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Traps: how to train them

z1ggy

z1ggy

Lifer
Will doing various shoulder press exercises help to grow and define the traps? I don't have heavy weights, just resistance bands. What movements and how many reps will give best results?
 
Ultra heavy shrugs. Eventually I can't even shrug the weight anymore and I just hold the bar until I have to put it down. Next day my neck feels like it's made out of rope.
 
if you can't shrug, can you do upright rows, or bent over reverse flies? those hit the traps secondary.

me personally, i do heavy (400+ lb) front shrugs, then do reverse shrugs (usually around 315 - 355 pounds), and then will do some dumbell shrugs.

since i am at a new gym now i've recently started using the 'hack deadlift' thing (not sure the real name of it at all) to do my final shrug exercise instead of dumbells.

EDIT:

upright row - http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidLateral/BBUprightRow.html

you could probably use resistance bands for that by stepping on them. not sure about the other ones though.

you could probably also do shrugs by stepping on the resistance bands maybe and shrugging them up? you'd probably have to make them extremely tight though in order to get any workout from it. may not even be feasable.
 
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Everything that makes you put your arm above 30-60 degrees will elicit a response from the traps. If you're looking for extra training, you will have to have heavier weights or a pull-up bar. It's that simple.
 
I have a pull up bar. How do I use that for traps? Generally I can do upright rows by anchoring the band around my bed post, and obviously I do shoulder press. Will pull ups work the traps then, too?
 
z1ggy said:
I have a pull up bar. How do I use that for traps? Generally I can do upright rows by anchoring the band around my bed post, and obviously I do shoulder press. Will pull ups work the traps then, too?
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Stand on a ladder and pull upwards on the pullup bar as hard as you can. 😉 Actual pullups are the wrong direction to work traps.

Unfortunately I don't have very heavy weights at home right now so I do a lot of reps with the cable machine I have.

Another idea might be to fill up some large paint buckets with sand, use gloves, and do shoulder shrugs. Not perfect but effective if someone doesn't have adequate weight options on hand.
 
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Sid59 said:
i've been doing these and pendlay rows for months. One can mess up the back just as easy with squats and deadlifts.
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I've been doing bent over rows for about six weeks. I've not had any trouble. You probably have a better chance hurting your back picking up every day items off the floor. Have you seen how most people lift things off the ground? Lol.

Rippetoe says rows are good (with proper form). Baked says I'll hurt my back. Hmmm, who should I listen to?
 
I can do bent over rows like that no problem but if I reach forward while in that position with no weight, my back is screwed.
 
I feel like the bent over rows are okay, but once I put on more than like 105-110 pounds, my lower back really starts to get strained.

Will once see any difference in muscle building/ fat cutting from doing the same exercise, but with resistance bands, rather than free weights? Right now I am mainly wanting to just cut body fat and tone up, so I am using the bands and doing 12-15 reps per move.
 
I posted the BB row because it was really the one exercise that really helped my back and shoulders grow. Of course other exercises probably helped in that regard, but I never did BB row until I started Strong Lifts a couple months ago.
 
Saint Nick said:
I posted the BB row because it was really the one exercise that really helped my back and shoulders grow. Of course other exercises probably helped in that regard, but I never did BB row until I started Strong Lifts a couple months ago.
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Get a weight belt thingie. Weighted chinups are great.
 
Upright rows hit the traps well, but I've heard that they aren't very good for your shoulder joint, along with behind the head shoulder presses and pulldowns. I quit doing them because of all the bad things I heard about them.

I alternate between high rep medium weight and medium rep high weight barbell shrugs depending on my mood. High weight for me would be ~315lbs for 10-15 reps per set. Medium weight would be 225-275 for 20-30 reps per set.
 
z1ggy said:
I feel like the bent over rows are okay, but once I put on more than like 105-110 pounds, my lower back really starts to get strained.

Will once see any difference in muscle building/ fat cutting from doing the same exercise, but with resistance bands, rather than free weights? Right now I am mainly wanting to just cut body fat and tone up, so I am using the bands and doing 12-15 reps per move.
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There is really no substitue for heavy dumbbell/barbell work. That's why all serious strength trainees use them. They deliver the most bang for the buck. Doing heavy compound movements in the 5-8 rep range will be more beneficial to fat loss than high-rep band work.
 
Baked said:
I would not do that kinda exercise. So easy to mess up your back.
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With proper form, you'll be fine. You need to be aware of your erectors though. If the erectors fall behind in strength relative to the rest of your body, your back will round and risk injury.

FWIW: Proper form on this is awesome for the lats.

technically the guy in that exrx link is doing Pendalay rows.

I watched a video on the Pendalay row with Pendalay himself saying how to do it. You start with an arched back so when you pull, if anything the back straitens out. And it doesn't go from straight to rounded. He also said torso parallel to floor and you pull hard and have the bar hit between your upper abdomen and the nipple.
 
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z1ggy said:
I feel like the bent over rows are okay, but once I put on more than like 105-110 pounds, my lower back really starts to get strained.

Will once see any difference in muscle building/ fat cutting from doing the same exercise, but with resistance bands, rather than free weights? Right now I am mainly wanting to just cut body fat and tone up, so I am using the bands and doing 12-15 reps per move.
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Let's start over.

What is your goal? Weight loss or muscle gain or both?

Is your reason to not join a gym or buy weights of money issues?

FWIW: You can get a 300 pound Olympic set on craigslist for $150. My last two Olympic sets I bought were $80 and $100 each. That with some dumbbells and we could set you up with a good routine.
 
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