T Nation

Help My Traps!

Bodybuilding
#1

I need some advice for getting height in my traps, they are growing and growing fast but they are growing outward and not much upward. If I roll my shoulders forward they are very visible but when rolled back they almost seem to disappear. I am 32 6’4" and 225lbs I am in a bulking cycle currently and would love some advice on peaking these boys up. Given my height it is fair to say I have a long neck.

My Current Traps workout would be:

Hammer Strength Shrugs 180lbs per handle 3 sets of 12, holding and squeezing at the top on last set.

Bent Over Dumbell Rows Wide grip with concentration on squeezing the traps and rhomboids. 3 sets of 12 35lb Dbells.

Dbell Shrugs front and side 75lb dbells 3 sets 12 reps

Light Dbell High Rise Shrugs 35lbs 3 sets 35 reps

ANd all of my delt lifts tend to secondarily effect the traps too.

Any advice???

Thanks!

#2

Try tossing in some Upright Rows…for some reason these suckers make my traps swell up more than any amount of shrugging!

Really focus on dragging the BB close to your body at all times…the closer you keep it to your body the more your traps will flare up!

Good luck!

#3

Thanks, I do uprights as well on shoulder day which I agree works the traps. Ii’s quite odd looking how they are growing outward, looks like a little monkey’s arms are hanging on my neck or something. They look good in a back pic/pose but from the front it’s like they are buried behind my frame…

#4

there was just a thread about this…

#5

all i can tell ya man is deads, cleans, and snatches… mine grew exponentially within a year of implementing these lifts

#6

Skimmy, right O! I do Deads and cleans, what exactly is a snatch?? I may be opening a can of worms with that one…
Thanks

#7

[quote]Randizo wrote:
Skimmy, right O! I do Deads and cleans, what exactly is a snatch?? I may be opening a can of worms with that one…
Thanks[/quote]

This is a good instructional video of a power snatch:

And I agree with the previous comment about cleans working the traps. My traps aren’t yoked yet, but I can definitely tell they look bigger and it actually looks like I work out. It’s a good power look.

Good luck.

#8

i heard upright rows are bad for the shoulders?

#9

http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1987330 …

#10

upright rows are awesome. Close grip really hits the traps and wide grip upright rows is one of the few excercises that can really add mass to your delts and widen you out. I think they are a must have in any program