You have nice looking arms, chest, and abs but you want to build up your back muscles. You have come to the right place. If you are looking for some quality trapezius exercises, you have come to the right place. Having a nice set of guns is great but you should have a strong back as well.
The trapezius muscles are a muscle group on your back that make up a good portion of your back muscles. They also extend up to your neck. They are commonly referred to as the “trap” muscles.
The traps have upper, middle, and lower regions. The upper is mainly used for neck movement. The middle is mostly used for shoulder movements. Last but not least the lower helps with shoulder stability.
So what are the exercises?
1) Upright Rows – Upright rows can be done with either dumbbells or a curl bar. Hold the bar/dumbbells at shoulder width apart in front of you. Bring the weight up towards your head, your elbows should be about level with your ears at the highest point. Pause briefly at the top to isolate the trapezius muscles.
2) Shoulder Shrugs – Shrugs are one of the most common trapezius exercises. You do exactly what the name says, you shrug your shoulders. Just like you did when you got in trouble growing up and your mom asked you what happened, you just looked at her with a blank stare and shrugged your shoulders. Just like upright rows, shoulder shrugs can be done with either a barbell or dumbbells.
3) Trap Flys – Wrap a resistance band around a pole or something around the house. Do reverse flys. Have the resistance bands level with your chest. As you do the exercise, bring the resistance bands upwards over your shoulders to attack the upper traps. Squeeze shoulder blades together also. You will feel the burn with this one.
4) Shrug Rows – With shrug rows you will use kettlebells instead of barbells or dumbbells. Bend forward with your body being at a 90 degree angle. Exercise one arm at a time. Lift the kettlebell up like you are doing a row. Rest your opposite arm on the opposite leg with a bent knee.
You can work your traps 2 to 3 times a week. To get great results work traps on the same day you work shoulders.
Doing a few different trapezious exercises is a great way to mix up your workouts. You too can have awesome looking back muscles by doing these simple exercises. Go out there and get it done.