Best Moves for Building Big Traps

The High Pull (3-5 sets of 5-8 reps)high pull

Grab an Olympic bar and add weight that’s about 50 percent more than you would use on a strict-form upright row. Grasp the bar with an under-hand grip with your hands a little wider than shoulder width. Allow the bar to hang in your grasp. Then, lower the bar with your lower back arched and your butt and shoulders back.

When the bar reaches about two inches above the knee cap, use your traps, shoulders, hips, and legs in unison to bring the bar to your chest. Once the bar is there, gravity will bring it back down. Use your hips and legs as shock absorbers.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Upright Row (3 sets of reps per pound)single-arm-upright-row

I like to use a weight-to-rep concept scheme here. Whichever weight I use, that’s how many reps I do. So, if I use a 50-pound dumbbell, I do 50 reps per set, per arm. If I bite off more than I can chew, I’ll challenge myself to take arest-pause approach.

The important thing to remember about this movement is that it starts from the elbow. Imagine a string on your elbow, with a puppetmaster pulling it to move your arm. Don’t lose this concept—it’ll help your form when you get tired.

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1 thought on “Best Moves for Building Big Traps”

  1. There are two terrible exercises listed here; the high pull and single arm upright row. Both put an immense biomechanical strain on the rotator cuff and could lead to impingement syndrome. Dont do them under any circumstances.

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