Having “no neck” may not be a desirable trait for the average Joe, but for avid lifters and body builders a large set of traps, or trapezius, is a priority. Most people who lift weights have probably seen some bodybuilders do their most muscular pose and pop out their traps like they stuffed two footballs on each side of their neck. Most people see this and say, “EWW,” but I say, “Now I want some of those.” The part of the muscle you’re seeing in this pose is only the upper part of the traps. The trapezius is a muscle located in the center of the back that is named for its shape, like a trapezoid. If you are interested in having a large, complete trapezius then I will go over a few training tips and information on the anatomy of the muscle so you can understand it even better. First let’s take a look at the anatomy and physiology of the muscle.
The trapezius is divided into three different parts: the upper, middle, and lower fibers. The trapezius originates on the external occipital protuberance (bump on the back of your head), and the spinous processes of cervical vertebrae 7 through thoracic vertebrae 12 and inserts on the lateral one-third of clavicle, acromonion, and the spine of the scapula. The nerves that innervate this muscle are the spinal accessory, a cranial nerve, and nerves from the cervical plexus. Each of the three parts of the muscle has their own functions. The upper fibers bilaterally extend the head and neck. Unilaterally they laterally flex the head to each side, they rotate the head and neck to each side, and they elevate the scapula (shrug), and upwardly rotate the scapula-which is necessary when doing overhead presses. The middle fibers main function is to retract the scapula, or pinching the shoulder blades together, and assist in stabilizing the scapula. The lower fibers function is to depress, or lower, the scapula. This should show you that the three fibers all have separate functions that are very hard to hit in one movement. This is why you need to have a plan when trying to develop full traps.
Since the traps are divided into three parts with three different functions, you could break them up into two or three different days or have a day to hit them all by themselves-depending on how much you want to bring them up. If you just want to make sure you’re hitting them equally and they aren’t your main focus, I would break them up into two splits. I would hit the upper fibers when doing shoulders, due to the fact that the upper fibers have to upwardly rotate the scapula, a process necessary in order to raise your arms past 90 degrees. The best exercise for hitting the upper fibers would definitely have to be shrugs. The traps have a high amount of type II muscle fibers, or fast twitch, so they respond well to heavy weights or explosive movements. I would recommend doing 4-5 sets of barbell or dumbbell shrugs for lower reps. I usually go for 10 each set and just keep adding weight. To hit the muscle explosively, you could perform powers shrugs, using your legs to generate power and shrug higher than you normally would, or cleans. I believe cleans are best for developing full traps due to the fact they make your traps explode and cover elevation, retraction, and depression of the scapula (all functions).
To hit the middle and lower fibers, I would do these on the same day you do lats; the combination commonly known as back day. These muscles work in conjunction with each other on almost all pulling movements. I think rows hit the traps more than pull ups or pull downs due to the fact that you can retract, or pinch, your scapula tighter. This mainly hits the middle fibers of the traps. To hit the lower fibers you have to basically do an exercise just for them. The best exercise for isolating the lower fibers is like front raise. You lie down on a bench and, with weight, hold the weights out in front of you by your head with your arms straight, start by the ground and raise them as high up as you can. I would workout the lower fibers on back day to improve your tie-ins.
If you want to do a day that in solely for traps then you could try this workout to get full trap development, in bodybuilding known as the snake, and improve back thickness.
Exercise----------------------------------------sets----------------reps
Power cleans--------------------------------------4------------------6
Dumbbell Shrugs----------------------------------4-----------------10,8,6,4
Barbell rows(don’t go down all way)----------3---------------12,10,8
Lying Overhead raise------------------------------3---------------12
Neck extension----------------------------------2-3-----------------15
Try this workout for complete development. Make sure on the shrugs and rows that you focus completely on pinching you scapulae together. If you have a partner, have them put their fingers between your shoulder blades and try to squeeze their fingers. Good luck.
Written by Ben Eisenmenger
The trapezius is divided into three different parts: the upper, middle, and lower fibers. The trapezius originates on the external occipital protuberance (bump on the back of your head), and the spinous processes of cervical vertebrae 7 through thoracic vertebrae 12 and inserts on the lateral one-third of clavicle, acromonion, and the spine of the scapula. The nerves that innervate this muscle are the spinal accessory, a cranial nerve, and nerves from the cervical plexus. Each of the three parts of the muscle has their own functions. The upper fibers bilaterally extend the head and neck. Unilaterally they laterally flex the head to each side, they rotate the head and neck to each side, and they elevate the scapula (shrug), and upwardly rotate the scapula-which is necessary when doing overhead presses. The middle fibers main function is to retract the scapula, or pinching the shoulder blades together, and assist in stabilizing the scapula. The lower fibers function is to depress, or lower, the scapula. This should show you that the three fibers all have separate functions that are very hard to hit in one movement. This is why you need to have a plan when trying to develop full traps.
Since the traps are divided into three parts with three different functions, you could break them up into two or three different days or have a day to hit them all by themselves-depending on how much you want to bring them up. If you just want to make sure you’re hitting them equally and they aren’t your main focus, I would break them up into two splits. I would hit the upper fibers when doing shoulders, due to the fact that the upper fibers have to upwardly rotate the scapula, a process necessary in order to raise your arms past 90 degrees. The best exercise for hitting the upper fibers would definitely have to be shrugs. The traps have a high amount of type II muscle fibers, or fast twitch, so they respond well to heavy weights or explosive movements. I would recommend doing 4-5 sets of barbell or dumbbell shrugs for lower reps. I usually go for 10 each set and just keep adding weight. To hit the muscle explosively, you could perform powers shrugs, using your legs to generate power and shrug higher than you normally would, or cleans. I believe cleans are best for developing full traps due to the fact they make your traps explode and cover elevation, retraction, and depression of the scapula (all functions).
To hit the middle and lower fibers, I would do these on the same day you do lats; the combination commonly known as back day. These muscles work in conjunction with each other on almost all pulling movements. I think rows hit the traps more than pull ups or pull downs due to the fact that you can retract, or pinch, your scapula tighter. This mainly hits the middle fibers of the traps. To hit the lower fibers you have to basically do an exercise just for them. The best exercise for isolating the lower fibers is like front raise. You lie down on a bench and, with weight, hold the weights out in front of you by your head with your arms straight, start by the ground and raise them as high up as you can. I would workout the lower fibers on back day to improve your tie-ins.
If you want to do a day that in solely for traps then you could try this workout to get full trap development, in bodybuilding known as the snake, and improve back thickness.
Exercise----------------------------------------sets----------------reps
Power cleans--------------------------------------4------------------6
Dumbbell Shrugs----------------------------------4-----------------10,8,6,4
Barbell rows(don’t go down all way)----------3---------------12,10,8
Lying Overhead raise------------------------------3---------------12
Neck extension----------------------------------2-3-----------------15
Try this workout for complete development. Make sure on the shrugs and rows that you focus completely on pinching you scapulae together. If you have a partner, have them put their fingers between your shoulder blades and try to squeeze their fingers. Good luck.
Written by Ben Eisenmenger
