posted Thu, 02/28/2013 - 12:57
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-1 Best trap exercise
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I think upright rows is the best for traps imo ur working the shoulders biceps forearms grip and traps. And i always feel more heaviness in my traps after this exercise more so than the shrugs. Does anyone agree or disagree?
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Wat i have learned for trPs is great form less weight!..traps will grow like this imho!...my favorite is grabbin a 45 pound plate n each hand and shruginn a hard 2 sec pause at top 25 reps resting 30 sec and repeating!..4 sets/100 reps!..kills mine and they grow!..
Saw it mentioned before but definitely smith machine rows front and back. Since you can lean out of the way of the bar you get a better range of motion. With barbell your ass or junk are always getting in the way so can't get the full range.
Heavy shrugs!!!! Heavy!
telloladeWrong!!!! Form and control not so "heavy" form is compromised
Call me crazy but I like to deadlift and then shrugs at the end of the set before putting the weight down. Also adds to the grip strength having to hold the weight to shrug for a bit.
Shrugs on the standing calf raise machine. Very isolated and gives a great feeling in the muscle belly
I do 3x 10 barbell shrugs then superset with lighter dumbells 3x failure
Then upright rows3x12
telloladeLemme tell u something smith machine shrugs wit good form and high up rows are the only things that will give u Brock lesnar traps.
I really like smith machine behind the back shrugs
X2 because you can step forward and shrug so the bar doesn't hit your ass. Greater ROM than with Olympic bar.
waltrsince nobody has mentioned it yet,
high volume is what works for me as i seem to be able to shrug really heavy weights easily
i'm talking 25+ per set
edit
my grip usually gives out before my strength so straps are helpful sometimes
Dumbbell shrugs work great for me...I do a few sets with them with the weight at sides and a few sets holding them in the front across my thighs. Hold the contraction for a second at the top and go HEAVY! Your traps can handle it. Shoot for 8 to 10 reps.
SpyVWhy waste the time on DB shrugs? Just get on the BB already. Eventually, unless you are at the metroflex or some other super gym your DB weights wont get as heavy as you'll be able to shrug.
I can make them burn with shrugs. Hold the contraction at the top for at least a second and they will start screaming at you.
Shrugs and rows for me. Also front barbell raises
AnonUpright rows tend to work more more shoulders wrists and forearms its the shrugs that hit my traps the most but to each their own
telloladeYea well rows blow me up while shrugs dont do shit for me
i agree, i just started working out again after 10yrs and after my 1st session of upright rows my forearms and ligiments connecting to bicepts were torn to shit, my arms were stuck in a "curl" motion for a week, could not straighten them out lol
angusThe upright row is limited in its ability to tax your trap due to the fact that you're only as strong as your weakest link. This particular instance would be the wrist or the shoulder. While I don't disagree with you that upright rows are a very good workout, I have always considered them an end of workout exercise. The deadlift (if locked out at the top) is a mass builder, as well as the shrug, both front and back. Enormous amounts of stress can be put on the trap with these two exercises whereby causing greater damage to the muscle to make it grow exponentially.
i agree. as they always say big weights = big muscles.
BostonI disagree. I dont think you can beat behind the back standing barbell shrugs. You can destroy your traps with this movement. And you can go so much heavier than with upright rows.
i think i can do that.
i'll give it a shot.
I'll give you my secret traps killer.
I do traps twice a week and I'll do this once per workout:
About halfway through my traps' sets, I'll grab a 100lb dumbell in each hand. I stand up straight and let my arms hang straight down for 3 minutes. It's gotta be 3 minutes; 2:30 is nothing, it's that last 30 seconds that kills you. To get the timing right, I'll put on a song and wait till exactly 3 minutes remain; then just hold on tight till it ends. Don't fight the pull, just let it hang. I use wrist straps or hooks because it gets heavy.
It becomes more of a super stretch but your traps well be on fire and swol like crazy.
Biz, this and all the routines Im reading are mindblowing. But heres a POLL for all of you. Im age 54, and Im on my 1st cycle in 32 yrs. I cant imagine doing what you guys do without tearing my traps to the point of injury. So the poll is:
WILL ANY OF YOU STILL BE WILLING TO WORK OUT THIS HARD AFTER YOU PASS 50? (especially if nagging injuries have set in.)
I am 39 and my workout bro is 52, he is shrugging 405 as of last Thursday and I am @ 425. He has to have his collarbone popped back in at the chiropractor on occasion but that ain't stopping him.
I still plan on busting my ass in the gym after 50. I'm 42 and already have some nagging injuries, tendonitis in both elbows, rotator cuff in left shoulder, scoliosis. I have had to adapt my training to accomodate my injuries. I train just a hard now if not harder than I did 10-20 years ago. There are certain movements I can't do which I have replaced with other movements. Can't do barbell curls anymore but I am fine with DB's. Can't squat anymore so they have been replaced with hack squats and leg press. I'll keep training hard till my body says no more. Hopefully that will be well past 50yrs old:)
Beyond age 50, I can't say for sure. Only time and my body shape will tell... But as for nagging injuries, I always try to avoid irritating them. If your shoulders/traps have a lasting injury, I wouldn't do anything further to worsen it. I still get great pumps by just grabbing 45lb plates in each hand and shrugging them for high reps. The key is quality shrugs, not a ridiculous amount if reps. If that's still irritating the injury, try different angles/arm-hand placement until you can rep it without pain. Maybe arms in front of your body instead of to the side, or shrug machines, etc...
angusThis is a form of whats known as Static Contraction. A form of excercise that was championed by Charles Atlas in 1922 after he won the title of "Americas Most Perfectly Developed Man" It is also known a Dynamic-Tension. The problem was that it was never developed much by people seeking to be bulky with the biggest criticism being that it develops strength at only one spot and not a range of motion, which is needed to fully develop a muscle. Since intensity is inversely proportional to duration, it is noted that this type of exercise may build powerful muscles but since it can be sustained for long perionds (relatively speaking) then the intensity can never surpass that of a shrug, which can only be sustained for a few seconds. Of course this doesn't mean it doesn't work. Everyone is different, and the trick to bodybuilding is figuring out what works for YOU. And it sounds like you have done that, good job.
telloladetrying this tmrw
Nice- let me know how it goes!
When I want to tear my traps up, I grab a 45lb plate in each hand, raise my shoulders (like a shrug) and walk a lap around the track. Take a 30 second break and do it again. That gets my taps pumped as F###!!!!
telloladetrying this if i ever compete for something physical
CG BB upright rows are great for the traps if your wrists can handle it. Shrugs are awesome too each have their place.
telloladeit helps build strong wrists
Wardi77In my opinion, the best exercise for traps are shrugs without a doubt. Especially if done with a 3 second hold on the top of the movement, nothing works the traps like shrugs, there are several variations of course, barbell, dumbbell, weights in front of the body, or shrugs with the barbell behind you, shrugs are the best trap isolation exercise.