Every Builder and Lifter should know how to pump up the trapezius.

Many athletes want to have a beautiful body, and most importantly, a harmoniously developed one. To do this, you need to train all muscles without exception. And even those unpopular ones that you may not attach much importance to. And one such muscle group will be discussed in this article. Agree, a developed trapezoid gives an athlete a very good look, especially when posing in bodybuilding, and according to opinion polls, this particular part of the body is very attractive to the fair sex. It should be noted that beginners know little about this muscle group and train it haphazardly, which, by the way, can be very traumatic. After reading this article, you can confidently say that you now know how to pump up your trapezius. We will help both professionals and beginners understand the issues of its training.

1. Excursion to Anatomy.
2. Supporting role.
3. How to train the trapezius?
4. Types of shrugs:
5. Classic, standing upright.
6. With dumbbells.
7. With a barbell.
8. Shrugs on the Hack Machine.
9. On an incline bench.
10. On a horizontal bench.
11. In Smith's car.
12. Pull to the chin.
13. Deadlift.
14. Head tilts.
15. Conclusions.
16. Table of contents:

Excursion to Anatomy.

What is the “Trapezius” (Trapezius - from Latsyb) - it is a flat, wide muscle located in the upper third of the back, which also grips the back of the neck in the upper back. It consists of two halves: left and right. Externally, one half of the muscle resembles a triangle, and both parts resemble a trapezoid, hence the corresponding name.

In practice, the trapezius muscle is divided into three parts, namely:

1. I) top,
2. II) average,
3. III) and lower.

Most often, people mistake the top for the entire muscle, since the top is the most noticeable. It plays a huge role in building a beautiful body, because, firstly, it visually enlarges the neck, and secondly, it relieves the athlete of hollow shoulders, making the figure more proportional.

Regarding the lower and middle part of the trapezius muscle, they help other back muscles. Their main task is to bring the shoulder blades closer to each other, although the lower and middle parts are smaller than the upper, but their presence allows you to emphasize the relief of the back even better.

Supporting role.

This muscle is involved in many exercises, but often its role is secondary and is reduced to auxiliary movements, namely: fixing the shoulder blades and shoulder. It cannot be said that such loads pump up the trapezius very well, so to get a really good result you should resort to specialized, almost isolating exercises, such as lowering and raising the shoulders with an impressive weight in the hands (this is, if we talk about the upper part). For the lower and middle, training using movements to bring the shoulder blades together and spread them with resistance would be more preferable. Let us also note that many people get too carried away with pumping up the trapezius, forgetting to train all the others, or paying less attention to them. Of course, this approach is incorrect and impractical, because other muscle groups will visually appear small and unnoticeable against the background of a pumped one.

How to train the trapezius?

To achieve maximum results, you need to train each of the three parts, so let’s look at ways that will help you pump up your trapezius harmoniously:

1. Shrugs in all their variations,
2. Pull to the chin
3. Deadlift,
4. Head tilts.

Let's start with the most famous and also the most popular exercise - the shrug - read more about this exercise here. In fact, this is the only, but very effective means for isolated impact on the trapezoidal group. However, there are a lot of variations of this exercise, we will look at them now...

Selection of working weight.

First, you will need to select the right weight with which you can do the planned number of sets and repetitions. Correct load selection is necessary for the following reasons:

1. firstly, too heavy ones will not allow maximum reduction,
2. and secondly, they will not allow you to stretch the muscle as much as possible.
3. there will be absolutely no benefit from using too light ones.

Trying to live up to the motto: “no pain-no gain,” many athletes begin to use heavy weights in training, up to 90% of the maximum single lift. This approach, of course, provides advantages in other exercises, but in order to pump up the trapezius, it is necessary to exclude large weights, because they, firstly, disrupt correct posture, and secondly, distribute the weight between other muscles. The most optimal number of repetitions is considered to be 12-16.

