How To Get Those Stubborn Traps To Grow!

Upright Rows

Standing with the bar in front of you, grab the bar with about a 6 inch width between your hands.

Slowly bring the bar up to your chin for a count two seconds then slowly lower the bar for a count of about four seconds.

Perform 3 sets of 6-12 reps. Increase the weight on each set and decrease the reps.

Front Shrugs

Shrugs are a very effective exercise for building your traps, but most people who perform shrugs do them incorrectly (i.e. they use too much weight and don't fully contract the muscle). The Trapezius muscle is mostly an endurance muscle (if you think about it, it has to hold up the weight of your arms all day long and thus would respond better to a higher rep workout).

Meaning it takes a lot of reps to get it to grow. There are four very effective exercises that isolate the traps and done correctly will cause your traps to grow tremendously. Grip a barbell about shoulder width-apart. Un-rack the bar and hold it against your thighs (the bar should be around the middle portion of your thighs- this is the starting position).

With the bar resting against your thighs and your arms extended, slowly "shrug" the bar until you can't move the bar any higher because your traps will be fully contracted (flexed). Think of it as trying to touch your shoulders to your ears. Then slowly lower your shoulders until the bar is back in the starting position. Remember to keep your arms straight and look forward throughout the set.

Behind The Back Shrugs

Same steps as front shrugs except the bar will be behind you instead of in front of you.

Dumbbell Shrugs

Grabbing a pair of dumbbells, hold them at your sides.

Slowly "shrug" the dumbbells. Again try and picture touching your shoulders to your ears. Then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

One-Arm Dumbbell/Cable Shrugs

Same motion as with dumbbell shrugs except you are only using one at a time instead of both at the same time.

By doing one-arm shrugs it allows you to contract the muscle a lot more than by doing it with both arms at the same time.

Do about two or three exercises for your traps each time you work them out. For example:

• Exercise 1: Upright Rows
• Exercise 2: Front Barbell Shrugs
• Exercise 3: One-Arm Cable Shrugs.

Thanks,