20 Best Trap Workout and Exercises for Mass and Strength

If you are looking for ways to build up your traps and search for the best trap exercises, then you are in the right place. Here, you can explore the best trap workout and exercises to build massive traps. In addition, we will discuss, anatomy of trapezium muscles, the benefits of trap exercises and how to do them to build strength.

If you ignore your traps and fail to strengthen them along with the other muscles in your back, it can lead to poor posture, decreased performance, and even injury down the line.

However, if you use traps exercises to strengthen and balance the muscles in your traps, your overall performance will improve, and you’ll be able to lift even more weight.

This blog contains detailed descriptions of all major exercises that focus on the trapezius (trap) muscles, including the upper, middle, and lower trapezius muscle fibers. See the diagram for a detailed location of each of these areas of the trapezius muscle.

What is the Trapezius muscle?

The trapezius muscle aka trap muscle is one of the widest back muscles. The trapezius is called such because of its shape. It looks like a trapezoid (a shape with four sides, two that are parallel). The trap muscle is divided into three parts: upper (superior), middle and lower (inferior).

The trap muscle is an important part of shoulder and neck movement and is harnessed continuously.

The trapezius tilts and rotates the neck and head. It also supports the shoulders and arms and is involved in rotating the shoulder blades to lift the arms above the shoulders.

The upper portion of the trapezius influences the overall roundness of a physique’s frame, while the middle and lower portions contribute to back thickness.

The primary function of the traps is to move or stabilize the scapulae (shoulder blades), which means they’re engaged most fully during shrugging movements, elevating the arms overhead, and pulling the shoulders back.

The upper traps are responsible for raising the shoulders which are seen from the front, the middle and lower traps are seen from the back, and they pull the scapulae together.

The benefits of strong traps

If you have a desk job, you likely spend a long part of your day with your neck leaned forward, your shoulders depreciated, and your eyes focused on a screen in front of you. Over time, this posture can take quite a toll on your neck and shoulder muscles.

Trap exercises strengthen the upper back, part of the trapezius and neck region, and also helps to improve posture.
Having strong, toned trapezius muscles will improve both your sporting abilities and everyday fitness.
Strong traps better absorb blows to the shoulder area, and they also secure the neck during contact, reducing the potential for neck injuries and even concussions.
Trap exercises are the best exercises to build bigger, stronger trapezius muscles. This exercise can also be done extremely heavily to thicken the traps.
For bodybuilders and powerlifters, massive traps will give you the leg up on the competition and improve your overall performance.

How to Train Upper, Mid and Lower Traps

Train Upper Traps

The upper traps are what people associate with the trapezius. They extend from the shoulder and are visible from both the front and back.

The upper traps can be developed by elevating the shoulders through common exercises such as shrugs and upright rows.

Train Middle Traps

Middle traps run across the shoulders and help to stabilize your shoulder movement. These muscles respond to high repetition and can be effectively worked without weights.

The middle traps are most active during scapula adduction (squeezing your shoulder blades together), as well as upward rotation.

Therefore, exercises such as bent-over rows, seated rows (which involve scapula adduction), and overhead presses (which involve upward rotation) will target the middle trapezius effectively.

Train Lower Traps

Located on the thoracic (chest) spinal region of the back. The lower fibres act on the scapula (shoulder blades), with their main role being the prime mover in scapular depression. It also acts as a stabilizer when raising the arms overhead through a full range of motion.

As for the lower traps, they can best be developed by drawing the shoulder blades downward while keeping the arms almost straight and stiff.

20 Best Traps Exercises & Workout

The traps exercises are divided into barbell and Smith machine shrugging exercises, dumbbell shrugging exercises, upright row, cable face pull, and high cable row.

Now, let’s get into the best traps exercises for Mass and strength, using various types of fitness equipment.

We have created the trap exercises into many sections, such as:

Traps Workout with Dumbbells.
Traps Workout with Barbell & Machine
Cable Traps Exercises.

Here are the Best Trap Workout and Exercises to Develop the massive Traps.

Traps exercise With Dumbbell

1. Dumbbell Upright Row

The Upright Row is an excellent exercise to build huge Trapezius muscles and create that deltopectoral separation.

There are several variations of this exercise. You can use either a barbell, dumbbells, Cable, or Smith Machine to perform Upright Rows.

