How to train your traps

The muscle that connects your neck, shoulders, and upper back

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Anatomy

The trapezius is a large, diamond-shaped muscle covering the upper back and neck. It has three functional regions: the upper traps (elevate and rotate the scapula, active in shrugs), the middle traps (retract the scapula), and the lower traps (depress the scapula, critical for keeping the shoulder blades in the right position during overhead work). Most gym-goers develop the upper traps from shrugging and neglect the lower and middle fibers, which contributes to poor posture and shoulder impingement.

How to train it

Upper traps respond to shrugs and upright rows in the 8–15 rep range with heavy loads. Middle and lower traps are trained through rowing variations (see upper back) and prone Y/T raises. For balanced trap development, most people need to add lower-trap work (lying Y raises, cable pull-aparts, face pulls) and reduce their over-reliance on shrugs. Two to three sessions per week is sufficient. The most common mistake: rolling the shoulders in a circle during shrugs. This adds no value and risks the acromioclavicular joint; shrug straight up and straight down.

Coaching cues

• Shrug straight up, no rolling forward or back
• Pull the elbows high and wide on upright rows
• Hold the top of the shrug for a full second
• Train all three portions: upper, middle, and lower

Staple traps exercises

All traps exercises (15)

• Barbell Shrug
• Barbell Shrug Behind The Back
• Cable Shrugs
• Calf-Machine Shoulder Shrug
• Clean Shrug
• Dumbbell Shrug
• Kettlebell Sumo High Pull
• Leverage Shrug
• Scapular Pull-Up
• Smith Machine Behind the Back Shrug
• Smith Machine Upright Row
• Snatch Shrug
• Standing Dumbbell Upright Row
• Upright Cable Row
• Upright Row - With Bands

Train it with MyoAmigo

MyoAmigo's MyoMap heatmap shows your traps volume against an evidence-based weekly band, so you can see at a glance whether you're under-training it. See also how many sets per muscle per week and the training guides.

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