Exercises for the trapezius.

Powerful, developed trapezius muscles are a sign of real strength they give the figure a courageous, brutal appearance. But their purely physiological significance cannot be underestimated, since neither traction movements with the arms, nor a “banal side kick to the jaw” can do without the participation of this muscle group.

The methodological literature describes a wide variety of exercises for the trapezius, but which of them really work? Let's look into this issue...

Let's start with the fact that the term “trapezium” should be understood as a whole complex of muscles connected to each other anatomically. These are the trapezius muscles themselves, consisting of the upper, middle and lower bundles, these are the rotator scapular and rhomboid muscles. Together they occupy an area of ​​one-third of the back and require careful attention. You cannot work out such a mass of muscles with just one exercise.

The main options for influencing the muscle group in question:

Shrugs with a barbell and dumbbells.

The dumbbell version is absolutely the best movement available for pumping up the upper and middle buns. Unlike a barbell, the use of dumbbells allows you to load the trapezius muscles with extreme precision and maximize the amplitude of shoulder work. The main thing when performing shrugs is to choose a weight that allows you to work at a full trajectory and at a slow pace. Only by observing these conditions will you get proportionate, dense muscles.

Place your feet in the starting position shoulder-width apart, with your arms with the implements lowered slightly in front of your body, palms turned inward. As you inhale, pull your shoulders up, then pause and as you exhale, slowly return to the starting position. Keep your arms bent at the elbows, but do not help yourself with the efforts of your biceps. Try not to relax your muscles between repetitions, keep them toned. Watch your posture, do not “round” your shoulders.

It is better to put shrugs first in the training complex they are the most energy-intensive and require high concentration. The first set in the program is a warm-up, the second is already with serious weight, but 3-4 approaches will require you to give your all, do the last 10-12 repetitions “I can’t.”

There is a reason to sometimes replace regular shrugs with “explosive” ones when the pace of movement is higher and the weight is heavier. This is done to work out “fast” and “slow” fibers and increase the overall volume of muscles. If a weak grip is a problem, use straps. And never make rotational movements, they only injure joints and ligaments.

Seated dumbbell rows.

Works the middle part of the trapezius perfectly. Sitting on a bench, bend down until your body touches the surface of your thighs, lower your arms with dumbbells down and lift them to your chest with powerful movements.

"Angle" bent over flyes.

Bend over until your torso touches your legs, spread your arms 40-50 degrees from the line of the spine. Lower and raise the dumbbells in this position. You may think that this is an exercise for the deltoids, but a significant portion of the load falls on the lower part of the trapezius.

1. Lifting the barbell in front of you. Lie with your chest on the back of the bench, with your arms down, hold the barbell with an overhand grip, delt-width apart. As you inhale, lift the barbell with straightened arms until it is parallel to the floor and lower it without pausing as you exhale.
2. Support shrugs. Set the bench to a 30-degree incline. Lie on your back, face down, press your body tightly and fix this position, placing your feet firmly on the floor. Pull your shoulders up and slightly back without throwing your head back. Maintain pauses at the upper and lower end points of the amplitude. This type of exercise develops the trapezius along its entire length, involving the rhomboid muscles.

It is most advisable to train the trapezius after finishing work on the deltoid muscles. It will be enough to perform 4 approaches to shrugs and 1-2 additional movements for 2-3 sets of those described above. But this is only provided that your trapezius is not in a state of disrepair. Otherwise, allocate an additional session for their training, increase the number of exercises and the number of sets in them.