WARNING! DON’T GET TRAPPED!!

 

Massive traps is the mark of a bodybuilder but many are overzealous in having it developed without looking at balance in the shoulder musculature. Muscular balance in the shoulder region is as much important as balance between your quads and your calves, for instance. It is important to maintain balance between your upper trap and deltoid development so the first thing I would advise you to do is to look in the mirror and see whether these two bodyparts are in balance. Then you work out a plan of attack for your shoulders taking into consideration your strengths and weaknesses.

 

 

TRAP ANATOMICAL LESSONS

 

When asked to show your traps you will most likely hit a most muscular pose and not a rear double biceps, right? Why not? Because in the rear double bi you are showing more of your traps than in the most muscular. The traps are made up of the upper, middle and lower regions and having all these three regions developed are an absolute must. What is visible from the front is the upper trap. Having balanced development will greatly enhance your rear poses (see picture below). The traps indeed make up a large portion of your back musculature.

 

 

TRAP MISTAKES

 

1. ROLLING THE SHOULDERS WHILE SHRUGGING

 

 Many bodybuilders roll the shoulders while shrugging. Some roll the shoulders to the back and some to the front. I have also seen people alternate between forward and rear rotations while shrugging. This is a waste of energy and you potentially risk injury while doing this. The shrugging movement is simple, straight up and down. The direction of resistance in the shrug is straight down, meaning the direction of the pull is straight down. Therefore to derive maximum benefit from the shrug you must pull opposite resistance, which is straight up (no rolling). By rolling the shoulders you are assuming that the direction of resistance is coming from the front, which is not correct. I invite you to check the video below of Biomechanics expert Doug Brignole (a former NABBA Mr. Universe and Mr. America and who placed 7th at the last NABBA Mr. Universe +50 masters. Doug is a respected fellow collaborator on our websitewww.buildersandlifters.com )

 

 

2. NARROW GRIP UPRIGHT ROWS

 

 The upright row is a traditional movement for the traps but it’s not the best exercise that you can do for your traps. It is not a good trap exercise as there are definitely better exercises. 90% of the movement is done by the arms and forearm and the remaining 10% is an incidental shrugging movement. So why not do a 100% shrugging movement? Additionally, upright rowing with a narrow grip puts the shoulder joint under a lot of stress. While I’ve never had shoulder issues with narrow upright rowing (they actually consist 25% of my trap training, for variety purposes) I know many others who have injured their shoulders with it (a lot having to do with use of excessive weight as well).

 

Extra tip: A much safer version of the upright row is the wide grip upright row. This is more of a side deltoid movement rather than a trap movement. Use a shoulder grip width and pull up to the sternum (middle chest) area. Superset with side laterals for developing the side deltoid (great for width).

 

Wide grip upright rows: a great way of cooking side deltoids for width

 

 

3. SHRUGGING FOR TRAPS, NOT EGO.

 

   Many bodybuilders shrug with excessive weight, causing them to move only a few millimetres. Sometimes if you watch them you don’t really see any movement in their shoulder and you wonder what they are working. Please don’t do this. It does a lot to your ego to show people you are holding 150kg in your hands in the rack but you don’t realise it doesn’t mean a damn because your traps doesn’t show you can shrug that much. It looks as if you don’t do any trap training at all. Why? Because you didn’t perform your shrugs according to the Bodybuilding Mauritius guidelines below:

 

 

 ADDITIONAL SHRUGS TIPS

 

 Sometimes your private parts may get in the way when doing shrugs. This is especially true if you are well endowed. HAHAHA! To eliminate this “problem” you can maintain a slight forward bend in your torso while you shrug. Dumbbells as well as a trap bar (if your gym has it) can be used as well.