Building traps

[Savagesteve]

ive been doing shrugs for years now with either dumbbells or the barbell. I've also done different weights ranging from heavy weight with low reps to low weight high reps. Neither of these gave me very good results but for the last 3 months I've been doing what a member suggested on here which is hold a 45lb plate in each hand and shrug away. I've gained quite a bit of size on my traps from this but curious what other members do for traps.

 

[Jeremiahflex]

Add in some side raises or upright rows

 

[Savagesteve]

I do side raises and up right rows from time to time. Would closer hands on the upright row help more?

 

[Cajun897]

Military press

 

[Cajun897]

I do side raises and up right rows from time to time. Would closer hands on the upright row help more?

When I do them I put them right next to each other pretty painful after a while but it works great

 

[Savagesteve]

When I do them I put them right next to each other pretty painful after a while but it works great

Okay great. I know if I do em a little wider it helps the medial felt but I wasn't sure of where to place them for helping traps.

 

[fodsod]

Standing barbell shrug (heavy) 6-8 reps to failure then immediately to:
seated dumbbell shrugs slightly leaning forward (10-12 reps to failure) then to:
low position standing cable machine using a rope and start at the bottom of the stack go to failure, then drop 30#'s go to failure, drop 30#'s go to failure. At every weight change re-position your hands (to your side first, then directly in front of you, then back to the side).

Do 4-5 sets of this with no rest between each exercise and they'll grow.

 

[Jeremiahflex]

When I do them I put them right next to each other pretty painful after a while but it works great

I agree works well but will blow your shoulder out if you go crazy heavy or lose form

 

[Savagesteve]

Standing barbell shrug (heavy) 6-8 reps to failure then immediately to:
seated dumbbell shrugs slightly leaning forward (10-12 reps to failure) then to:
low position standing cable machine using a rope and start at the bottom of the stack go to failure, then drop 30#'s go to failure, drop 30#'s go to failure. At every weight change re-position your hands (to your side first, then directly in front of you, then back to the side).

Do 4-5 sets of this with no rest between each exercise and they'll grow.

This definitely sounds great. Only question is have is on the rope. Keep my hands close together while shrugging?

 

[Cajun897]

Okay great. I know if I do em a little wider it helps the medial felt but I wasn't sure of where to place them for helping traps.

Also when I do them I bring the bar all the way up to my chin feels like.I really get the full effect that way

 

[fodsod]

This definitely sounds great. Only question is have is on the rope. Keep my hands close together while shrugging?

You start with your hands to your sides sort like a dumbbell shrug and shrug up and back, then drop the weight and move your hands together in front of you (you'll feel this right at the top of the traps in the upper neck area), then drop the weight again and retunr to your original position and go to failure.

No counting reps on the cable. Just go to absolute failure then drop the weight 30-40#'s and go to failure again, then drop and failure again. It burns and hurts like a mofo but they'll grow.

 

[Savagesteve]

You start with your hands to your sides sort like a dumbbell shrug and shrug up and back, then drop the weight and move your hands together in front of you (you'll feel this right at the top of the traps in the upper neck area), then drop the weight again and retunr to your original position and go to failure.

No counting reps on the cable. Just go to absolute failure then drop the weight 30-40#'s and go to failure again, then drop and failure again. It burns and hurts like a mofo but they'll grow.

Hell yeah man I'm stoked to try this.

 

[Cajun897]

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/UprightRow1.jpg

 

[fodsod]

The bar shrugs can be a little sloppy so you can use more weight because you can't really cheat on seated dumbbell shrugs so your form gets more strict as you progress through the movements. It's all about making sure the traps are doing the work also. Make sure you're feeling it especially as you get to the cables. Make those fuckers burn.

 

[TANGO.ECHO.KILO]

no shortcuts to building a hood like a cobra...however it's a good look

-take two 80lb bags of concrete and pour em out of the mixer into a steel action jackson, hump that up a steep grade.
-Next take two 5ga buckets filled with coarse gravel or rock dust, yup hump that up that hill
-grab one 150-200lb boulder...up the hill
-rinse and repeat

an alternate circuit looks like:
-take one short handled collapsible E-tool, fill sandbag
-lift sandbag and carry
-stack sandbag
-rinse and repeat

or:
-grab 100lb heavy bag lift from floor overhead
-slam heavy bag onto floor
-rinse and repeat

or you can always throw some hang cleans in there...although clean is like a four-letter word around here

 

[Savagesteve]

no shortcuts to building a hood like a cobra...however it's a good look

-take two 80lb bags of concrete and pour em out of the mixer into a steel action jackson, hump that up a steep grade.
-Next take two 5ga buckets filled with coarse gravel or rock dust, yup hump that up that hill
-grab one 150-200lb boulder...up the hill
-rinse and repeat

an alternate circuit looks like:
-take one short handled collapsible E-tool, fill sandbag
-lift sandbag and carry
-stack sandbag
-rinse and repeat

or:
-grab 100lb heavy bag lift from floor overhead
-slam heavy bag onto floor
-rinse and repeat

or you can always throw some hang cleans in there...although clean is like a four-letter word around here

View attachment 47742

View attachment 47743

I'll do any of them except fill sandbags with an etool. Told myself after shithole Iraq I would be doing that anymore lol.

 

[TANGO.ECHO.KILO]

I'll do any of them except fill sandbags with an etool. Told myself after shithole Iraq I would be doing that anymore lol.

I feel safer with em stacked in my f150 doors...
its mostly mental

 

[Demondosage]

One handed upright rows with a db, pull up and then backwards at the top of the movement so it ends with your hand next to your ear. I always had a pinching feeling in my shoulders when doing uprights with a bar and both hands, but the one handed db uprights feel more natural to me and I can exaggerate the backward pull at the top to get the extra squeeze. I do those combined with 45lb plate shrugs for my traps. Deadlifts handle the rest

 

[jaymaximus]

Deadlift

 

[jJjburton]

good shit. I needed help in those too.