Traps - How much do you shrug ?

[Rocket3015]

Me 245X20 with a trap bar.

Years ago (in the 80's) I worked out at a dirty, stinking hard core gym we had a trainer (ok a guy that hung out at the gym) with huge traps, his name what Rev. Don Thorpe (a direct descendent of Jim Thorpe) his thoughts were anything you can do to more the weight builds muscle, aka cheat as much as you can. For shrugs he would tell you to load up the bar with as much weight as you can to move move it a 1/4". I remember doing shrugs with 405lbs and barley moving the bar, I can't say my traps ever grew from that ?

 

[MrKleen73]

As much as required by being married 20 years...

Honestly about the only time I do shrugs is when I don't know something. Luckily mine grow from indirect training very easily.

 

[Smont]

I haven't done shrugs in years. I feel like between the deadlifts and side laterals I get plenty of trap involvement. I actually have a problem where I engage my traps on a lot of back exercises and it takes away from my back workouts.

I use to do power cleans and shrugs all the time back in my 20's and my traps would get overdeveloped. (It's probably more so that everything else was just underdeveloped LOL)

 

[Smont]

Me 245X20 with a trap bar.

Years ago (in the 80's) I worked out at a dirty, stinking hard core gym we had a trainer (ok a guy that hung out at the gym) with huge traps, his name what Rev. Don Thorpe (a direct descendent of Jim Thorpe) his thoughts were anything you can do to more the weight builds muscle, aka cheat as much as you can. For shrugs he would tell you to load up the bar with as much weight as you can to move move it a 1/4". I remember doing shrugs with 405lbs and barley moving the bar, I can't say my traps ever grew from that ?

And I agree with what that guy says for traps but not the 1/4 in part, Traps are a body part were form is not the key, just carrying heavy shyt will build your traps. Farmers walks is a big one.

Working as a painter and doing construction and demo work I'm always carrying heave stuff. That's probably building my traps more than any exercises I'm doing.

 

[Smont]

With that being said, everyone still needs to do what works for them.

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

i like to do 225lbs bwhind the back shrugs

 

[Smont]

i like to do 225lbs bwhind the back shrugs

Have you ever tried a behind the back upright row?

Get in the Smith machine, grab the bar behind you and the movement is kinda a mix between a upright row and shrug. I don't think it's supposed to be a move in for traps, but it's Great for rear delts and traps.

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

Have you ever tried a behind the back upright row?

Get in the Smith machine, grab the bar behind you and the movement is kinda a mix between a upright row and shrug. I don't think it's supposed to be a move in for traps, but it's Great for rear delts and traps.

that's where i like to do em, yes. but it's still just a barbell shrug behind the back, there is no rowing involved.

 

[enhanced]

I've had best results from moderate weight and 12-15 reps. I use either the Smith or db's.

 

[Smont]

I will say this, when I did shrug, I would imagine pulling my shoulders up past my ears and holding for a breif second, as soon as I couldn't do the hold any more I would start repping out in a pretty sloppy bouncing fashion. Kinda forcing a stretch overload. Those reps would be pretty much all half reps

 

[Rocket3015]

@SHORSE Got a pretty nice set of traps!

 

[MrKleen73]

I do have to agree with @Smont that oly lifts make my traps explode. They square off quickly and start to look all Goldberg or Syd Vicious style. Doing them with DB's is a great way to add them in working for speed and form rather than the most weight. Will make delts blow up too, at least for me.

Push Press or Jerk are also pretty good for them.

 

[ugsavage]

that's where i like to do em, yes. but it's still just a barbell shrug behind the back, there is no rowing involved.

This movement worked really well for me. I would stand in front of the bar and lean forward a bit to really get the stretch. I would also use fairly wide grip and squeeze at the top of every rep. I stopped training them years ago however as they were somewhat overdeveloped taking away from my width. They never stopped growing however since I stopped training them but indirectly with side laterals and upright rows. They are still huge in fact I get this compliment the most. I feel like they grow more in proportion when you avoid training them directly. It's a power movement really even if you shrug heavy as hell it may not lead to developing big traps. I would rather do them with moderate weight and heavy volume that's what worked for me

 

[Jeremyk1]

I haven’t shrugged in forever. I tried some in high school. Super heavy. 405 I think. Didn’t care for it much, preferred cleans and deadlifts. For a while, I used behind the back shrugs on a smith machine as part of my warm up. I never cared for huge trap development on a bodybuilder. Visually, probably my least favorite muscle.

 

[Rocket3015]

I haven’t shrugged in forever. I tried some in high school. Super heavy. 405 I think. Didn’t care for it much, preferred cleans and deadlifts. For a while, I used behind the back shrugs on a smith machine as part of my warm up. I never cared for huge trap development on a bodybuilder. Visually, probably my least favorite muscle.

I like that nice square shoulder look, and huge traps can distract from this!

 

[Jeremyk1]

I like that nice square shoulder look, and huge traps can distract from this!

Yeah when the shoulders stick straight out and are capped off with big delts. Love that.

 

[Rocket3015]

Yeah when the shoulders stick straight out and are capped off with big delts. Love that.

