Best Exercise For Massive Traps

Traps extend out of your upper back to the highest of your head and it’s a big muscle which needs loads of growth stimulus. The function of the trapezius is to stabilize and move the scapula. Functionally, trapezius assist in postural attributes, allowing and supporting the spinal column to stay erect when the person is standing.

The trapezius muscle can also be used for energetic movements comparable to side bending, rotation of the top, elevating and depressing the shoulders, and internally rotating the arm.

The traps assist in pulling strength and shoulder stability for exercises like heavy carries, deadlifts, and the Olympic lifts. Both high level weightlifters and proficient powerlifters are known for having traps that touch their ears.

The trapezius muscle is split into 3 parts:

• Upper Traps
• Middle Traps
• Lower Traps

In most cases, after we discuss about greater traps, it’s the upper traps we’re specializing in, as they’re the one ones visible.

A 2008 studydetermined the extent of activation of the neck and shoulder muscles using surface electromyography (EMG) during chosen strengthening exercises in women undergoing rehabilitation for chronic neck muscle pain. EMG activity within the trapezius and deltoid muscles was measured throughout the exercises (lateral raises, upright rows, barbell shrugs, one-arm rows, and reverse flys).

For the trapezius muscle, the best level of muscle activation was found throughout the barbell shrug (102+/-11% of MVC), lateral raise (97+/-6% of MVC), and upright row (85+/-5% of MVC) exercises, however the latter 2 exercises required smaller training loads (3-10 kg) compared with the shrug exercise (20-30 kg).

In 2010 studyresearcher Bret Contreras, analysed muscle activity with 25 different shoulder and trap exercises. He found that with regards to upper traps, one of the best exercises were:

Mean: Barbell Shrug, Cable Lateral Raise, Standing Military Press

Peak: Cable Lateral Raise, Barbell Shrug, Seated Behind Neck Press

A 2018 studycompared the electromyographic (EMG) responses in the center trapezius, lower trapezius, infraspinatus, latissimus dorsi, and erector spinae during eight back exercises to find out which produces the best muscle activation for every muscle.

Nineteen males accomplished five repetitions of the next exercises using 70% of 1 RM, or body weight resistance: lat pull-downs, inverted rows, seated rows, bent-over rows, TRX rows, I-Y-T raises, pull-ups, and chin-ups.

Here is what the study found, with regards to activation of the upper & middle traps:

The 4 exercises that best recruited this muscle were the bent-over row, inverted row, seated row and I-Y-T raises.

The I-Y-T raises outperformed all other exercises when it got here to targeting the lower trapezius. The bent-over row was also significantly higher than the opposite six exercises tested.

A 2010 studyassessed muscle activation of 35 different exercises of back & biceps, and measured the mean & peak activation of the biceps, lats, & traps, during various back and bicep exercises.

For the research, Bret Contreras used weight from which five reps could possibly be performed, aside from the weighted chin-ups and pullups, where 3RM rep range was used.

Based on the experiment, the highest three exercises when it comes to mean and peak activity for mid & lower traps were:

MID TRAP

Mean: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Elbows Out Chest-Supported Row, Prone Trap Raise

Peak: Prone Trap Raise, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Elbows Out Chest-Supported Row

LOWER TRAP

Mean: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Prone Trap Raise, Dumbbell Elbows Out Chest-Supported Row

Peak: Dumbbell Elbows Out Chest Supported-Row, Prone Trap Raise, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

A 2021 studyexamined the electromyographical (EMG) differences between 4 variations throughout the dynamic performance of the bent-over row (BOR) exercise: BOR in inclined bench with 90deg shoulder abduction (B/AB); BOR in inclined bench with maximum shoulder adduction (B/AD); standing BOR with 90deg shoulder abduction (S/AB); standing BOR with maximum shoulder adduction (S/AD).

Muscle activity was measured using surface EMG in six lumbar, dorsal, and shoulder muscles: posterior deltoid (PD), latissimus dorsi (LD), upper trapezius (UT), middle trapezius (MT), lumbar portion of erector spinae (LES) and thoracic portion erector spinae (TES).

Results showed that the 2 variations based on standing postures (S/AB and S/AD) caused greater EMG responses each on shoulder and lumbar and dorsal muscles. However, importantly, participants had the best EMG activity heading in the right direction muscles (deltoid and trapezius muscles) when performing the BOR in a shoulder abduction position (B/AB and S/AB), independent of whether or not they were, or weren’t, working with the bench.

Thus with regards to developing the Traps, listed here are one of the best exercises to select from:

Upper Traps: Shrugs (barbell, dumbbell, cable, hex-bar etc.); upright row (barbell, cable, dumbbell etc.); lateral raises (cable, dumbbell).Middle & Lower Traps: bent over row (barbell, dumbbell, hex-bar, pronated bench etc.); inverted rows (normal & feet elevated); seated cable row; I-Y-T raise