It might be that your arms are absolutely poppin’ and you’ve been working your biceps and triceps to the max. However, if this isn’t supported by some bulging trap muscles, you’ve got nothing.
By increasing muscle mass and strength in your trap muscles, you’re not only creating that signature bodybuilder physique, but you’re also helping to maintain great posture with your heavy lifts.
Exercises that work your trap muscles are an essential addition to your upper body workout routines. Today is your lucky day, as we are going to show you the best trap exercises you need to be doing to get the biggest gains.
So, let’s get to it.
Face pulls
When it comes to upper body exercises, face pulls are definitely underestimated. However, if your goals are to correct your posture, build muscle and improve your overall health, then get these into your workout routines.
Face pulls are quite similar to upright rows and are a shoulder exercise that engages the trap muscles. To be executed correctly, they need to be performed in a controlled motion and ensure your muscles are loaded, to avoid injury.
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If these are for you then add these in as a finisher to your workout and destroy your muscles.
Upright rows
If these aren’t already part of your workout routine, then it’s about time you show them a little love. These won’t just help you to build mass and strength in your traps, but they’ll also challenge your rear and anterior deltoids.
The upright row is another exercise where you really need to be following the correct form to avoid injuring yourself. Shoulder pain and shoulder impingement are incredibly common things to experience when the movement is not executed correctly.
If you’re a beginner in this exercise, start off with lighter weights to gain confidence in doing the movement. Focus on muscular contraction and higher rep ranges. The upright row is a vital part of the clean and press, practicing this movement may allow you to throw more weight above your head. This is definitely a great benefit, especially if you’re an Olympic lifter.
However, if you are someone that suffers from shoulder pain, this may be one to leave out.
Rack pulls
If you’re a little unsure as to what rack pulls are, they are basically the top part of a deadlift. Instead of lifting the bar from the floor, you’ll pull it from the rack at about knee height.
You might be thinking, why not just do deadlifts?
Well, because you’re pulling from a higher starting point, rack pulls concentrate on the upper part of the deadlift movement. By doing so, they demand more from your upper body, back, and all-important trap muscles.
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So, if today isn’t your leg day, then it’s the perfect opportunity to work on your trap muscles with rack pulls. They won’t give you the same full-body strength gains as conventional deadlifts would, but they’re a great exercise for your traps.
Barbell deadlift
When you’re wanting to talk about the best ways to build a specific muscle group, then deadlifts are always likely to come up. Due to how effective they can be for muscle growth, we’re not even sorry.
When executed correctly, deadlifts are one of the best compound exercises out there as they demand so many from different parts of your body. They require your entire back to be engaged, meaning your traps are getting involved.
Now, we know that the trap muscles aren’t the main focus of these lifts. However, the beauty of a deadlift is that all three parts of your trapezius muscles are challenged.
If you start your workouts with deadlifts and end them on the shrugs we’re about to show you, your traps will get pumped.
Shrugs
It would not be a complete list of trap exercises without shrugs.
When thinking about training your traps, shrugs should be one of the first exercises on your list. Shrugs are great for activating your upper and middle traps. They also help to build mass, strength, and muscular endurance.
Being a very adaptable exercise, they’re great regardless of your ability and can be done with anything from dumbbells to cables or even a trap bar. It makes them the perfect exercise as you don’t have to wait around for equipment at the gym.
As shrugs isolate the trap muscles, they make a great finisher. Choose a weight that is doable for you and aim for 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps to really feel then burn.
Our conclusion
Well, we said we were going to give you it, and we did. You’ve now got five great exercises to smash in the gym for you to stack those traps and help carry your arms.
You can plan your own workout from the exercises above, or add a couple into your current routine, either way, you’ll definitely notice a difference.
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With the above exercises, you’ll be well on your way to building some serious strength in your traps.
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