Maximize Trapezius Muscle Growth: 4 Exercises Recommended by Fitness Expert

Unlock the Power of Your Traps: Fitness Content Creator Shares Proven Strategies

On August 17, 2024, fitness content creator Alexander Bromley shared four exercises to maximize trapezius (traps) hypertrophy and strength. The traps, a large triangular muscle spanning the shoulders and back, play a crucial role in head, neck, arm, shoulder, and torso movement, making them a desirable aesthetic for bodybuilders.

Bromley recommends upright rows as an effective trap activator, though the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research suggests a wider grip may be more efficient for increasing trap activity. Growing the rear delts through exercises like upright rows also contributes to more efficient pressing and well-rounded aesthetics.

“Carrying exercises, such as farmer’s walks, should be a staple in every lifter’s training alongside compound movements like the bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, and bent-over rows.”

Farmer’s walks are a full-body strength builder that targets the traps. Bromley advises using lifting straps during extended farmer’s walks to eliminate grip limitations and intensify the trap stretch.

Barbell rows can also be modified to shift the focus to the traps. Maintaining a slightly upright posture and initiating each rep by retracting the scapula can emphasize trap engagement. Bromley favors Hise shrugs, where the barbell is held in the high bar position, over traditional barbell shrugs due to their simplicity and recovery-friendly nature.

Finally, Bromley emphasizes the importance of prioritizing a deep stretch and peak contraction with each shrug repetition, as the substantial trap fatigue from heavy farmer’s carries, upright rows, and barbell rows requires special attention.

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