Upright Rows can be done with both narrow grips and wider ones. The narrow grip focuses on Trapezius, and the wider focuses on the entire shoulder girdle. Furthermore, the wider grip allows some cheating movement, thereby allowing you to lift more weight.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Lateral deltoid, trapezius.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, teres minor.

Execution Technique

Hold a dumbbell with a narrow overhand grip and let it hang in front of you.
Lift the dumbbell, get it as close as possible to the chin using your arms, and elevate your shoulders to squeeze your trapezius muscles.
Now, lower the dumbbell under controlled motion until it comes back to its starting position.

Tips

Remember to exhale while you exert.
Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
Keep your back straight.

2. Incline Dumbbell Shrug

Incline Dumbbell Shrug is a variation of dumbbell shrug exercises that strengthens the upper part of the trapezius and neck region and also helps to improve posture.

This variation of the shrug will emphasize the upper traps as well as the upper portion of the middle traps. The fact that your chest is pressed on the bench will make it difficult to use momentum to drive the weight up.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Upper Trapezius

Secondary: Rhomboids, Middle Trapezius, Levator Scapulae.

Execution Technique

Grab a pair of dumbbells and straddle an adjustable-incline bench with your feet flat on the floor, or position them on the bench frame to support your body.
Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip at your sides and lie chest-down on an incline bench.
Slowly shrug your shoulders up toward your ears. At the top, pause for a moment and contract hard through your traps and rhomboids.
Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.

Tips

Keep your arms straight throughout the entire movement.
Avoid using extremely heavy weights.
Move the dumbbells in a smooth and even manner, without jerking them at all.

3. One-Arm Dumbbell Upright Row

One arm dumbbell upright row is the unilateral variation on the dumbbell upright. The single-arm dumbbell upright row is a popular movement for building stronger and bigger traps and shoulders.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Lateral deltoid, Trapezius.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor.

Execution Technique

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand at your side.
Slowly shrug your left shoulder up toward your ear. At the top, pause for a moment and contract the muscles.
Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
After completing all reps on the left side, repeat on the right side. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
Keep your back straight and core tight.
Pause and squeeze the traps at the top of the movement, and then lower the dumbbells really slowly if you want to add a bit of intensity to the exercise.

4. Incline Y-Raise

Y Raises are a great and easy-to-do shoulder stability exercise that targets both the rotator cuff muscles and your lower traps.

Although the Y Raise is commonly performed on an incline bench, it can be modified to suit your needs and performed in a variety of different ways: standing, on the floor, flat or incline bench, or even a Swiss ball.

The incline Y raise is a useful movement to include in your routine as it targets the shoulders and back as well as helps tone and strengthen your upper body.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Trapezius.

Secondary: Rear deltoid, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor.

Execution Technique

Lie facedown on a flat bench with your chin past the end of the bench. Hold two light dumbbells or weight plates.
Lift both dumbbells up as high as you can while forming a letter Y with your arms and torso.
Hold this position for two seconds before returning the dumbbells to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

Raise your arms slowly and controlled.
Be careful not to use too much weight, as it is very easy to injure your deltoids.

5. Bent Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Bent Over raises are an excellent exercise to isolate and work specifically on rear deltoid muscles. For complete shoulder muscle development, bent-over raises are a must-do.

Thus, the exercise hit specifically the rear delt head by isolating it better than any other shoulder exercise. This exercise can be performed in both a standing and a seated position. Prefer the seated version as it calls for strict movement.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Posterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, trapezius, rhomboids, infraspinatus, teres minor, teres major.

Execution Technique

Sit at the end of a bench with a pair of dumbbells.
Bend forward and let the dumbbells hang on your sides.
Lift the dumbbells raising them on your sides to a level slightly upper than your shoulders.
Now lower the dumbbells back to your sides.

Tips

Your arms should be parallel to your shoulders.
Keep strict form to isolate the rear delts.

6. Dumbbell Bent Over Row

If you are looking to strengthen the upper back and add massive muscle to the upper back region, then bent over dumbbell rows is the exercise.

The dumbbell row workout is a variation of the bent-over row. Pulling the dumbbell up higher toward the chest targets the upper latissimus and trapezius. Pulling the dumbbell through a lower trajectory to touch the abdomen targets the lower lats.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Latissimus dorsi.

Secondary: Erector spinae, trapezius, rhomboids, rear deltoid.

