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zakruti.com » Sport, fitness, workout » Jeff Cavalier
Trap Exercises Ranked (BEST TO WORST)

Trap Exercises Ranked (BEST TO WORST)

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Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1
There are so many trap exercises, but which ones should you be focusing your efforts on if you want to build bigger traps and increase your strength? In this video, I m going to give you the most popular trap exercises ranked from worst to best and help you to determine which you should be doing and which you can probably ditch. Furthermore, if there is a steep learning curve to the movement or it is too equipment reliant then it may mot rank as high as some other options that are better and also don t require as many resources. With that being said, we start laying out the list and work our way up the rankings from the worst trap exercise to the best trap exercise. WORST 1. Upright Rows 2. Rolling Shrugs 3. Above the Knee Rack Pulls The upright row is and always will be at the bottom of the list for me. Not only does it place your shoulder joint at increased risk of injury but there are simply much better and safer options. For these reasons it belongs in the worst category. The rolling shrugs being in the worst chest exercise category might surprise some as this how they've always done or were taught how to do shrugs. However, the safety of the shoulders is important and that's why rolling shrugs will always be in the worst category for me. While the rack pull can be a great assistance exercise, especially for training the deadlift, doing it above the knee leads to potential problems that can be avoided with a better variation of the rack pull, that being below the knees. BETTER 4. Incline Y Raises 5. Face Pulls 6. Urlachers 7. Trap Pulldowns The incline Y press serves as a great corrective exercise and helps to hit the lower and middle traps, but not without limitations. This exercise cannot be loaded with the same intensity as other exercises that hit the same muscles. Face pulls, while one of my favorite exercises, still acts as a corrective moreso than it does a muscle building exercise. That doesn't mean, however, that it doesn't still target the muscles effectively. The urlacher continues to hit the traps with lighter weights, again limiting the amount of overload that you can place on the traps. On the other hand, you are still able to target the traps and add in the benefit of external rotation with the dumbbells, offering a good choice if you don't have access to cables. Trap pulldowns might look like a standard behind the neck pulldown, however it is anything but. The isometric contraction of the upper traps in the pulldown offers a unique stimulus for growth. BETTER STILL 8. Farmer s Carries 9. Below the Knee Rack Pulls 10. Plate Trap Raises 11. DB High Pulls 12. Haney Shrugs Farmer's carries are another way to isometrically overload the traps as well as add in the benefit of training the grip. Below the knee rack pulls are the superior variation to the above the knee rack pull because it translates better to deadlifting as well as the mechanics avoiding any risk of thoracic outlet injuries. The plate trap raise is one of my favorite ways to hammer the lower traps, a muscle that often gets overlooked and forgotten about. DB high pulls are the anti-upright row option here, offering all the same benefits without any of the risks. Overall, it's just a better option, Haney shrugs are just the behind the back variation of the classic shrug. While you can't handle as much weight, you are hitting the traps from a different angle to allow a different stimulus. ALMOST BEST 13. Face Pulls w/ Overhead Extension 14. Wrap Around Rows 15. DB/BB Shrugs 16. Cable Angled Shrugs These three trap exercises are at the top of the heap when it comes to the best exercises for building big traps. Watch the video to see the specific reasons why they stand alone. BEST 17. Trap Bar Shrugs There simply is no better trap exercise for building big traps than trap bar shrug. With the arms angled due to the grips of the trap bar, you are in the most optimal line of pull throughout the exercise along with the being able to overload the muscles with appreciable weight.
Date: 2023-11-14