That is the look I have been chasing my whole life!

 

[thegodfather]

Maybe I'm kind of old school but I like the big trap/yoke look over squared shoulders. Nothing says "I'm not F'n with that guy" like a set of big traps. When I used to deadlift a lot years ago, they blew my traps up bigger and quicker than anything else. Now that I'm 43 years old, I've toned down the heavy weight a lot and focus more on form and mind/muscle connection.

 

[enhanced]

Traps are the new abs...

 

[Rocket3015]

I will not argue a huge set of traps screams don't mess with me!! But a wide square set of shoulders say " How You Do'in"

 

[thegodfather]

I will not argue a huge set of traps screams don't mess with me!! But a wide square set of shoulders say " How You Do'in"

Fair enough. lol Ideally big traps with a little waist is what I strive for. I think many guys with really big squared off shoulders look like walking coathangers. It just looks odd to me.

 

[Rocket3015]

Fair enough. lol Ideally big traps with a little waist is what I strive for. I think many guys with really big squared off shoulders look like walking coathangers. It just looks odd to me.

Coathangers I can see that !

 

[ugsavage]

Maybe I'm kind of old school but I like the big trap/yoke look over squared shoulders. Nothing says "I'm not F'n with that guy" like a set of big traps. When I used to deadlift a lot years ago, they blew my traps up bigger and quicker than anything else. Now that I'm 43 years old, I've toned down the heavy weight a lot and focus more on form and mind/muscle connection.

Yes sir deadlifts is the number one exercise for traps. More so for the middle part of the traps and the lower lumbar area. This is how Phil continued to beat Kai all those years. I don't recall ever seeing either of them deadlift though. But at that level it's usually just a matter of genetics and not so much different training methods or movements

 

[thegodfather]

Here's three random pics I took off the internet to show comparison. The first guy looks ridiculous IMO, might even be photoshopped. (Sorry if you're on this board) Yes he has huge delts and arms, but he looks like an upside down triangle. The other two guys have big traps that give off an alpha impression.

 

[SHORSE]

@SHORSE Got a pretty nice set of traps!

My Traps and Tris grow pretty easy. that's about it. LOL
I prefer 12 rep weight. I like to hold them at the top for 3 seconds, and 3 sec neg with a good stretch. I Finish with a 20 rep pump, this doesn't take much weight at this point. My gym has a couple of Hammer strength shrug machines that always have weight left on them. If its loaded I will use it, If not much I will add a little, This is the only muscle I don't log. Lazy!

 

[SHORSE]

Traps are the new abs...

LOL! I got it made, because I'm too fat to have abs!

 

[Rocket3015]

I've seen your abs !!

 

[f4iguy]

Upper traps (which shrugs target) respond well to TUT and full ROM. Rich Piana trained upper traps with moderate weight and full ROM. I do the same. I also like to pause 2 seconds at the top to feel the contraction before getting a good stretch at the bottom. I used to load up 405 and shrug but I 'm able to save time by using lighter weight with a pause. I get similar results too so why bother loading and unloading 8 plates?

 

[brandonLPN]

80lbs dumbbells x 20 reps

 

[ugsavage]

Heavy shrugs with a hex bar was another good movement

 

[Rocket3015]

I need to work more on that pause at the top!

 

[brandonLPN]

Yeah I tried pausing for three seconds at the top yesterday and it cut my reps in half

 

[f4iguy]

I need to work more on that pause at the top!

If I train shrugs around 14-16 reps with a pause the burn and pump is strong. I can't get that with heavier weight and no pause. If you REALLY want to tear up the fibers add a drop set at the end. I'll drop the weight around 30% and skip the pause rapping until failure... when I can't do another rep I hold the top position and fail there. The last step is to shout ow ow ow curse a few times and rest up so they can grow.

 

[Rocket3015]

If I train shrugs around 14-16 reps with a pause the burn and pump is strong. I can't get that with heavier weight and no pause. If you REALLY want to tear up the fibers add a drop set at the end. I'll drop the weight around 30% and skip the pause rapping until failure... when I can't do another rep I hold the top position and fail there. The last step is to shout ow ow ow curse a few times and rest up so they can grow.

I'm a white guy, Rapping is not my strong suit!!

 

[Dietz1873]

I feel traps are very, very genetic. I know they blow up with AAS more than other muscle groups specifically but even then, the people with genetic predispositions for big traps are going to have decent ones off AAS and insane ones with AAS or after. Just my opinion. I was blessed with great trap genetics, I don’t do shrugs at all, however I do engage just about every muscle in my body when doing every exercise. You can maintain proper form and get a killer workout for your traps, delts, biceps, triceps, forearms and pecs with curling a single dumbbell. I feel the strain I put on myself to maintain proper form is what indirectly engages all the muscle groups and works them out unintentionally. The best way to describe it would be to do a plank while standing and curling dumbbells and maintain proper form. This has gave me traps that are currently in a competition with themselves to reach my damn earlobes. By the way, my profile picture isn’t me, so don’t go by that.

