Do you work Traps with Back or Shoulders?

[rippednick]

Thank you...my sentiments also. I work with back becuase they are really part of the muscles that make up the back. Not to mention there is quite a bit of synergy when working lats/upper back and traps.

I feel traps should be worked on back day or else you might just overtrain them. You could work them up to three times a week by using them on legs day through deadlifts, back day through any rowing movement, and again on shoulders day if you do them then. I would suggest doing them on back day and working them from top to bottom. The muscle does run from your first cirvical vertibrae all the way down to the 12th thoracic vertebrae. If you are training them right you wont just have the upper part but a solid mass of muscle running down the center of your back with a nice deep grove over your spine. The only other day to logically work them is on legs day just because you use them so much to do deadlifts. Also if you work them on back day you will effectly train the romboids major and minor, as well as the levator scapulae which all contribute to a full muscular looking back. The only reason i could think of for training them on shoulders day is that shoulder pressing elevates the scapula to allow more range of motion. The elevation of the scapula during shoulder press is somewhat similar to scapular elevation during upper trapezius flexion, but much shorter. I feel traps on back day are the way to go.

[PrinceGeorgebod]

When I train my shoulders effectively I need to concentrate on NOT using my traps. SO I dont train them together. I train my traps with back and superset them at the end of my work out.

[kjkriston]

I do medium heavy barbell shrugs....my traps blow up with just that on shoulder day...one of the few good genetics i have.

[rake922]

Shoulders

[CHAPS]

I train back and shoulders on the same day so traps get trained that day as well.

[pistonpump]

I usually do them to finish off a back day, uprights and shrugs. But if my back day takes me to the 1.5 hr limit in the gym or im dead tired, I will do them on a day on its own with abs or cardio or shoulders. I rarely work shoulders separately now I feel I can hit them on chest and back days. Im actually considering doing shrugs 2x a week as they are lagging a lil. Finally, I get a better pump when i hit them at the end of a back workout.

I like what bronx220 said earlier:"the trapezius is a broad diamond shaped musclethat lies across your back. only 15% lies above your shoulder.soooooo since traps are a back muscle........."

[CHAPS]

I train em rest pause style now hitting failure 3 times, and then a do a static rep for 30 seconds, we'll see how this works out, my traps need to come up, well my upper traps anyway, my back always grows thick n dense fast.

[pistonpump]

I train em rest pause style now hitting failure 3 times, and then a do a static rep for 30 seconds, we'll see how this works out, my traps need to come up, well my upper traps anyway, my back always grows thick n dense fast.

same here as far as trap development. I need to bring up the upper traps, one of my friends were messing with me the other day and told me i need to work on my traps(upper) cause he said i dont want it to be a shelf do i? needless to say this motivates me.

[CHAPS]

Behind the back barbell shrugs are my favourite, i don't like them to the front, and dumbbell shrugs but pulling them up and back at the same time so kinda on an angle.

[pistonpump]

Behind the back barbell shrugs are my favourite, i don't like them to the front, and dumbbell shrugs but pulling them up and back at the same time so kinda on an angle.

yah those are good and i feel it takes the arms out of it even more when you have the barbel in the rear dumbells the angle thing is what i shoot for too, i have yet to lay on a incline bench reverse and trying db shrugs that way, i heard it works great. Nothing like some heavy ass shrugs....its how i hit my forearms/grip too, just holding the bar tight is a workout for them.

[CHAPS]

Farmers walk is good for grip strength and ya Cormier loves to do shrugs facing an incline bench.

[pistonpump]

Farmers walk is good for grip strength and ya Cormier loves to do shrugs facing an incline bench.

have you tried shrugs that way? Im probably going to try that tonight. I have to look into farmers walk i cant recall it.

[CHAPS]

I tried em that way but it felt awkward, i think pulling a cable low then up to your neck with a bar will hit them the same way.

[MadJimF]

I don't train traps, just for traps, they get a work out with bent over rows, deadlifts, and I think that's enough, unless your traps don't grow, but seems they are one of the easy muscles to build up.

[TooL]

I see more votes for training traps on shoulder day but fewer responses as to why.

I'd like to know the rationale.

As for me, I believe traps like calves should be trained with more frequency than other muscles becuase of the short penate structure of the fibers. Weight X Distance

On the other hand, enough cant be said about the benefits of olympic style lifts and their effects on the traps.

[BOHICA]

Traps are retarded to train as a muscle group if you are working your back and shoulders our correctly. They should get worked with your deadlifts, rows, and military presses. No reason at all to do shrugs since it works 10% of that muscle anyway.

I don't train traps, just for traps, they get a work out with bent over rows, deadlifts, and I think that's enough, unless your traps don't grow, but seems they are one of the easy muscles to build up.

sorry didn't read yours until after I posted

[SMOKEPALADIN]

I only work them once every two or three weeks, they tend to do well enough from all the other compound exercises.

[ManBeast]

It just depends on my split... I've worked them on back day, shoulder day, arm day, and "misc" day.

ManBeast

[dirtysouthmuscl]

I do mine with back , I shrug for my traps about 9 sets . I work up to about 7 plates on each side then work back down to 4 . And I promise theres not many people with traps like me. Besides pros.

[Kerry]

I work traps with shoulders as well...to me they kinda go hand in hand