Destroying My Traps

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Bastard Guy wrote:
OK. 3 plates is heavy for shrugs? … 4 kinda and 5 yes. If I do them with a slight forward lean, I feel some trap recruitment. I’ve never tried a trap bar, which I suspect would be lots of fun. Behind the back shrugs are for me totally worthless. Cleans are good for me, as are DB snatches. Then again, I have never focused on traps and shrugs. Separating both of my shoulders over the years has not helped me a damn bit.

I’m considering a day to target weaknesses - traps, delts, tris, calves, grip, … wait … f*ck … that’s everything.

Bastard

I honestly don’t understand this. You claim you can do 5 plates a side and you only feel “some” recruitment? What is moving the weight? If the only thing working is your traps, you have no choice but to “recruit it”.

I have seen MANY people do this exercise wrong from moving their shoulders in a circle to using their biceps to move the weight up and down. If your arms are locked out (or at least not bending), and the only muscle moving the weight up and down is the one on the back of your neck…SURPRISE!!!..you just recruited your traps.
[/quote]

God damnit. for me, 3 plates per side is doable for sets of 10, thus i don’t think that’s heavy … 4 plates is getting it … 5 is ~ 1RM. yes, “recruitment” should occur with any decent relative load. up and down … no forward roll and back bullshit. i just don’t get results from it. i need a more bent over type shrug. i wish i could use my bis to move a ton of weight like that, or any muscle for that matter.

as i said, i’ve never really tried to get at them. i just need to be bigger, and then i’ll worry about it. 10x3 for shrugs might be in order …

my traps are sore now though. DB snatches last night and PCs tonight.

Bastard

I’ve been using a supine grip with a slightly forward lean. That hits the yoke real well. But to realy destroy the traps I would suggest a few well placed rattlesnake bites. Not as messy as the hatchet and easier to self inflict.

[quote]Mr. Bear wrote:
Rockscar wrote:
Just do barbell shrugs with 2 or 3 platyes on each side. Roll the shoulders front to back in the motion.

3 sets of 7-10 should work well.

This is incorrect, do not roll the shoulders.

Heavy bent rows really work my traps. Deadlifts, as mentioned. [/quote]

Thanks. This makes the excersise easier then. Thanks again mr. crotch grabber.

[quote]Rockscar wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Rockscar wrote:
Just do barbell shrugs with 2 or 3 platyes on each side. Roll the shoulders front to back in the motion.

3 sets of 7-10 should work well.

This is incorrect, do not roll the shoulders.

Heavy bent rows really work my traps. Deadlifts, as mentioned.

Thanks. This makes the excersise easier then. Thanks again mr. crotch grabber.
[/quote]

It actually makes the exercise harder for me personally. This is because you really have to focus on bringing the weight straight up, making trainees usually realize that all they were doing before was rotating their shoulders, and subsequently decreasing the range of motion. The first time someone told me I was a jackoff and to stop rolling my shoulders, I realized how badly I had been cheating on the exercise; I had not been bringing my shoulders anywhere near my ears.

And a late suggestion, do a shrug at the top of your deadlift (CT recommends this one.)