The Best Exercises to Strengthen Your Traps

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If your traps don’t impair your hearing, they’re not big enough. Ok, maybe not. These shrug exercises will make them larger.

New Shrugs for Better Traps

There’s been a lot of debate about shrugs. Shrugs can be used to create traps. Some others say it is almost pointless. Most likely, the answer lies somewhere in between.

Shrugs performed poorly don’t work very well, but shrugs performed the right way certainly do. So, let’s get yoked. Here are 13 variations of shrugs, some you’ve probably never tried before, and how to do them right.

1. Trap Bar Shrugs

Traditional shrugs can be done with dumbbells or a straight bar, but I prefer the trap bar. It eliminates body drag. The centered handles ensure that the resistance load is placed under the clavicular attachment to the upper trapezius. This promotes upright body posture.

Focus on decreasing the distance between the tops your shoulders (and your earlobes) as you shrug. Then, take a moment to pause at the top and then slowly lower. 2. Reeves Shrugs

These shrugs are said to have helped Steve Reeves, a bodybuilder and movie star from the old days, create his classic physique. You can grab the plates, not the bar.

You can support the barbell by supporting it with your abducted shoulders (arms extended to your sides). This reduces the weight you can lift, so it isn’t the “go-to” To build slabs of uppertrapezius muscle. It does however increase the deltoid involvement, which can enhance your V-taper.

If you don’t have plates with grip holes, just load dish-style plates with the lip facing outward. It is possible for a Wichita Falls coach to be irritated by plates being loaded backwards.