Execution Technique

Stand with a narrow stance and a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip.
Bend your torso forward at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor with knees slightly bent.
Now use the back and raise the dumbbell until it touches the abdominal region and not the chest region as it reduces back muscle contraction.
Slowly lower the dumbbell keeping it in control to the starting position.

Tips

Do not use more weight than you can handle. This fatigues your spinal erectors and says goodbye to form.
Keep movement always under control without letting gravity take you down faster.

7. Dumbbell Farmers Walk

The farmer’s walk exercise also called the farmer’s carry, is a strength and conditioning exercise in which you hold a heavy load in each hand while walking for a designated distance.

Farmer’s Walk with Dumbbells might be one of the classic exercises and a move that men’s been doing since the beginning of time.

The Farmer’s Walk allows you to accomplish a tremendous amount in a single exercise.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Trapezius, Levator Scapulae, Rhomboids, Erector Spinae, Abs.

Secondary: Gluteus Maximus, Hamstrings, Quadriceps.

Execution Technique

Deadlift a pair of dumbbells from the floor. Reach down, bending at the hips and knees, and grasp the dumbbells in each hand.
Hold the dumbbells at your side with a firm grip. Stand tall, keeping your shoulders, back, and core tight.
Take small steps and walk forward at an even pace with your eyes focused straight ahead of you.
Complete the desired number of steps, come to a stop, and place the dumbbells down while keeping a tight core and neutral spine.

Tips

Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades and tightening your abs.
Keep a neutral or straight spine throughout the movement to avoid injury.

8. Dumbbell Shrug

The dumbbell shrug is a variation and one of the best exercises to build bigger and stronger trapezius muscles. This exercise can be done extremely heavily to thicken the traps, which really helps you in doing back poses. This is one of the best trap isolation exercises for trapezius muscle.

Being a stubborn muscle group for many, traps can be trained with a fairly high frequency during the week.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Upper Trapezius

Secondary: Rhomboids, Middle Trapezius, Levator Scapulae

Execution Technique

Stand upright, keeping arms at sides and with a heavy dumbbell in each hand.
Raise your shoulders as high as you can, as if trying to touch them to your ears.
Hold at the top for a moment, then release and return to the starting position.

Tips

Try not to move anything but your shoulders.
Inhale when you lower the weight and exhale when you lift.
Adding a pause at the top of the movement can help to enhance the mind-muscle connection.
Limit momentum and excessive jerking or bouncing of the weight.

Traps exercise With Barbell and Machine

9. Barbell Shrug

Barbell Shrug is one of the best exercises to build bigger and stronger trap muscles. This trap exercise can be done extremely heavily to thicken the traps, which really helps you in doing back poses. Barbell Shrug is one of the best isolation exercises for trapezius muscle.

The shrug is one of the simplest and easy trap exercises to perform. You can do the shrug either using a dumbbell, Barbell, and smith machine, but the barbell variation is the classic variation to build massive traps.

Being a stubborn muscle group for many, traps can be trained with a fairly high frequency during the week.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Upper Trapezius

Secondary: Rhomboids, Middle Trapezius, Levator Scapulae

Execution Technique

Stand with feet placed shoulder-width apart, knee slightly bent, and core stable.
Grip the barbell with your hands facing downwards, in a pronated grip.
Raise your shoulders without bending elbows as far as possible getting them closer to your ears.
Hold the contraction and squeeze for a brief second.
In a controlled and stable manner, lower the weight back down to the starting position.

Tips

Go as high as possible, but limit momentum and excessive jerking or bouncing of the weight.
Go full range. Move only shoulders and keep rest of body steady.

10. Barbell Upright Row

The Upright Row is an excellent exercise to build huge Trapezius muscles and create that deltopectoral separation. Heavy Upright Rows along with shrugs build massive traps. You can use either a smith machine, free weights, or Cable to perform Upright Rows.

Upright rows can be done with both narrow grips and wider ones. The narrow grip focuses on the trapezius, and the wider focuses on the entire shoulder girdle. Moreover, the wider grip allows some cheating movement, thereby allowing you to lift more weight.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Trapezius, deltoid.

Secondary: Levator scapulae, erector spinae, forearms.

Execution Technique

Hold a bar with a narrow overhand grip and let it hang in front of you.
Lift the bar and get it as close as possible to the chin, using your arms and elevating your shoulders to squeeze your trapezius muscles.
Now, lower the bar under controlled motion until it comes back to its starting position.
Repeat for desired reps.

