Beefing the traps: Mistakes and technique
Researched and composed by Vic Goyaram
Denis Ayen shows good balance between delts and traps |
Having massive trapezius development is indeed the mark
of a bodybuilder. It shows that you have paid your dues with the iron. However, many people are overzealous in having it developed without
looking at balance in the shoulder musculature. Muscular balance in the shoulder region is as much important as balance
between your quads and your calves. It is important to maintain balance between
your trap and deltoid development so the first thing I would advise you
to do is to look in the mirror and see whether these two body parts are in
balance. Then you work out a plan of attack for your shoulders taking into
consideration your strengths and weaknesses.
Big Brock Lesnar's traps are massive But they dominate his deltoids Even when standing relaxed! |
Jack Madanamoothoo shows perfect balance between his deltoids and trapezius |
Trapezius anatomy: more than meets the eye! |
When asked to show your
traps you will most likely hit a most muscular pose and not a rear double
biceps, right? Why not? Because in the
rear double bi you are showing more of your traps than in the most
muscular. The traps are made up of the
upper, middle and lower regions and having all these three regions developed
are an absolute must. What is visible from the front when you do a most muscular pose is the upper trap. Having balanced development will greatly
enhance your rear poses (see picture below).
The traps indeed make up a large portion of your back musculature. Future articles will focus on training the middle and lower traps. This article focuses on trap training as a whole.
Note the contribution of your traps to overall back musculature |
Trap training Mistakes
1. Rolling the shoulders while shrugging
Many bodybuilders roll the
shoulders while shrugging. Some roll the
shoulders to the back and some to the front. I have also seen people alternate
between forward and rear rotations while shrugging. This is a waste of energy
and you potentially risk injury while doing this. The shrugging movement is
simple, straight up and down. The
direction of resistance in the standing barbell or dumbbell shrug is straight down, meaning the direction of
the pull is straight down. Therefore to derive maximum benefit from the shrug
you must pull opposite resistance, which is straight up (no rolling). By
rolling the shoulders you are assuming that the direction of resistance is
coming from the front, which is not correct. I invite you to check the video
below of Bio-mechanics expert Doug Brignole (a former NABBA Mr. Universe and Mr.
America and who placed 7th at the 2012 NABBA Mr. Universe +50 masters)
2. The narrow grip Upright Rows
The upright row is a
traditional movement for the traps but it's not the best exercise that you can
do for your this muscle. It is not a good trap
exercise as there are definitely better exercises. The majority of the movement is done by the arms and
forearm and the remaining 10% is an incidental shrugging movement. So why not put the effort in a 100% shrugging movement? Additionally, upright rowing with a narrow
grip puts the shoulder joint under a lot of stress. While I've never had shoulder issues with
narrow upright rowing (they actually consist 25% of my trap training, for
variety purposes) I know many others who have injured their shoulders with it
(a lot having to do with use of excessive weight as well).
Extra tip: A much safer
version of the upright row is the wide grip upright row. This is more of a side deltoid movement
rather than a trap movement. There will still be some trap involvement due to an incidental shrugging motion in the movement. Use a
shoulder grip width and pull up to the sternum (middle chest) area. Superset
with side laterals for developing the side deltoid (great for width). You can learn more about this upright row variation in the Gironda Series article on shoulder training (Click here).
FULL UPRIGHT ROW ARTICLE (CLICK HERE)
FULL UPRIGHT ROW ARTICLE (CLICK HERE)
Wide grip upright rows: a great way of cooking the side deltoids for width. Works great with a superset with side laterals |
Many
bodybuilders shrug with excessive weight, causing them to move only a few
millimetres. Sometimes if you watch them you don't really see any
movement in their shoulder and you wonder what they are working. Please don't
do this. It does a lot to your ego to show people you are holding 150+kg in
your hands in the rack but you don't realise that you are cheating on yourself.
It is useless showing people that you are shrugging so much weight when your
trap development looks as if you don't do any trap training at all.
Bodybuilding Mauritius recommends performing shrugs according to the guidelines
below:
The Bodybuilding Mauritius Shrug Guidelines Design courtesy of Premanand Maniam, Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
Additional shrug tips
Sometimes your
private parts may get in the way when doing shrugs. To eliminate this problem
you can maintain a slight forward bend in your torso while you shrug. Dumbbells as well as a trap bar (if your gym
has it) can be used as well. More articles in the future will cover trap
training.
Olivier Malherbe (far left) dominated this pose at the 2011 Mr. Mauritius Courtesy of balanced trap development that tied well to his back Photo Courtesy of: Pascal Quirin (Body FX Ltd) |
Do you need more motivation? Photo Courtesy of: Dyaus Photography |
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