Shoulder shrugs primarily target the upper trapezius, with the other sections being worked through various exercises such as:

1. abduction of the arms, especially just above the horizontal level,
2. push-ups on parallel bars, or from the floor,
3. and, of course, in other exercises performed while standing.

The rhomboids and levator scapulae muscles are also equally involved in this exercise.

Types of shrugs:

Classic, standing upright.

The first variation of the exercise we are considering is standing shrugs, which can be performed with dumbbells and a barbell. It is the most popular.

Recommendations for improvement.

Take the starting position, namely, spread your feet shoulder-width apart for stability. Dumbbells or a “W-bar” (with a curved bar) are perfect for this exercise, as they won’t put pressure on your legs or rub your groin. It will be really cool - if you do it in a Smith machine or from racks, you can set the lower limit of the amplitude so that you don’t have to lift the barbell from the floor every time. If there is no “W-bar” and you have to do it with a regular one, take it with a different grip, and after each approach you should change the position of your hands.

With dumbbells.

Let us now consider the technique of performing shrugs with dumbbells.

To begin with, you need to place your legs a little narrower than shoulder width, then grab the dumbbells so that your palms are turned towards the body, they should be held on your arms fully straightened at the elbows in front of you. Keep your back straight, bend your knees slightly, and point your chin up. Then begin to raise your shoulders up, doing it as high as possible, the result depends on the correct technique. At the top point of the trajectory, pause for a second and smoothly lower your shoulders to the starting position.

When doing this, do not engage in “cheating”, namely, do not help yourself with your biceps and do not lean forward. There are athletes who think that rotating the shoulders has a beneficial effect on achieving the desired result, but this is not true, because it prevents the muscles from fully and maximally contracting, while straining the shoulder joints, which is quite traumatic.

Hammer grip.

This variation of the exercise with dumbbells differs only in that the position of the hands with dumbbells is not in front of you, but from the sides, along the body. Starting position: arms at your sides, with dumbbells held in your palms using a hammer grip. Such a very small modification of the exercise will significantly change the level of load on the muscles, which, as you know, do not like constancy and dull routine. So, vary your grip - it will only benefit you.

With a barbell.

Another type of shrug is performing it with a barbell. To take the starting position, you will need to place your feet shoulder-width apart and take the barbell in your hands; if it is on the floor, then take it as if you were doing a deadlift. The bar should be held with straight arms, thus avoiding engaging the biceps in the work; the distance between the palms should be shoulder-width apart, the back should be slightly arched, the chest should be straightened, the gaze should only be forward, and, accordingly, the chin should be horizontal to the floor.



Raise your shoulders up, while inhaling; at the top point, feeling the tension of the compressed muscles, pause briefly and, exhaling, smoothly lower your shoulders down. Regarding the safety of performing the exercise, the following should be said: never rotate your body or roll your shoulders, because doing the exercise with weight, even if it’s small, can cause serious injury. When performing the exercise in question, your main task is to raise your shoulders as high as possible and do it only vertically.

When working with a barbell, you can also vary your grip and angles of impact. Try doing this exercise initially by holding the barbell with a hook grip - behind your back. The starting position here is the same as for hack squats, but we’re not doing squats, but shrugs. This variation brings novelty to your training and prevents your muscles from getting used to routine, monotonous work.

Shrugs on the Hack Machine.

Also, without losing efficiency, you can do shrugs on a machine to pump up the calf muscles - “like a machine.” To do this, you just need to take the starting position as if to train your calves, but without rising to the bar for your legs. At the same time, you should press your hands to your body and concentrate as much as possible on raising your shoulders.

It is advisable to bend your back slightly and hold it rigidly, without transferring the load to other parts of the body, by shifting from one leg to the other. There are definitely advantages to this exercise, because your arms won’t get tired and bend, that is, you can effectively work out the desired part, but at the same time, there may be discomfort due to the pressure of the weight on your shoulders; this can be reduced by adding foam rubber.

On an incline bench.

