Trapezoid Exercises

The trapezoid muscle, or trapezius, is one of your main upper-back muscles. Shaped like a diamond, this muscles controls your shoulder girdle and is responsible for pulling your shoulders down, pulling them back and raising them up, movements properly called depression, retraction and elevation respectively. Although the trapezius is one single muscle, it is possible to select exercises that specifically target the lower, middle and upper fibers.

  1. Considerations

    • Before engaging in any kind of strenuous exercise, spend a few minutes warming up to minimize your risk of injury and maximize your workout performance. Use good exercise form and never sacrifice good technique for more weight. If you have been sedentary lately, are significantly overweight or are new to exercise, check with your doctor before starting a new workout.

    Depression

    • Depression exercises target the lower fibers of your trapezius. While it is unusual to ever shrug your shoulders downward against resistance, it is common to have to forcibly hold your shoulders down when performing exercises such as pull-ups or lat pull downs. Keeping your lower trapezius strong can help enhance shoulder stability.

      To strengthen your lower trapezius, perform straight-arm dips. Sit on the edge of an exercise bench with your hands on either side of your hips. Move your hips forward so your weight is supported on your arms only. Keep your arms straight and allow your body to sink down between your shoulders. Shrug downward to raise your body back up. Move your feet in for an easier workout or further away for a more challenging one. For an advanced version of this exercise, use parallel bars so your feet are clear of the floor.

    Retraction

    • Retracting, or pulling your shoulder blades back and together, is an important part of maintaining good posture. Spending long periods of time hunched over a computer can promote a rounded upper back, and strengthening your middle trapezius can help prevent this problem. To strengthen your middle traps, perform band pull-aparts. Take an exercise band in both hands and, with your elbows extended, raise your arms to shoulder-height. Pull the ends of the band apart and stretch the band out across your chest. Return to the starting position and repeat. This exercise can also be performed with an old-school chest expander.

    Elevation

    • Shrugging your shoulders upward, a movement called elevation, uses the upper fibers of your trapezius. When well-developed, this part of your traps is visible from the front. When it comes to trapezius training, most bodybuilders focus on this aspect of trapezius development and call their well-built upper traps their yoke. To strengthen your upper traps, grasp a heavy barbell or dumbbells and, with straight arms, shrug your shoulders up toward your ears. Holding and carrying heavy objects in your hands, such as when performing a farmer's walk, also gives your upper traps a good workout.