Building Thick Traps

[The_Hammer]

I've never been able to build thick traps naturally.  My upper back in general is shallow.  My back routine for years has been barbell rows, shrugs and deadlifts.  The results have been disappointing.

Any suggestions?  Thinking about trying these exercises.

[chess315]

deadlift and bentrows thats it.

[bebop396]

Do you use wrist straps? If not, try it, you can  quadruple the amount of weight you can use...

[Palpatine Q]

Run the rack on DB shrugs.

Start at the heavy side of the dumbbel rack, pick a weight you can get 12 REAL reps with, not the bullshit 2 inch shrugs you see that fat assholes who think they are big doing..and go down the entire rack, dropping in ten pound increments , shrugging to 12 with each weight

[#1 Klaus fan]

Hang power clean performed in the right way, that's it.

[BB]

Hang power clean performed in the right way, that's it.

That was my though, if you didn't want to do the whole thing, you could just do high pulls. 3-5's, lots of weight.

[_bruce_]

Hang power clean performed in the right way, that's it.

x2

[hench]

yea drop sets for shrugs always worked for me.

Run the rack on DB shrugs.

Start at the heavy side of the dumbbel rack, pick a weight you can get 12 REAL reps with, not the bullshit 2 inch shrugs you see that fat assholes who think they are big doing..and go down the entire rack, dropping in ten pound increments , shrugging to 12 with each weight

[Tito24]

my traps were quite soon huge and never trained them apart. good because i hate doing shrugs as it feels like an unnatural movement.

[bebop396]

I like to squeeze at the top of the movement for about 2 seconds while doing shrugs, just to make sure i am hitting it hard....I have seen other guys using the same weight i am, and i see no trap development at all which is strange....Does it come down to genetics?

[ironneck]

genetics more than anything considering traps or drugs

[Priest Da Boxer]

use a low cable with straight bar

lean back slightly and shrug to the rear, almost like your arms are going on a 30 degree angle, you don't need to go terribly heavy.  If you work up to the stack make sure you're getting 12-15 quality reps. 

Also, don't hang you arms in the stretch....stop parallel to the floor, then shrug back up.

[exocet]

You could try Hise shrugs. (I think I spelled that right). Check YouTube for a description.

Behind the back barbell shrugs.

In the video on the original post, he was using his arms quite a bit and bending his elbows. I always thought that you were just supposed to let your arms hang there while you shrugged?

[supernick]

Do you use wrist straps? If not, try it, you can  quadruple the amount of weight you can use...

yes u need to use more weight if your not already.  Dont wrap up on everything or you will loose all grip and forarm strength.  Start with dead lifts .  after you warm up go very heavy with good form. Use your wraps, Make sure you lean back slightly at the top position to get that good contraction.  Next so some sort of pulldown, I find that using a hook grip (thumbs on top of the bar) help you get a cood contraction, as well as take stress off of your arms.  Again go very heavy with good form.  move on to either barbell rows with an over hand grip or seated cable row, finish with the close grip pull down.  If u can have a spotter help you with another rep or 2 on the pulldowns it good.

[supernick]

shrugs are great and all, but I think that buiding your back builds the traps better than shrugs.

[Nirvana]

yeah what Pito24 and Arnneck said

[johnnynoname]

too bad Rickson Gracie got banned

rumor has it that he had a wonderful routine for developing these muscles

[AlphaMaleDawg]

I NEVER train traps directly. They get big from shoulder training

[no one]

nothing is a more impressive bodypart than big traps. nothing exudes power like that body part- and chances are if a guy has good traps hes a pretty powerful fucker.

i am never going to be happy with the way i look- i have some kind of body dysmorphia- but when i get complimented its always on my traps. from the back they run down my back in the classic manta ray look good thick traps should have, and im not blessed with big traps. i built them.

first of all heavy weight builds big traps is a fallacy. good form with focus on using the trap itself to actually move the weight builds big traps. how many guys have you seen shrugging 4 plates a side that have very mediocre traps? they are countless. i seldom use 3 plates a side, most times 2's and 25's and im a pretty strong guy. dumbells i seldom shrug more than 110's.

the trick is to hold the weight in such a way before the start of the set you can actaully feel it pulling on your traps. if you can feel it pulling on them, hang onto that feeling the thru the entire range of motion. if you lose that connection at any point your going to heavy. drop the weight nd try again till you feel the trap and only the trap work thru the entire range of motion. if you lose that feeling you'll use your forearms shoulders triceps and legs to move that weight. and keeping tension in it might mean not doing a 'full' rep. do what you need to do but keep that tension. i'll actually tense my traps as im leaning ove the bar or the dumbells before i unrack them cause it helps me keep the focus where it is supposed to be
.
you'll eventyually get to the point you can focus on what part of the trap want to hit, and believe me despite it being 'one' muscle group you can actually train either the upper part that 'sit's on the clavicle or the middle lower part that is beind the rear delt that runs down the middle of yor back.

not a lot i know about, but i know how to train traps.

[the trainer]

stop speaking for 2 months every time someone tries to talk to you just shrug your shoulders.

[apply85]

big traps probably have to do with how wide your shoulders are and how efficient the leverage system is in the whole traps/shoulders complex. I have naturally big traps, so much that when I turn my neck to the side it almost looks like I have a hump back or something, and I rarely do shrugs or anything, my traps have to be bigger because I think they are simply less efficient... I need more muscle to move the same weight since the shoulder is farther away from the neck. it does look powerful, and it looks great if u have a small waste to go along with it, but it's deceiving, im not actually all that powerful

if u look at most successful power lifters, they dont have wide shoulders, they have tight frames, when u have sloping wide shoulders, your shoulders and traps have to do more work to accomplish the same thing

[buffdnet]

I do deads with double overhand grip and a shrug on top of the movement.
I do this about every other week. considering I consider my body to be mostly maxed out.
imho most large traps you see on pros is oil. note their traps never seem to pump up
my logic = if i can't deadlift it, i got no business trying to shrug it with my long arms.

[b-boy]

You could try Hise shrugs. (I think I spelled that right). Check YouTube for a description.

Behind the back barbell shrugs.

In the video on the original post, he was using his arms quite a bit and bending his elbows. I always thought that you were just supposed to let your arms hang there while you shrugged?

hormones + hise shrugs = big fucking traps     

[Parker]

Try the "trap machine", I really liked that at my old gym...I used do traps when I was out college---and I started getting a severe "slope shoulder" look---I looked like a damn arrow.

Also try shrugs using the machine with the low pulley, and do it on an angle.

[SilverSpoon]

Deadlifts work wonders.
And like Groink said, you need to do real shrugs.  Slow down the cadence, and do them at a 2/2, trying to put your shoulders to your ears.
This stuff is not that hard, especially if you do your movements with good form. 
When drugs enter the equation, everything grows (especially traps), but that is a horse of a different color.