How to build a trapezoid: 9 best exercises

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Together with Iya Zorina, we select the best exercises based on anatomy and scientific data.

What is a trapezoid and why you need to swing it

The trapezium is a triangular flat muscle that starts at the base of the skull and covers the entire upper back. The trapezoid is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower. The upper part raises the shoulder blades and rotates them outward.

The middle and lower parts bring the shoulder blades to the spine and lower them.

By choosing effective exercises for pumping all parts of the trapezoid, you can:

• Make your back muscular. The trapezium starts at the occipital bone, covers the entire upper back and largely determines how powerful and defined you will look from behind.
• Improve your posture. With insufficient development of the trapezium, stoop may occur, with asymmetry - scoliosis. A strong muscle helps keep your back straight and your shoulders straight.
• Increase results in different sports. The trapezoid stabilizes the shoulder blades and shoulders, so if you are aiming for good performance in weightlifting, gymnastics or calisthenics, as well as any sports that include throwing and hitting, you cannot do without a strong trapezoid.

What trapezium exercises to perform

1. Shrugs with free weights

This is the most efficient movement for pumping the top of the trapezoid. Because its fibers are angled, the muscle is best activated when the arms are at least 30 ° to the side.

You can perform shrugs with a trap bar: in this performance you do not have to choose the width of the grip and position of the hands - this will be determined by the bar.

If you don't have such a bar, a regular bar will do. Grasp the bar with a straight grip wider than your shoulders so that your arms are away from your body at an angle of about 30 °. To relieve your forearms, you can strap around the bar with straps.

Pull your shoulders up to your ears, lock for a second, turn back and repeat. Perform smoothly and under control, do not drop your shoulders abruptly in the second phase of the exercise.

2. Shrugs on the block

This variation of shrugs is offered by Jeff Cavaliere, a strength and conditioning specialist. In the exercise, the arms are also positioned at an angle from the body to better work out the fibers of the upper trapezoid.

Hook the handle onto the lower block, grab it with your right hand and turn your right side towards the simulator. Pull your working shoulder up, while turning the body to the right so that your chest is looking at the simulator. After a short pause, return to the starting position and repeat. Do the same number of times with the right and left hands.

3. Traction to the chin

The chin pull is great for pumping the trapezoid, but when used with a tight grip, it can cause inflammation and pain in the shoulders. But if you grab the bar with a grip twice as wide as your shoulders, the exercise will not only become safe, but will also load the trapezoid better than a movement with a narrower arms.

Grasp the bar with a straight wide grip, raise your elbows to shoulder level and lower back down. Try to perform the movement smoothly and exclude buildup. Tighten your abs and glutes to keep your core stiff.

4. Row to the face with lifting up

Such traction pumps all parts of the trapezoid well, and due to the additional raising of the arms upwards, it increases the load on the lower part.

Attach a rope handle to the block and grasp both ends. Bend your elbows, bring your shoulder blades together, and pull the ends of the handle towards your face. Make sure that your shoulders do not rotate inward - try to turn them outward, pulling your forearms back.

Keeping the shoulder blades closed and lowered, extend your arms upward until the elbows are extended. Smoothly lower back and return to its original position. You can also perform this movement with an expander by throwing it over the rack and grabbing both ends.

5. IYT Belly Lifts

Laying hands, lying on the stomach, perfectly pump, all parts of the trapezoid. This exercise can be performed on a straight or incline bench.

Lie on a bench on your stomach, pick up dumbbells. Raise your straight arms over your head to shoulder level, lock for a second and lower back. On the next lift, spread your arms slightly to the sides so that the body resembles the letter Y.

Again, lower and raise the dumbbells clearly on the sides so that the body takes the shape of the letter T. At the extreme point of this position, turn your hands outward, your thumbs should be directed to the ceiling.

Return your arms to their original position and repeat the ligament from the beginning. Perform the movement smoothly and under control, lower your arms at the same pace in which you raise, bring your shoulder blades together at the extreme points.

6. Leaving the arm to the side on the block

This movement is often performed to pump mid-deltas, but it also loads the trapezoid very well.

Hook the handle onto the lower block, take it in your right hand and turn your left side to the simulator. Move your arm to the side to shoulder level and lower it back down. Keep your body rigid and operate smoothly and in control.

7. Moving the shoulders from the Y-rise to yourself

This is a rather difficult exercise that combines two movements at once for effective load on the trapezoid: raising the arms over the head, lying on the stomach, and pulling.

Lie on the floor on your stomach, move your arms with dumbbells to an overhead position and lift them off the floor. Bring your shoulder blades together and bend your elbows, lowering the dumbbells to your shoulders. Return to starting position and repeat.

8. Row of the barbell on the bench to the chest lying

The thrust to the chest in the prone position perfectly pumps the trapezium, especially the upper and middle parts of it. Also, unlike conventional bent-over rows, this movement prevents you from cheating by changing your lean.

Place the bench on a raised platform - place it on the boxes or pancakes. Place the bar under a bench, on the floor or on the edge of the boxes. Lie on a bench on your stomach, grab the bar with a straight grip wider than your shoulders. Bend your elbows and pull the bar to your chest until it touches the bench, lower it to the starting position and repeat.

9. Raising the pancake over your head

Standing ups of the pancake perfectly pump the lower part of the trapezius muscle. In order to properly load the trapezoid and at the same time partially relieve the load from the front deltas, Jeff Cavaliere suggests lifting in a limited range.

Take the pancake from the bar, pull it out in front of you on straight arms and place it on the back of the bench set at a 90 ° angle. Raise the pancake over your head and lower it back to the back.

How to train to build a trapezoid

Most of the trapezium consists of hardy muscle fibers of the first type, so it tolerates stress well and recovers quickly. But it must be borne in mind that the trapezoid works in many other movements, for example, in deadlifts, pull-ups, various wiring and pulls to the chest. Therefore, do not overload the muscle with additional work.

Pick 1–2 trapezius exercises and add them to your workouts 1–2 times a week. Do three sets of 8-15 reps, pick up the weight in such a way as to complete all repetitions with good technique, but at the same time feel fatigue at the end of the set.

Change exercises periodically to give the muscle an unusual stimulus, to pump all the fibers, and to ensure growth.