 

[brandonLPN]

I feel traps are very, very genetic. I know they blow up with AAS more than other muscle groups specifically but even then, the people with genetic predispositions for big traps are going to have decent ones off AAS and insane ones with AAS or after. Just my opinion.

For me it’s always been delts that blow up with AAS, even if I don’t target them

 

[Dietz1873]

For me it’s always been delts that blow up with AAS, even if I don’t target them

That’s awesome, definitely a good muscle group to have good genes in. Broad shoulders narrow waist is always the best look. My delts aren’t bad but, my pecs are what I lack. I can do everything in the world, eat a cow or no cow at all, roids, no roids, nothing is going to making these pecs bigger I’ll take what I can get though, I’ve never had any gyno, so I accept the flat pecs. Haha

 

[brandonLPN]

That’s awesome, definitely a good muscle group to have good genes in. Broad shoulders narrow waist is always the best look. My delts aren’t bad but, my pecs are what I lack. I can do everything in the world, eat a cow or no cow at all, roids, no roids, nothing is going to making these pecs bigger I’ll take what I can get though, I’ve never had any gyno, so I accept the flat pecs. Haha

Well, I don’t have a narrow waist, but broad shoulders definitely help offset that lol.

Agree with pecs. My arms and shoulders respond well to bench press, but no matter how much I bench my pecs have always been mediocre.

Part of it is I’ve always had a pretty narrow grip when benching, so I think it disproportionately targets my triceps

 

[ugsavage]

Lol you guys bringing this thread back to life

 

[brandonLPN]

Lol you guys bringing this thread back to life

Sure why not

 

[Rocket3015]

I feel traps are very, very genetic. I know they blow up with AAS more than other muscle groups specifically but even then, the people with genetic predispositions for big traps are going to have decent ones off AAS and insane ones with AAS or after. Just my opinion. I was blessed with great trap genetics, I don’t do shrugs at all, however I do engage just about every muscle in my body when doing every exercise. You can maintain proper form and get a killer workout for your traps, delts, biceps, triceps, forearms and pecs with curling a single dumbbell. I feel the strain I put on myself to maintain proper form is what indirectly engages all the muscle groups and works them out unintentionally. The best way to describe it would be to do a plank while standing and curling dumbbells and maintain proper form. This has gave me traps that are currently in a competition with themselves to reach my damn earlobes. By the way, my profile picture isn’t me, so don’t go by that.

I Believe We Need A Pic ??

 

[ugsavage]

For me it’s always been delts that blow up with AAS, even if I don’t target them

My delts and traps grow like crazy on gear. I would always train them together. I had to stop isolating the traps though no more shrugs for me. The traps have better AR density so they are usually the first muscle to grow

 

[Rocket3015]

My delts and traps grow like crazy on gear. I would always train them together. I had to stop isolating the traps though no more shrugs for me. The traps have better AR density so they are usually the first muscle to grow

You are one of the lucky one's !!

 

[Dustin07]

I tend to run DB shrugs at 70-90lb DB's for sets of 16-20 looking for failure.

When I had a severe back injury I was rehabbing I couldn't deadlift 95lbs without wanting to puke, but I'd throw 365lbs on the barbell above the knees and shrug that. I do honestly believe that anytime heavy weight is in your hands, regardless of how it got there, it creates a positive stimulus...

 

[Rocket3015]

I tend to run DB shrugs at 70-90lb DB's for sets of 16-20 looking for failure.

When I had a severe back injury I was rehabbing I couldn't deadlift 95lbs without wanting to puke, but I'd throw 365lbs on the barbell above the knees and shrug that. I do honestly believe that anytime heavy weight is in your hands, regardless of how it got there, it creates a positive stimulus...

Yes It Does !!

 

[ugsavage]

I tend to run DB shrugs at 70-90lb DB's for sets of 16-20 looking for failure.

When I had a severe back injury I was rehabbing I couldn't deadlift 95lbs without wanting to puke, but I'd throw 365lbs on the barbell above the knees and shrug that. I do honestly believe that anytime heavy weight is in your hands, regardless of how it got there, it creates a positive stimulus...

I prefer using the hex bar if I'm going to shrug. But it requires you to deadlift off the ground. Heavy barbell shrugs are high risk and low reward imo. I prefer using heavy dumbbells but always go for at least 20 reps. 100's x 20 reps for three or four sets

 

[BOSSMAN]

I prefer db shrugs. Behind waist, even with waist, and in front

 

[Rocket3015]

I think your traps were built with Wheel Barrow Shrugs !!

 

[Carnivorecon]

Does anyone else find that they can kinda super flare their traps to look berserk, but they just look normal rest of the time and no one would think they were anything special? I also found if i hold my arms out 45 degrees, shrug and then drop my shoulders forcefully my traps come up about six inches, it looks insane but i think it's just extra scapular rotation or something not really me having large traps, is this common?

 

[Rocket3015]

Does anyone else find that they can kinda super flare their traps to look berserk, but they just look normal rest of the time and no one would think they were anything special? I also found if i hold my arms out 45 degrees, shrug and then drop my shoulders forcefully my traps come up about six inches, it looks insane but i think it's just extra scapular rotation or something not really me having large traps, is this common?

Headed to the mirror !!