3 Best Trapezius Exercises for Muscle and Power

The trapezius muscle — a kite-shaped sheet of sinew that runs vertically along your upper spine and fans out toward your shoulders — is your back’s multi-tasker. The upper traps shrug your shoulders up; the middle portion pulls them back; the lower traps pull them down.

Read on to learn more about the functions of the traps and how to perform the best trap exercises with proper form.

What the Trapezius Muscles Do

The muscles of the trapezius stabilize and articulate your shoulder blades, which move pretty much any time you move your arms. As a result, there aren’t many upper-body movements that don’t involve them.

In sports, they help you throw, climb, and swing. In the gym, they help you row, pull, and press. Day to day, strong trapezius muscles can keep your posture in check, and prevent your side view from becoming permanently C-shaped. Develop your traps enough, and they’ll help you look powerful and athletic, both from the front (picture the sturdy shoulders of a gymnast) and from behind (picture the sinuous upper back of an Olympic swimmer).

7 Exercises for Bigger, More Powerful Trapezius Muscles

If you’re looking to build a set of killer trapezius muscles, you’ll need more than one exercise. Try one move for each part of the trap twice a week for an upper back that’ll inspire double-takes and make your whole body work better.

1. Upright row

Target: Upper traps
Equipment: Medium-to-lightweight barbell, EZ curl bar (that’s the cambered bar usually used for curls), or pair of dumbbells.

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip at arm’s length in front of your waist, palms facing toward you. You can also hold the handles of an exercise band and stand on the middle of the band. (Don’t use too much resistance!)
Slowly and under control, lift the weight in front of your torso, keeping it close to your body, until your elbows reach shoulder height.
Pause for a moment and reverse the movement, lowering the dumbbells back to arm’s length in front of you.

Appears in: LIIFT4

2. Dumbbell shrug

Target: Upper traps
Equipment: Pair of dumbbells

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing in.
Maintaining a neutral neck and straight arms, shrug your shoulders as if you’re trying to bring the tops of your shoulders to your ears.
Lower your shoulders back down, and repeat for reps.

3. Reverse fly

Target: Middle traps, rear delts
Equipment: Pair of light dumbbells and an adjustable bench or chair, if you’d prefer performing this move seated.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Hinge at the hips (press the hips back as you lower your chest) until your chest is almost parallel with the ground. Allow the weights to hang straight down at arm’s length, palms facing each other.
Keeping your back flat, core braced, and knees slightly bent, raise your arms out to your sides until they’re in line with your body. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
Return to the starting position, and repeat.

Appears in: Sure Thing

4. Face pull

Target: Middle traps, rear delts
Equipment: Resistance band or cable machine

Anchor a resistance band to a stable point several inches above your head.
Facing the anchor point, grab the band with an overhand grip, keeping your hands about six inches apart.
Step back from the anchor point with your arms extended in front of you until you feel tension in the band.
Keeping your back straight and elbows high, pull the band toward your face, stopping once the band approaches your nose.
Slowly reverse the move to return to the starting position, and repeat for reps.

5. Scapular retraction/protraction

Target: Middle traps
Equipment: None

Assume a standard push-up position, with your feet together, your body straight from head to heels, your arms straight, and your hands under your shoulders.
Keeping your back flat, your head neutral, and your core engaged, protract your shoulders, pushing through your hands to spread your shoulder blades apart.
Slowly return to the starting position. Then, retract your shoulders, letting your chest dip to bring your shoulder blades together. That’s one rep.
Repeat for three sets of 10 reps without shrugging your shoulders during the exercise.

6. Double-arm windmill

Equipment: Light dumbbells optional.

Stand upright with your feet together and your arms at your sides. Option to hold a light pair of dumbbells.
On a deep inhale, rotate your palms outward, squeeze your shoulder blades together, lifting your chest as high as you can.
Keeping your shoulder blades pulled back, your arms locked out, and your chest expanded, lift your arms outward and upward until your palms come close together overhead.
Pause for a moment, reverse the movement, and repeat.

Appears in: P90X One on One: Fountain of Youth

7. Dumbbell YTI raise

Target: Upper, middle, and lower traps
Equipment: Stability ball and pair of dumbbells

Lie face-down on a stability ball or bench holding a dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang straight toward the floor, palms facing each other.
Keeping your head neutral, raise both arms at 45 degrees to form a “Y” shape. Pause briefly. Then, lower the weights back to the starting position.
Lift the weights again, this time straight out to your sides to form a “T” shape, palms facing down. Pause briefly at the top of the movement before lowering the weights.
Finally, lift the weights by extending them straight behind you to create an “I” shape, palms facing each other. Hold briefly and lower the weights.
Repeat the entire sequence for the desired number of reps.

Trap Stretches to Relieve Tightness

Here are two bonus stretches to perform after your workout, or anytime your shoulders and upper back feel tight.

Cat Stretch

Come onto all fours, knees directly below your hips, hands directly below your shoulders.
Breathing deeply, round your upper back up toward the ceiling as high as you can while allowing your chin to fall toward your chest. Feel the stretch in the back of your neck and between your shoulder blades, and hold for a two-count.
Reverse the move, slowly arching your entire back as much as possible and pulling your shoulder blades together while lifting your head high.
Alternate between the rounded and arched positions for 8-10 slow reps

Appears in: P90X: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

Upper Back Flexion

Stand upright and interlace your fingers.
Straighten your arms and press your palms forward as far as possible.
Hold for 15-30 seconds.

Appears in: P90X: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

We pulled these moves straight from Beachbody programs like Body Beast and P90X, which you can stream right now at Beachbody On Demand. Access any of hundreds of workouts on your set-top or mobile device now!