If you are trying to improve your overall physique, building your trap muscles is the best way to start. When people see a person with large traps, they get a “don’t mess with me”, message from that person. This is because it takes a great deal of strength and dedication to develop a physique like that.
When you look at people with well developed traps, they are often Olympic lifters, powerlifters, and strongmen who train to lift cement blocks and cars. When you walk into a bar or club with well developed traps, it will show everyone around that you mean business.
This is one of the benefits of having a no nonsense physique.
Many people walk into the gym and are clueless when it comes to trap development. At the end of their shoulder workout, they may do a few sets of dumbbell shrugs and call it a day. They will do the bare minimum and wonder why their traps aren’t growing the way that they want them to.
The reason is that this is not enough exercise and stimulation to properly build muscles. To see results, you should know how to build trap muscles.
The Anatomy of the Traps![trapezius anatomy]()
Most people think of traps, and only think about the upper part, as it is what you can see when you look in the mirror. What many people do not know, is that the trapezius is one of the largest muscles in the back.
It starts from the back of the skull at the occipital bone, and goes all the way down to the thoracic vertebrae, located in the middle of the back.
Because it is such a large muscle, it needs a big stimulus to grow. This takes a great deal of exercise, focus on your diet, and determination.
Diet
If you are wondering how to get bigger traps, diet is important. What you eat is as important as the exercises that you do and how often you do them. There are certain foods that you should eat before and after your workout to give you energy and help repair your muscles.
Whole Eggs: Eggs are rich in protein. Protein is an excellent source of energy. The yolks contain most of the nutrients. They contain protein, vitamins A, D, and E, and they contain cholesterol.
Eggs are an excellent way to naturally increase your testosterone levels. Many people avoid eating eggs due to the cholesterol. This is a mistake. Eggs contain dietary cholesterol, this is not bound to blood cholesterol, which is the bad one.
Fish Oil: Fix oil is excellent as it lowers your body fat and naturally increases your testosterone levels. It is also excellent to reduce inflammation in your joints, which is great after a vigorous workout. You can find fish oil in fatty fish or in a fish oil supplement.
Wild Salmon: Wild salmon is the best source of omega-3 fatty acids that you can find. In one serving, you can get 20 grams of protein.
Red Meat: Red meat is loaded with protein, vitamin B12, zinc, iron, creatine, and omega-3. It is best to eat grass fed beef, such as steaks and hamburgers from sirloin or top round.
Quinoa: This is a grain that is packed with protein and all 9 of the essential amino acids. Because it is gluten-free, it is easy to digest and high in fiber. It is also a source of magnesium and iron.
Almonds: If you are looking for a snack before or after a workout, almonds are an excellent choice. Just ¼ cup of almonds contains 8 grams of protein. This is 2 grams more protein that what an egg contains.
It is also a source of heart healthy fat and magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that is used in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.
Exercise
Knowing the proper exercises to build traps is very important. You can eat all of the best foods, however, without exercise you will not get anywhere.
Deadlifts
Begin by putting weights on your bar. You should go by your own strength and fitness level. Do not try to start too heavy. You will only injure yourself, hindering future workouts.
Set your stance by standing so that your legs are shoulder length apart, the balls of your feet under the bar, and your toes pointing slightly outward.
Next, bend your knees but keep your back straight. You should bend at the hips rather than at the waist. This will prevent injury.
Grasp the bar with one palm facing away from you. This will help to stabilize the bar better balance.
Put the barbell over the middle of your feet. Bend until your shins touch the bar.
Raise your hips and shoulders at the same time and stand up. Keep your abs tight while you are lifting.
When you are in a standing position, allow the bar to hang in front of you. Keeping your back straight, put the bar down on the floor, keeping it in control.
Rack Pull Shrug
This exercise will allow you to worth your traps isometrically when you are doing the rack pull and concentrically when you are doing the shrug.
You want to use a great deal of weight for this exercise. Ideally, you should load the bar with 100% of your deadlift.
When getting in position, you want to use the same position as you did with the deadlift. Pull the bar up to the lockout position, and shrug the weight. This should be done all in one motion.
Barbell Shrug
This exercise will build your upper trapezius, which is the part of the muscle that you see when you look in the mirror.
This is a heavy lifting exercise. You should put 75 to 80 percent of the weight that you use for a deadlift on the bar.
Using the same motion as you did with the deadlift, lift the bar. Next, shrug your shoulders. Be sure not to roll them.
You just want to lift them so that they are moving up toward your ears.
If you are looking for a way to improve your overall physique quickly, trap exercises are the way to go. If you are motivated, and combine the proper workouts with a good diet, you should start seeing results in no time. As long as you know how to build bigger traps, you will be well on your way.
Original Source: How To Build Bigger Trap Muscles
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