Tips

Focus on keeping your elbows higher than your forearms.
Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
Keep your back straight.

11. Calf raise machine shrug (Gripless Shrug)

The gripless shrug is a great alternative to shrug variations where you’re holding the weight in your hands because you don’t have to depend on your grip strength to effectively work the traps.

The gripless shrug or calf raise machine shrug is a very effective isolation exercise for the trapezius muscles. Typically, a standard shrug would require you to hold the weight with both hands, but the gripless shrug eliminates the need for grip strength.

Many people actually find their grip to give out before the traps are exhausted, which is very frustrating.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Upper Trapezius.

Secondary: Middle Trapezius, Levator Scapulae.

Execution Technique

Stand inside the standing calf raise machine with your shoulders under the pads.
Grab the handles for stability, although this isn’t necessary. Exhale as you slowly raise your shoulders as high as you can.
Hold for a count of two. Inhale as you slowly lower your shoulders to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

Keep your back straight and core tight.
Avoid using a weight that is too heavy because it will limit your range of motion.

12. Smith Machine Shrug

The barbell shrug is perhaps the go-to movement when looking to tone or put on mass on the trapezius muscle. There are several variations of the barbell shrug, smith machine shrug in one of them.

The Smith machine shrug is an upper-body exercise targeting the traps (trapezius muscles). It is usually performed for moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps per set or more, as part of shoulder or trap-focused training.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Upper Trapezius

Secondary: Rhomboids, Middle Trapezius, Levator Scapulae

Execution Technique

Stand in a Smith machine holding the unlatched bar with an overhand grip in front of your thighs. Both your hands and your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Lift your shoulders up toward your ears as high as possible while keeping your arms straight.
Hold the contraction for a second before lowering the bar back to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

Focus on lifting the weight with your traps and not your biceps.
Pausing at the top of the barbell shrug makes the exercise more challenging and you’ll get more out of it.
Do not roll your shoulders as this can lead to a shoulder injury.

13. Behind-the-Back Barbell Shrug

The barbell behind-the-back shrug is an exercise targeting the traps. Having the bar behind you helps keep your shoulders pulled up and back, rather than rounded forward.

It is popular in strength and muscle-focused upper-body training and is often trained on a shoulder day.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Trapezius, Lateral deltoid.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor, Biceps, and Forearm.

Execution Technique

Stand while holding a barbell with an overhand grip behind your thighs. Both your hands and your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Lift your shoulders up toward your ears as high as possible while keeping your arms straight.
Hold the contraction for a second before lowering the bar back to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

Focus on lifting the weight with your traps and not your biceps.
Pausing at the top of the barbell shrug makes the exercise more challenging, and you’ll get more out of it.
Do not roll your shoulders as this can lead to a shoulder injury.

14. Smith Machine Behind-the-Back Shrug

Smith Machine Behind-the-Back Shrug is the variation of the smith machine shrug. The Smith machine behind-the-back shrug is an upper-body exercise targeting the traps (trapezius muscles).

It is usually performed for moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps per set or more, as part of shoulder or trap-focused training. You must add this trap exercise to your trap workout arsenal

Muscles Worked

Primary: Trapezius, Lateral deltoid.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor, biceps, and Forearm.

Execution Technique

Stand in a Smith machine holding the unlatched bar with an overhand grip in the back of your thighs. Both your hands and your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Lift your shoulders up toward your ears as high as possible while keeping your arms straight.
Hold the contraction for a second before lowering the bar back to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

Focus on lifting the weight with your traps and not your biceps.
Pausing at the top of the barbell shrug makes the exercise more challenging, and you’ll get more out of it.

15. Bent Over Barbell Rows

If you are looking to strengthen the upper back and add massive muscle to the upper back region, then bent over barbell rows is the best upper back exercise.

Spacing your hands shoulder-width apart or closer targets the central inner section of the lats, whereas a wider grip targets the outer lats.

Pulling the bar up higher toward the chest targets the upper latissimus and trapezius. Pulling the bar through a lower trajectory to touch the abdomen targets the lower lats.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Latissimus dorsi.

Secondary: Erector spinae, Trapezius, Rhomboids, Rear deltoid.