Doing shrugs on an incline bench can also pump up your trapezius. In terms of impact, performing this exercise on an inclined bench (45 degrees) is not much different from the usual version, but it loads the upper back very well and helps to eradicate slouching. How to pump up a trapezoid this way? First, you need to lie on your stomach on the back of an inclined bench (45 degrees), while keeping your head above the edge of the bench, which will partially relieve the load on the cervical spine. Then take the dumbbells in both hands, using an overhand grip. With your knees bent, place your feet on the floor or bench leg and hold the dumbbells in your dangling hands. As you inhale, bring your shoulder blades together, don’t forget to pause at the top point and smoothly lower your arms to the starting position.



You should not take dumbbells that are too heavy; first, you should learn the technique with light weights in this exercise, and only then increase it. Try not to make up and down movements, as in the classic form, otherwise the effect will be minimal due to the lack of proper tension.

On a horizontal bench.

For maximum variety in pumping up the trapezius, you can train while lying on a horizontal bench. This type also works the chest and deltoids. To do this, you need to lie on a bench, put your feet on the ground for support, make the grip shoulder-width apart and ask for the barbell to be handed to you (or remove it from the racks), then straighten your arms. Having taken this starting position, and without relaxing your arms, squeeze your shoulder blades together, while exhaling, spread them and lift your shoulders off the bench. In this case, you will need to tense the pectoral muscles and bring them together. Most likely, at first it will not be very convenient and difficult for you to hold the projectile in the correct position, but over time this will pass.

By doing shrugs in the Smith machine, you will protect yourself from loosening, because there you can do them along a clear trajectory. In fact, by working here, you nip possible cheating in the bud. But since this machine increases the amplitude, you should not use it often, as this can cause injury.

Pull to the chin.

As you already understand, it is shrugs that have the greatest impact on the athlete’s trapezius. However, there are a number of exercises in which the latter are also involved, and to a sufficient extent. So, in addition to shrugs, you can use chin pulls to pump up your trapezius; this exercise separates the trapezius muscles from the deltoids. To perform this, take the barbell with a narrow overhand grip, bend your back slightly at the waist, straighten your arms, and the bar should touch your hips. Next, tighten your neck and trapezius muscles, then lift the barbell up to your chin, spreading your elbows. At the top peak of the amplitude, your elbows should be higher than your shoulders, and then smoothly return to the starting position.

Again, we recommend doing this exercise with a “W” bar - varying the grip will add more acute sensations to you, which will only have a positive effect on your progress in training and, accordingly, muscle growth.

Deadlift.

In addition, as we mentioned, the trapezius will also grow from other exercises in which it is indirectly involved. For example, when performing a deadlift, especially a classic one, the trapezius muscle is strained very strongly and at the same time it is seriously affected by the weight of the projectile. Look at the work of powerlifters when deadlifting impressive weights - you can usually see even with the naked eye how much tension their upper back and neck have - and this is exactly what we need. So be sure to add this deadlift to your training plan, not if you haven’t already done so, of course...

Head tilts.

Another cool exercise that involves the trapezius is tilting the head back and forth with a weighted headgear: a “metronome.” And despite the fact that the main emphasis in this exercise is focused on the neck muscles, the upper back is also largely included in the work.

The exercise can be performed:

1. as from a standing or sitting position,
2. and from a lying position on a horizontal bench.

Read more about it in this article of ours.

Conclusions.

Depending on your training regimen and the desired result, choose the right number of approaches and repetitions, as well as a break between sets. The main thing is to pay attention to the execution technique and safety, then you, already knowing how to pump up the trapezoid, will be able to achieve a good result.

Table of contents:

1. Introduction.
2. Anatomy.
3. Supporting role.
4. Exercises.
5. Selection of working weight.
6. Varieties of shrugs.

1. 1. with dumbbells.
   2. hammer grip.
   3. with a barbell.
   4. Hack shrugs.
   5. on the Gak-machine.
   6. on an incline bench.
   7. on a horizontal bench.
   8. in Smith's car.

1. Pull to the chin.
2. Deadlift.
3. Head tilts.
4. Conclusions.