What Exercises Build Your Traps? Only The Most Effective Ones Listed Here!

Your biceps and triceps might be popping, but big arms are nothing without some bulging traps muscles to support your upper muscles. Your traps are muscles that add an instant air of dominance, power, and masculinity to your physique. And when it comes to building them, there are three key factors you need to implement.

Building mass and strength in your traps not only creates the signature bodybuilder aesthetic, but it also helps maintain correct posture alongside playing a key roll with your heavy lifts. Exercises that train your traps muscles are a really important addition to your upper body workout routine, and we’ve got the best traps exercises for you to try.

Start now, with these 11 great traps exercises.

1. Farmer’s Carry

Heavy carries are some of the best bang for your buck exercises you can do, so it should come as no surprise that your traps stand to benefit from a few loaded laps around the gym. Make sure to keep your shoulders and back engaged throughout, since slouching will kill your back and core gains.

How to:

Hold a weight (dumbbells or kettlebells will do) in each hand at your sides.
Engage your core and back, holding a strong, upright posture.
Take even, measured steps, controlling the weight and maintaining your posture for either a set time or distance.

2. Rack Pull

You won’t just work the traps with the rack pull — you’ll also hone your strength and form for other compound lifts. By taking the weight off the ground, you can focus more on the pull without the full range of motion and lower back stress of a standard deadlift.

How to:

Set up a rack or boxes so the barbell is elevated above your shins.
Grab the bar at around shoulder-width with an overhand grip.
Hinge at the waist and push your hips back and feet through the floor, pulling the bar up and keeping your back straight.
Pause for a count at the top, then control the weight back down into place.

3. Dumbbell Shrug

Compared to the barbell shrug, the dumbbell shrug places less stress on your shoulder joints. That’s because your shoulders don’t have to rotate to hold the bar. This keeps them more stable as you perform the movement.

How to:

Grab a pair of dumbbells and let them hang at arm’s length next to your sides, your palms facing each other.
Shrug your shoulders as high as you can.
Imagine that you’re trying to touch your shoulders to your ears without moving any other parts of your body.
Pause in the up position, then slowly lower the weights back to the start.

4. Incline Dumbbell Shrug

Placing your body on a low incline bench helps targets your often-neglected lower traps. The lower trapezius—responsible for pulling your shoulder blades down—is often ignored, leaving the muscle weak. This can lead to poor posture and make you more likely to fall victim to injuries such as shoulder impingement.

How to:

Grab a pair of dumbbells and lie chest-down on a 45-degree incline bench.
Let your arms hang straight down, palms facing each other.
Now shrug your shoulders up while pulling your shoulder blades together.
Pause, and then reverse the movement.

5. Dumbbell Jump Shrug

The dumbbell jump shrug hits the fast-twitch muscle fibers—the ones with the greatest potential for size and strength—of your traps and calves. The explosive movement adds power to your training program. Your goal should be to perform each rep as quickly as possible, while maintaining control of the weight at all times.

How to:

Grab a pair of dumbbells and bend at your hips and knees.
Let the weights hang at arm’s length just below your knees, your palms facing your sides.
Don’t round your lower back.
Simultaneously thrust your hips forward, shrug your shoulders forcefully, and jump as high as you can.
Land as softly as possible, and reset.

6. Barbell Row

Rowing exercises target your middle and lower traps and rhomboids, muscles that help keep your shoulder blades from moving as you lift a weight. That’s important because unstable shoulders can limit your strength in exercises for your chest and your arms. Your upper traps, rear deltoids, and rotator cuff muscles will also assist in the rowing movement.

How to:

Grab the barbell with an overhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder width, and hold it at arm’s length.
Bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor.
Keep your back naturally arched.
Pull the bar to your upper abs and squeeze your shoulder blades toward each other.
Pause, then slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.

7. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Your middle deltoid may be the hardest working muscle during this movement, but your upper traps are working, too. They assist in raising the weight and act as stabilisers. Don’t rotate your upper arms inward in the up position. It can lead to shoulder impingement. Keep your palms facing forward and the weights straight up and down.

How to:

Grab a pair of dumbbells and let them hang at arm’s length next to your sides.
Stand tall, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Turn your arms so that your palms are facing forward, and bend your elbows slightly.
Without changing the bend in your elbows, raise your arms straight out to your sides until they’re at shoulder level.
Your arms should form a T with your body.
Pause for 1 second at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.

8. Overhead Barbell Shrug

Holding the weight above your head as you shrug works your upper traps. It also reduces the emphasis on your levator scapulae—the rope like muscle that runs down the back of your neck and is frequently overused compared to the upper traps.

How to:

Hold a barbell above your head with an underhand grip that’s about twice shoulder width.
You arms should be completely straight, and your feet shoulder be shoulder-width apart.
Lock your elbows and keep them that way.
Shrug your shoulders, trying to raise the tops of your shoulders as close to your ears as possible.
Pause, then reverse the movement back to the starting position.

9. Snatch-Grip Barbell High Pull

When targeting your traps, skip the upright row and do the high pull instead. The movement relies mostly on your deltoids to move the weight, with your traps being the secondary focus. The high pull, however, is a fast power movement that relies on the traps, mid back, rhomboids, deltoids, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back to move the weight.

How to:

Load the barbell with a light weight.
Grab the bar with a wide overhand grip and let it hang at arm’s length in front of your body.
Your hands should be a few inches from the weight plates.
Bend at your hips and knees to squat down.
Your lower back should be naturally arched.
Pull the bar as high as you can by explosively standing up as you bend your elbows and raise your upper arms.
You should rise up on you toes.
Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

10. Dumbbell Overhead Carry

In order to keep the weights from moving as you walk, your entire trapezius muscle must be turned on to manage the load overhead. Even though your lower body is moving, your upper body is performing an isometric hold. That means you’re increasing the trap’s time under tension, spurring muscle growth.

How to:

Grab a pair of dumbbells and press them over your head, palms facing each other.
Your upper arms should be next to your ears.
Walk forward.

11. Scaption

While this move primarily hits your front deltoids, rotator cuff, and serratus anterior, your lower traps and rhomboids also aid in lifting the weight. This helps balance the muscles that rotate your shoulder blades. Adding this movement to your upper-body routine will help build stronger, healthier shoulders and a better posture.

How to:

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length next to your sides.
Your palms should be facing each other and your elbows slightly bent.
Stand as tall as you can.
Without changing the bend in your elbows, raise your arms at a 30-degree angle to your body (so that they form a Y) until they’re at shoulder level.
The thumb sides of both hands should be facing up.
Pause, then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.