We're Caught In A Trap

Most people work the superior(upper) portion of the (trapezius) traps while neglecting the middle and lower portions entirely. Of course, the superior traps are the "mirror muscle" that makes you look like the incredible hulk. And, many people work the traps improperly as well. Let's take a quick look at how to work the entire trap properly and effectively.

Apart from appearances, the mid and low traps are important to develop because weaknesses there can lead to shoulder injuries. The upper traps insert into the lateral 1/3 of the clavicle and elevate the scapula and assist with upward rotation. The mid traps retract the scapula, and the lower traps depress the scaps, assist with upward rotation, and assist with retraction.

The scaps are the middleman between the spine and rotator cuff. So, if you have insufficiencies in scapulae control and movement, you can see how you'd be ripe for shoulder issues.

For all trap exercise, you will want the tongue to be placed in the "physiological rest position" or where your tongue ends up after you swallow. In a standing position, the traps are always raised vertically ( no rolling or rotating). And always retract the scaps while lowering the weight.

You should perform your trap exercises After any other back or shoulder exercises. Composed of mostly Type I fibers, traps can take 3-5 minutes to fatigue. You should allow 60 seconds or more rest between sets, and use a 3-0-3-3 minimum lift tempo. Time under tension is key for effectiveness.

If endurance is your goal, aim for 20+ reps. Strength- 12 or fewer reps. Hypertrophy- 8 to 12 reps with a 60s RI.

Olympic lifts are Stellar for trap development, so be sure to incorporate them in your routine.

For middle traps try these: wide-grip overhand rows to the chest,T-bar row with scap retraction, BB row with scap retraction, standing 1-arm cable row, incline shrug, straight-arm seated row.

For the Lowertraps, try incline DB raises and BB front to overhead raises.

And, finally, for Upper traps, behind the back shrugs, BB shrugs, and lying cable shrugs are all effective.

One of my new favorites is a compound shrug- lean slightly forward while grasping DBs with a neutral grip. Shrug straight up, and at the peak, externally rotate the DB as far as you can and squeeze the shoulder blades together. Lower under control. Yowza!




"we're caught in a trap, I can't walk out, because I love you too much baby" (Mark James, 1968)