Execution Technique

Stand with a narrow stance and grab a bar with overhand grip.
Bend your torso forward at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor with knees slightly bend and let the bar hang in front of you.
Now, use the back and raise the bar until it touches the abdominal region and not the chest region, as it reduces back muscle contraction.
Slowly lower the bar under control to starting position.

Tips

Do not use more weight than you can handle. This fatigues your spinal erectors and says goodbye to form.
Exhale on pushing movement and inhale when returning to the starting position.
Hold a neutral spine throughout the movement to prevent injury.

16. T Bar Row

T bar row is a power exercise to build middle back muscles. Check the correct execution technique and blast your back muscles. It also works on the outer lats when done with a narrower grip.

T bar row is done on a T bar machine or placing barbell at the corner. T bar rows is a tough exercise, but building a strong back is a must to develop a quality physique, stay injury-free, and back pain-free for life.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Latissimus dorsi.

Secondary: Erector spinae, Trapezius, Rhomboids, Rear deltoid.

Execution Technique

Standing on a T bar machine, grab its handles with an overhand grip. Keep your feet bit apart and knees slightly bent.
Bend at the hips and keep your back arched throughout the movement.
Lift the bar until the bar touches your chest keeping the back straight.
Now slowly lower the bar until it nearly touches the ground.

Tips

Exhale while you exert.
Avoid hunchback bending as it leads to Injury.
Go complete range of motion.

Traps exercise With Cable

17. Face Pull

Face pull is a cable machine exercise that primarily targets the rear deltoid and traps to a lesser degree and also targets the biceps, triceps.

Use a cable pulley machine to pull the weight straight toward your forehead.

This type of trap exercise and workout prevents muscular imbalance and builds overall shoulder strength. However, there are many face pull variations that you can try out that may require different types of equipment and setup.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Posterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, trapezius, rhomboids, infraspinatus, teres minor, teres major.

Execution Technique

Grab the ends of the rope attachment using a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and slightly lean back.
Pull the rope toward your face as you spread the ends of the rope, so they end up on the sides of your ears just above your shoulders in the finish position.
Hold this position for a second as you squeeze your shoulder blades together, contracting rear delts and middle traps as hard as possible.
Then slowly return the rope to the start position.

Tips

Stand straight with feet in a comfortable balanced stance.
Be sure to exhale when pulling weight toward your face.
Think about trying to pinch your shoulder blades as tight as possible when pulling weight toward your face.
Your upper arms should be straight out to your sides with elbows bent.

18. Cable Shrug

The cable shrug is a variation of the shoulder shrug and one of the best trap exercises that are utilized to build the trapezius muscle of the upper back. It’s one of the best exercises for isolating the traps and offers versatility to further improve development.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Trapezius, Lateral deltoid.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor.

Execution Technique

Grab a cable bar attachment that is attached to a low pulley. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider if you wish. Your hands should be facing down.
Stand close to the pulley and extend your arms in front of you while holding the bar.
Raise your shoulders, lift the bar as high as you possibly can. Exhale while performing this movement. Hold the contraction at the top for a second.
Slowly lower the bar to its starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Tips

Prevent from rolling your shoulders, as this is incorrect form and can result in injury.

19. Cable Upright Row

The upright row is a movement that targets many of the large muscles in the upper back and shoulders, which is key for many movements (see below) in strength, power, and fitness sports.

Upright rows are an exercise that nearly everyone can do using a wide variety of grip widths.

Cable machines keep tension on the muscles throughout the entire range of motion, ultimately increasing muscle activation and hypertrophy.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Trapezius, Lateral deltoid.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor.

Execution Technique

Attach a straight bar to a low cable pulley. Grab the bar using a shoulder-width or wider overhand grip.
Stand close to the pulley with your body upright, your shoulders pulled back.
Exhale as you pull the bar up the front of your body until it reaches the level of your lower or middle chest.
Do not pull the bar up any higher. Hold for a count of two. Inhale as you lower the bar to the starting position.

Tips

Bend slightly at the knees and stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Keep your shoulders back, chest out, and body upright.

20. Cable High Row

Half kneeling high cable row rope is a tremendous exercise that effectively works many muscles, including the shoulder, back, wing, and trapezius muscles.

Using this exercise gives people with shoulder issues an exercise to get the benefits of rows. In addition, face pull is one of the most effective corrective exercises that help compensate for poor posture and shoulder dysfunction.

