Trap Workouts: The 5 Best Trap Exercises for Building Mass

 

Get an incredibly muscular physique with well-developed trapezius muscles. The trapezius muscles, or traps, sit at the top and center of your back. This three-part muscle attaches at the base of your skull and continues down to the middle of your spine. Exercises that specifically target this muscle group will add both size and definition to your back, and create a solid frame. Additionally, the traps not only look great when strong and defined, but they also improve your posture and help prevent shoulder injuries.

 

RELATED: The Best Upper Body Workout For Max Muscle Growth

 

Trapezius Muscles

 

Upper Traps 

The upper traps are the easiest section to target. They allow movement in the scapula and cervical spine, including upward rotation, as well as provide shoulder stability.

 

Mid Traps

The mid traps sit across the back of your shoulders. These muscles are responsible for the retraction of the scapula. They also support the function and movement of neighboring muscles.

 

Lower Traps

The lower traps assist in the upward rotation, posterior tilt, and external rotation of the scapula, and also provides stabilization for the scapula in other motions.

 

Best Trap Workout and Exercises

1. Barbell Shrug

Barbell shrugs are a great traps exercise for emphasizing the upper traps and building strength. To get the most out of your shrugs, you’ll want to focus on both your grip and shoulder blade retraction. Firstly, for your grip, make sure you hold the bar with a wide grip. By doing so, the direction of the movement reflects the direction of the fibers in the muscle. Secondly, for the shoulder position, focus on pulling your shoulder blades together, rather than just up. This will make sure you have maximum activation, and therefore results.

 

Steps

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and hold the bar in an overhand grip, wider than shoulder-width. 
2. Shrug the weight up, focussing on squeezing your shoulder blades together, activating that mid-trap section.
3. Release the weight back down with control.

 

 

2. Dumbbell One-Arm Row

Engage your entire body, not just your traps, with a dumbbell one-arm row. One-arm rows are brilliant for working the whole back muscle region, including the traps, lats, and other stabilizing muscles. However, you can make one small change to shift the emphasis to the upper traps. This is done with a simple shrug to bring the arm into the row. Another benefit of the one-arm row includes identifying if you have a weak side and being able to work on that. You’ll also build core strength, as your abdominals engage to prevent twisting. Plus, because this exercise is done standing, is more athletic and requires full body activation.

 

 

Steps

1. Stand facing the back of an incline bench so that you can hold on with one hand. Have your feet set wide with your toes pointing forward, bend your knees slightly and tilt at the hips, so your butt is sticking out. 
2. Hold the dumbbell in one hand, and brace yourself on the upright of the incline bench with the other. 
3. Keep your arm straight and shrug your shoulder up so that it pulls your arm up and back.
4. Once your shoulder is shrugged, continue to pull the weight towards your chest, allowing your elbow to extend behind your body. 
5. Release the weight back down with control. 
6. Complete a full set on one arm before moving to the other.

 

 

3. Rack Pull

Rack pulls are a great way to build mass and maximize your upper trap activity. Starting the pull at knee height is the section of the lift where the upper traps have the highest level of engagement. Additionally, because the range of movement in this lift is small, this is also the perfect opportunity to increase your weight to overload the muscles. However, make sure to be loading within your relative capabilities, otherwise, you do risk injury. The final thing to note with a rack pull is to focus on your shoulder blade retraction, pulling them together to ensure your shoulders don’t round as you lift.

 

Steps

1. Set yourself up with your barbell on the rack just above knee height. 
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, tilt forward at the hips, bend your knees slightly, and grip the barbell with an overhand grip. 
3. Pull the bar up, focusing on squeezing the shoulder blades together. As you pull, your body will straighten. The move should finish with the barbell in front of your thighs.
4. Release the weight back down with control.

 

 

4. Face Pulls

Feel the burn throughout your upper back, build stability, and improve posture with a good quality face pull. However, there are a few things to keep in mind to do this exercise correctly. The first is equipment. Ideally, you would use a cable machine with ropes long enough to get a full extension of the arms. Additionally, you’ll need to be pulling from an anchor point above your head. Secondly, is your standing position. You should be square to the cable machine, in an athletic stance. The third is your grip. You want to use an underhand grip and lead with your thumbs, so they win the race to behind your head. Next, you want to pull to your face height — aim for your nose. Finally, don’t use too much weight — you want enough for a proper contraction, but not too much that you need momentum.

 

Steps

1. Position yourself into an athletic stance, square to the cable machine. Your feet will be wider than hip-width apart, knees bent but shins vertical, hips moved back, and your chest up. Anchor the cable above your head.
2. Hold the ropes in both hands, in an underhand grip.
3. Pull the cables back towards your face, leading with your thumbs. At the back of the move, your traps should be fully contracted. Additionally, your arms will be out wide, with elbows bent at 90-degrees. 
4. Release the cables back with control. 
5. If you want to level up this traps exercise, at the back of the move, add a hands-up press to the ceiling to engage your lower trap muscles. 

 

 

5. Dumbbell Prone Press

The last traps exercise to try is the dumbbell prone press. Essentially, this is a shoulder press, but lying down on your stomach. It’s a tough exercise and needs only light weights, if any weights at all. This exercise will target the lower traps, which are the most often neglected part of the muscle group.  The goal is to keep the weights off the ground for the entire duration of the workout.

 

 
Steps

1. Lie on your stomach on the floor, with your forehead touching the ground. Don’t give in to the existential dread. 
2. Hold a weight in each hand, and keep your arms hovering just off the floor. 
3. Start with your arms bent by your sides, so the weight is around your shoulder. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together. 
4. Press up until your arms are straight above your head, still hovering just off the floor.  
5. Bring your hands back down to your shoulders, again, squeezing your shoulder blades.