Comments and reviews: 20


I work with Paralympic and Abbot Marathon Major Wheelchair Racers and Basketball players. We use the flat bench with a PT cutout at the end so they can lay prone. We then do the Y trap exercise as well as the Superman exercise to target the lower trap. It is this aspect of the traps that is very hard for those paralyzed from the waist down. We find both of those exercise effective. We also incorporate the prone side flies with thumb up or down. If done correctly you can target the traps. As a guy who grew up on a farm I spent over 10 years doing the Farmer's Carry every day. Some days I had to carry two or four bucket's of grain at a time up a flight of stairs. I still think it was the best all around strength builder a person can do. A spinal cord injury ended my Farming but it made me learn to use my brain and only use my body for wheelchair sport and living an active lifestyle. Thanks again for reinforcing the correct form because thoracic outlet is something you want to avoid, especially if you will depend on your shoulders for mobility the rest of your life.
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I have now heard some conflicting information about the upright row! I thought the elbow was supposed to be higher than your wrist for it to properly hit your side delt and traps, but that's dangerous? What if we used a barbell and did the same thing as the dumbbell high pull, keeping the wrists above the shoulders? Or vice versa, doing the db high pull with the elbows above the wrists?
This might be worth a video on its own, to be honest, it's a really interesting distinction I'd like to learn more about. Upright Row is a really popular exercise!
Actually you have one from 6 years ago, watching it now LOL
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That is not a DB high pull. You do not externally rotate the shoulders in a high pull. A high pull is literally an upright row but done with triple extension. Also if upright rows were so terrible and dangerous, then we wouldn't have competitive Olympic weightlifting given a proper snatch requires an upright row as part of the movement. You can argue that almost any exercise can create risk of injury, it's simply about programming the exercise properly and properly accounting for how much stress your joints experience in the rest of your training.
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Jeff, I pinched and essentially destroyed my long thoracic nerve at the clavicle exit point by being bro-tastic when I was 24 years old. I was doing exactly what you say not to with heavy unilateral rolling shrugs (RE your comment at 2: 20. Wish you were around at UConn then telling us all these great tips! Long story short, killed my nerve, had to do PT, and still have chronic rhomboid and serratus knots to this day despite being lucky enough to have the nerve grow back! Couldn't agree more with your analysis here brother.
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Worst
1: 10 Upright Row
1: 50 Rolling Shrug
2: 40 ATN Rack Pull
Better
3: 30 Incline Y Raise
4: 25 Facepull
5: 00 Urlacher
5: 50 Trap Pulldown
Better Still
7: 00 Farmer Carry
7: 50 BTN Rack Pull
8: 50 Plate Trap Raise
9: 50 DB High Pull
11: 00 Haney Shrug
Almost Best
12: 10 Face Pull Elevation
13: 00 Wrap Around Row
13: 45 DB/BB Shrug
14: 55 Cable Angled Shrug
Best
16: 05 Trap Bar Shrug
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Honest Feedback, have been watching you, the bioneer and Gravity transformation ( a long time ago. What I've seen is that Athlean X has drifted into more of a bodybuilding based content rather than athletic based content. Would appreciate more of a athletic workout content (Perhaps a series) and even better, bodyweight athletic content. Hope this comment gets read, keep up the good work!
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a bit off topic for the video but im going to be getting some home gym equipment and was wondering if i could get some recommendations on a good adjustable workbench, i want one i can do things like the incline situps and bench press workouts, but also incline leg raise and incline presses and i dont want my bench being unstable while im doing things like that.
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athleanx everytime i do back day or concentrate on traps i always end up getting a head ache. I foam roll everyday at the end of my workout. I use a lacrosse ball on my neck trying to relieve some of the tention but its not helping. Maybe im missing something. Can you do a video of recovery for that type of workout? Ty.
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I did fb shrugs wrap around sand the cable shrug. Its hard to get a consistent contraction on the wrap around, but I think it will pay off the more I practice it. I didn t get much on the single arm cable shrug. The dumbbell shrug was ok. Next trap session I think I will try the Lee Haney one and the wrap around.
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Traditional shrugs used to pull muscles in my back so i invented the reverse shrug on a seated lat bar pulldown. Instead of doing a lat pull, go shoulder width grip n ONLY pull down using traps/shoulders without bending ur elbow. Never ever seen anyone else do this or talk about it, but it was a game changer for me.
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For rehabilitating the spine, I do narrow-grip kettlebell clean and presses and the exercise in which you bend down, hold the kettlebells with both hands, and lift it to one side with the elbow out then to the other side. The first exercise works the spine and the second exercise works the lower back stabilizers.
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I think the farmer s walk with grip wraps is best for the upper traps. The upper traps is built more for static holding in stretched position rather than pulling all the way up; in contrast to other muscle groups. Shrugs can lead to a bad posture and don t even sore the traps as hard as the farmer s walk.
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I do shoulder shrugs using the Smith machine, wide grip, plus I do shoulder shrugs with dumbbells, much narrower grip. I also do shrugs using ropes. I hadn't thought of doing a single shoulder shrug with a rope, so I will give that a try. Thanks for going over all of these exercises Jeff.
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Your Plate Forward Raise would be better done with a cable, especially if you are concentrating on the top half of the movement as once you pass 45 Degrees the load begins to drop off drastically! Using a cable would keep most of the load on the muscles even at the top of the movement!
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lol its crazy how clueless you still are after all this time. the best exercise for the traps are a vertical row? how is that possible when you aren't even mechanically loading the traps due to gravity? the only exercises you need are chest supported rows & kelso shrugs
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I have a injury, I have managed to rip all my tendons off one of my rotary cuffs ( fell off a bike, would it be possible to grow traps, or am I pissing in the wind. the bone isn't really attached any more, been told by doctors, if you have full motion they won't operate
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Nothing will beat farmers carries, heavy heavy kettlebell swings, and high pulls
I do 4x8 190 lb kettlebell swings every other Wednesday just make sure you pack your lats down to keep your spine safe, and if you don't believe me check the gram
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My wife has been on me to give Chloe Ting's programs a go. I watched and tried a few workouts but feel like there's something iffy based on the knowledge you've imparted. Any chance you (or Jesse goes solo on it) could give your thoughts?
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I recently started doing shrugs with low mounted cables about 3 ft apart. My apartment gym has this independent row machine that lets me load this heavy and pull with neutral grip like the trap bar shrug. Easily the best shrug ive done
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Well if there are any strongman competitors out here that know how to hitch a barbell, you can still train above the knee rack pulls, just make sure you get into the right position with your knees forward and in front of the bar
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