Do these upper body exercises today
What's the story
Building strong trapezius muscles, popularly known as traps, is important for correcting posture and improving overall upper body strength. The traps are integral to shoulder movement and stability. Including targeted exercises in your routine can dramatically increase trap strength. Here are five effective exercises that target your traps, so that you can achieve balanced muscle growth and improved functional fitness.
Tip 1
Shrug your way to stronger traps
Shrugs are a staple exercise for hitting the upper portion of the traps. To do shrugs, stand with feet shoulder-width apart while holding dumbbells or barbell at arm's length. Raise your shoulders towards your ears, pause for a second and lower them again. This isolates the traps really well and you can perform it with different weights to enhance difficulty.
Tip 2
Deadlifts for comprehensive trap engagement
Deadlifts are not just excellent for building overall strength, they also work the whole trapezius muscle group. Start by standing with feet hip-width apart and grip a barbell on the floor in front of you. Keeping your back straight, lift the barbell by extending the hips and knees simultaneously until you're standing upright. This compound movement works multiple muscle groups, including the traps.
Tip 3
Face pulls to target upper traps
Face pulls are also excellent for isolating and strengthening the upper part of the trapezius muscles. Using a cable machine set at eye level, pull the rope attachment towards your face while keeping elbows high and wide apart. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together at peak contraction before returning to start position. This exercise improves both trap strength and shoulder stability.
Tip 4
Farmer's walk for functional strength
The farmer's walk is a killer full-body exercise that focuses on grip strength while working traps the most. Simply hold heavy dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand by your sides and walk forward, maintaining good posture throughout the movement duration without letting weights sway too much from side to side. This gets all parts involved, especially those in the upper back region - our target area- trapezius.
Tip 5
Upright rows to build trap mass
Upright rows are great for building mass in the traps. Standing with dumbbells or a barbell, lift it along your torso until elbows are shoulder height, then lower under control. This exercise is crucial for trap development and needs to be done with good form to avoid wrist strain, which could lead to injury if done wrong without sufficient rest between sets.