Grow Your Traps: Build Traps The Size Of Mountains
Filling out a shirt and looking good is what every reader wants (including me), this requires not only a developed chest, back and shoulders, but traps too, serious. Pro bodybuilders include trap exercises into their workouts mainly with shoulders or back, but this muscle can easily be incorporated into any workout. Unfortunately bodybuilders mistake training traps enough or at all!
KEEP SHRUGGING
Training traps is probably the most simplest exercise to perform and perfect. One major exercise is “The Shrug”, by lifting the shoulder upward towards the ear. There isn’t much more to the technique than this other than to remember to keep your arms and elbows motionless, letting the shoulder lift up and down. Remember to pause at the top of each repartition and keep them slow, its not how many you can do as quick as you can. Performing the exercise can be done with a pair of dumbbells, plates which can be held, barbells, cables (attaching a bar at the bottom and using the resistance to lift the cable up with the shoulders) and of course shrug machines.
Other Ways Than Shrugs
When people think of training traps, Shrugs are the primary exercise which people address training this muscles to. However, in conventional Deadlifts, as a example the traps are also used. It would be smart to even finish a Deadlift set of by shrugging immediately afterwards.
Another exercise that involves Traps is the upright row. As this movement of lifting the bar to your chin is performed, you can feel the top of your trap working. While this is a integral part of the exercise, there are others which should not use the Traps like the dumbbell lateral raise. This is meant to isolate the middle Deltoid, many bodybuilders seem to gain a helping hand from their Traps when using a heavier weight as they Shrug unintentionally, this should be avoided.
Final Thoughts
No matter what stage of your bodybuilding journey you are at, you’ll be surprised that you can use a lot of weight with Shrugs. Remember not to over do it though, work your way up and maintain your form throughout each rep and squeeze at the top. The only downside of building bigger traps is that your collard shirts will not longer fit around your neck!
References: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/ http://www.flexonline.com/ COPYRIGHT 2010 Weider Publications COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale Group