Being in a kneeling position will help to stabilize your body so that you’re not leaning too far forward or backward.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Posterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, trapezius, rhomboids, Biceps, infraspinatus, teres minor, teres major.

Execution Technique

Set the cable up at a high point with the rope attachments
Grab the rope with both hands using an overhand grip, then take a step back and get onto knees facing the cable machine
Starting with your arms stretched out and away, pull back through your elbows until your hands are just in front of your shoulders
Slowly return to starting position. Repeat for desired reps.

Tips

Don’t lean backwards to pull the weight towards you.
Focus on the mind-muscle connection to pull down by using your back muscles.

Bonus: Wide-Grip Pull-Up

The wide-grip pull-up is harder to perform than a standard pull-up because your hands will be further away from the center of your body which makes the exercise more difficult.

The wide grip pull-up increases the strength, thickness, and width of your back, specifically your lats. The lats are what influences back width and form the “V” in the upper back.

Muscles Worked

Primary: Latissimus dorsi.

Secondary: Rear deltoid, Lower trapezius, Rhomboids, Arms.

Execution Technique

Using an overhand grip, grab on to a pull-up bar with your hands spaced wider than shoulder-width apart.
Hang on the bar with your arms fully extended and your chest high while exaggerating the arch in your lower back.
Pull yourself up by squeezing your shoulder blades together and contracting your lats until your chin passes the bar.
Hold the contraction at the top for a second before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position.

Tips

To decrease bicep involvement, use a thumbless grip.
Go full range of motion and keep form correct. Avoid jerky movements and keep them controlled.

Frequently Asked Question

Do shrugs build traps?

The primary muscle group activated during shrugs are your upper trapezius muscles. The shrug is a great way to strengthen your upper back muscles, build traps, and improve posture.

How do I build my trap muscles?

In order to build bigger, stronger traps, you should add above-mentioned exercises to your upper body training sessions. The upper traps can be developed through common exercises such as shrugs and upright rows, while the mid-traps can be developed through pulling the shoulder blades together.

How long does it take for traps to grow?

It is important not to under-work or over-work your traps in order to achieve the best results. For the majority of people, two trap workouts per week are the ideal amount. Each session focused on traps should last between 20 and 30 minutes. It is best to rest for 36 to 48 hours before training the trap muscles again.

How can I build my trapezius at home?

There are a lot of exercises you can do at home to build your traps if you invest in a good set of dumbbells. Try shrugs, upright rows, one-arm rows, farmer’s carries, military presses, and bent over dumbbell lateral raise.

Conclusion

For anyone interested in strengthening traps and gaining muscle, these 20 best trap workout and exercises for muscle and strength are highly recommended. It not only allows for targeted muscle development, but also provides strength. There are no more scientific details needed to do it. If done consistently, the results will speak by themselves.

Thanks for reading, enjoy working on your Trap Exercises!

STAY FIT, LIVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE

Which is your favourite exercise to train your traps?

Please let us know in the comments below.

References

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2. Ronai, Peter MS, CSCS, RCEP: Exercise Modifications and Strategies to Enhance Shoulder Function. Strength and Conditioning Journal: August 2005 – Volume 27 – Issue 4 – p 36-45

3. McAllister M, Schilling B, Hammond K, Weiss L, Farney T. Effect of grip width on electromyographic activity during the upright row. J Strength Cond PMID: 22362088 DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31824f23ad

4.Cools AM, Witvrouw EE, Declercq GA, Danneels LA, Cambier DC. Scapular muscle recruitment patterns: Trapezius muscle latency with and without impingement symptoms. Am J Sports Med 31: 542–549, 2003.

5. Int J Environ Res Public Health. Trapezius muscle timing during selected shoulder rehabilitation exercises. 2021 Jun 14;18(12):6444. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126444.PMID: 34198674

6. Lorenzetti S, Dayer R, Pluss M, List R. Pulling exercises for strength training and rehabilitation: movements and loading conditions. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2017;2(3):33. doi:10.3390/jfmk2030033

7. Effects of Lower Trapezius Strengthening Exercises on Pain, Dysfunction, Posture Alignment, Muscle Thickness and Contraction Rate in Patients with Neck Pain; Randomized Controlled Trial

8. Selective recruitment of the lower fibers of the trapezius muscle.