true way for most to build and add definition to their traps.  Personally, I am not a big fan because it causes pain in my shoulders.  But it is an effective exercise.  Gripping the bar with a close grip, but no less than six inches apart pull the bar from your crotch up to your chin, if you can.  No jerking, this is a very smooth movement not meant for a lot of weight. (also can be done on a Smith Machine without losing any quality)           Side Raises can also be done for traps and not just for deltoids.  To include the traps, you have to go higher than if you were working your shoulders.  Hold the dumbbells in front of yourself, resting them on your thighs if you so desire.  Turn your palms outward so that you have a slightly underhand grip.  As you mark off a half circle with each arm in an upward motion, make sure your wrists rotate slightly in so that your fists are parallel to each other at the top of the movement where the dumbbells meet.  You can touch them together and slowly begin descent.  If you want, you can have your fists in a straight line at the top instead of being parallel to each other.