Traps

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What do you guys feel is the best exercise for traps, shrugs?

Is there another good exercise besides shrugs that you recommend?

What about these accessories you can buy to workout your "neck". You know, the things that wraps around your head and has a chain that you hang the weights off of.

Do these really hit the traps or something esle?
 
I think the best exercise, by far, for the traps is the deadlift.  Shrugs and powercleans are good also, though the load of course is less than the deadlift.
 
I started hammering traps about 6 months ago and have found a combination of exercises work for me.  I've put a ton of size and strength in the upper back area in that time.  I have also been eating about 300g of protein a day along and 5-10g of creatine per day.

behind the neck overhead press -- I got *way* behind the neck.  It seems to me a lot of people load up the bar and virtually do a incline bench when they do overhead press.  This hits my middle delts and top of traps really well.
dumbells shrugs  - these really kickstarted the growth for me. I do 2 work sets and then throw on as much as I can handle for 2x10.

deadlift -- This tear my whole upper back structure up and I feel they are probably the most productive move overall, but the weight I feel I need to get the response I want is so high I can't do it with the frequency I'd like (455lbs for 2xas-many-as-I-can-do workset). More than 2x a week makes my joints scream.

modified upright row -- I saw some young kid with really impressive upper back development doing this move one day, I don't know the proper name, but I started doing them and they really seem to work well.  I stand upright with two dumbells at my side with the best posture I can, like I'm going to do shrugs, but instead of shruging I pull the dumbells up my side.  If you can image a 'dip-like' movement, but the resistance is in the other direction. Hits my traps and read deltoids really well.

If I were to pick one I'd have to say dumbell shrug, but a combo works better for me.
 
I used to love dumbbell shrugs but stopped doing 'em when I started HST. My traps still get hit hard on deadlifts, cutting out the shrugs doesn't seem to have hurt my progress at all. In fairness, though, traps are "easy-gain" muscles for me.
 
I believe traps are an incredible muscle to develop--for me, nothing seems more impressive than a guy walking along with huge traps.
Needless to say, I love to work my traps. In any kind of rowing motion I tend to get a pump in my traps but what has definitely worked the best for me is the tried and true shrug.
I know you may be looking for something more but quite frankly I think shrugs are incredible for traps. Everytime I do shrugs my traps bulge in a pump that is basically unrivaled by any other pump I get! More specifically, I do barbell shrugs because I find that I can handle much more weight than if I hold dumbells--in another words, my forearms and grip give out too quickly with dumbells, so barbell shrugs are my solution.
So, I suppose mixing back movements like DLs and rows with shrugs will give you great results--I know I have seen tremendous progress through the power of the shrug! :)
Good luck.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (gripstrength @ Aug. 06 2005,11:49)]in fairness, though, traps are "easy-gain" muscles for me.
yeah, my traps are pretty sicko :D I hit them with shrugs and shrugs only w/ a 5 second hold when lifting the weights (is that what a metabolic set is?) I bounce between dumbells and smith machine and both have worked great

-colby
 
Yep, can't go wrong with deadlifts.

Generally, for almost any muscle you can think of, the best exercise for them is almost always the heaviest compound exercise that hits them.

Go crazy with deadlifts and, as long as you do it right and don't strain your back bad, your traps will grow huge... wait, did I say huge? I meant to say HYOOOGE.

Regards :)
-JV
 
I guess some of you are lucky. I've tried to hit me traps with barbell shrugs, but while it works good initially, the weight becomes ineffective very quickly and so I increase it only to find that my grip fails before my traps are done.
 
Yeah, rowdy, seems like you have to hang on to some pretty heavy weight for shrugs. The dumbbells I used to use tore up my hands something fierce. The heavy weight required will help build up a person's grip strength, though.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I guess some of you are lucky. I've tried to hit me traps with barbell shrugs, but while it works good initially, the weight becomes ineffective very quickly and so I increase it only to find that my grip fails before my traps are done.

In that case, just stop the set when your grip starts to give. Rest them for a bit, condition yourself mentally (e.g., by saying somehting like "I can do this, I'm a monster, I'm a monster..." :D ), then continue with the exercise. In effect you'll be doing clustering for that exercise, don't care how many sets it takes you, just try to finish your total target reps.

Regards,
-JV
 
I would suggest that instead of stopping the set because your grip is giving out is to get some lifting straps and take your grip out of the equation. Then you can blast your traps with heavy weights and never have to worry about your grip failing.

Lifting straps are a great tool if used correctly and not all the time. They were created for doing heavy lifts when your grip would fail you so why not use them. For deads and shrugs and even chins and pull-ups with heavy weight nothing beats them. You are missing out on a lot of heavy compounds if you are not using them.

Mike
 
The best possibly thing you could do for your upper back complex would be power shrugs. Nothing stimulates the back muscles (the upper, especially) like some nice explosive pulling. Look at the backs of most any olylifter. They have some awesome development, and they're strong. I wouldn't shy away from olympic lifts just because they're difficult, either. Learn them. It'll be worth the effort.

If you don't have access to an experienced olylifter or anyone to assess your form, though, you can just stick to deadlifts and maybe throw in some shrugs once in a blue moon. They're not going to make much of a difference, though.
 
One nice touch for making shrugs really work the traps is to look down while doing it. It increases the stretch on the upper traps significantly.

Generally, with shrugs, it's really not necessary to go all the way up. About halfway is really all you need, and this will enable you to use more weight.

Performing explosive shrugs does work, because you initiate the myotatic reflex everytime you explode in the reverse. However, I probably wouldn't doing that until a person is more further on in their strength work.

Straps with shrugs is a great idea, since it lets you use even more weight. If working the upper traps is the most important thing, you could also do good mornings-style movements and just bop your head up and down a la Metallica Headbanger Guy.

But the looking down thing is probably the easiest little tweak you can do to immediately feel a difference in results.

cheers,
Jules
 
Great post guys; ya I just love deadlifts but not for my traps.
Barbell shrugs for me work best and I'll tell you ever since i believe i read one of Vicious posts re adding metabolic stress on the 5's and that has helps immensely. Question: anyone do shrugs from behind; difference with front?
 
I added shrugs in to my routine a couple cycles ago and my traps exploded. Seriously, they are starting to look a little freaky, especially from the back.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (vicious @ Aug. 19 2005,4:59)]One nice touch for making shrugs really work the traps is to look down while doing it.  It increases the stretch on the upper traps significantly.


But the looking down thing is probably the easiest little tweak you can do to immediately feel a difference in results.
cheers,
Jules
Thanks for the advice Jules - this summer I was thrown into the habit of looking straight into the mirror when doing dumbell shrugs. I think I will revert back to a power rack this week.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (vicious @ Aug. 19 2005,4:59)]If working the upper traps is the most important thing, you could also do good mornings-style movements and just bop your head up and down a la Metallica Headbanger Guy.
Could you elaborate on this? I almost always do good mornings in my routines... so where exactly do you do the head movement? At the bottom?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Totentanz @ Aug. 21 2005,12:27)]Could you elaborate on this? I almost always do good mornings in my routines... so where exactly do you do the head movement? At the bottom?
hes meaning more of a neck extension style of movemnet.
 
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