Learn how to build up your traps with dumbbell shrugs while standing and lying on an incline bench. Technique, photography and video. Beautiful strong trapeziums are an indicator of a person's real power and athleticism. The specificity of working out the muscles of the trapezium is that there are no exercises for their simultaneous pumping.
All three groups into which the muscle is divided must be worked out separately. Shrugs are most often used for a concentrated and targeted study of trapeziums.
Read about standing barbell shrugs
The use of shrugs or how to pump up a trapezoid
You can watch the pumped-up bodies of competing bodybuilders for hours. They are perfectly worked and dried. On stage, the trapezoid becomes the visual center of attraction for the athlete from the rear. But even in frontal poses, this massive muscle group is capable of surprising with its power. It is then that you understand the visual and aesthetic significance of the trapezius muscles.
The development of trapeziums makes the bodybuilder image complete. If a bodybuilder does not work this part of the body, then his muscles in the back will not look 100%.
Many novice athletes do not pay enough attention to the trapezius muscles. However, the traps are large muscles, the area of which is comparable to the area of the press, they cover at least a third of the back. By "hammering" on the trapeze, a huge part of the back is left without attention, which automatically makes it weak, and the athlete's shape disproportionate.
Strength training of the trapezium muscles will respond when performing the deadlift, lifting the bar from the floor and lifting it to the chest. Also, the study of the trapezium muscles is involved in achieving competitive results in other active sports, because the muscles are applicable in all movements of the shoulder girdle.
There is no universal tool for the complex development of trapezoids. The structure of the trapezius muscle is such that for its pumping it is necessary to simultaneously use three different beams in the work, and this cannot be realized with more than one known movement. Formally, the trapezius muscle is divided into three areas: top, middle and bottom. Whichever exercise is used, all three beams will not participate in it with the same degree of intensity, so each of them must be purposefully trained separately.
The middle part of the muscle is worked out when the athlete performs a variety of bent-over rows. The bottom of the trapezoid is shaken by lifting weights over the head and push-ups on the uneven bars. The upper part of the trapezius muscle is "made" with scars. In addition to the trapeziums, the rhomboid muscles and the muscles that raise the scapula are equally worked out in the shrugs. It is just that only the trapezius muscle is clearly visible, because the other two are covered with it.
Standing dumbbell shrugs: execution technique
The exercise includes the top and middle of the traps, which, when performed regularly, rise and stand out on the general relief of the body.
The popularity of the exercise is due to the flexibility of sports equipment. Unlike a barbell, dumbbells can be held in various positions (in front of you, behind your back, on the sides of the body) and raised at any angle of inclination. These advantages allow you to easily maneuver with a variety of shrugs and use an acceptable exercise fit every time. An important point! Before performing shrugs with weights, it is necessary to carry out a high-quality warm-up of the joints of the upper shoulder girdle so as not to tear the muscles and not to pull the tendons.
- Stand straight, move your legs a little narrower than shoulder-width apart.
- Raise the dumbbells so that the shells are "facing" the outer surface of the thigh.
- Straighten up, straighten your shoulders, bend a little in the lower back, lift and straighten your chest.
- Relax your arms completely to exclude their participation in the exercise.
- Raise your chin to parallel with the floor and look straight ahead.
- As you inhale, begin to raise your shoulders as high as possible (until the neck "disappears").
- In the highest position, stop for a couple of seconds, tensing the muscles being worked out as much as possible, and slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat the required number of approaches.
When performing shrugs, the torso must be kept straight. In the lifting phase, lower your chin a little (without fanaticism), so the load on the trapezius muscles will become greater.
Dumbbell Shrugs on an Incline Bench
Another technique for pumping trapeziums using dumbbells involves the use of an inclined bench fixed at an angle of 45 degrees (great for girls).
The exercise is not much different from the previous one. The same muscle groups are being worked on. The only distinguishing feature that will save you from stooping is the significant load on the upper back.
- Lie on the bench with your stomach so that your head is in free space (extending beyond the surface of the bench).
- Place your bent knees on the floor. Bending the knees will take stress away from the knee joints.
- Dumbbells need to be taken with an upper grip or on their own if they are lying side by side on the stretcher or ask a neighbor to help with taking the shells. The burden should be held on outstretched arms.
- As you inhale, shrug your shoulders and, pushing out your chest, bring your shoulder blades to the maximum.
- Stop in the top position for 1–3 seconds and slowly return to the starting position.
In this version of the exercise, the muscles of the trapezium are worked out, and the pectoral muscles and muscles of the delta are also involved in the work.
The choice of weight must be approached with special responsibility so that the muscles have the ability to contract and stretch to the end.
General Guidelines for Dumbbell Scars
Beginners are not recommended to get involved in such exercises, they are more intended for experienced athletes in a competitive class. Those who come to the gym for the first time should not worry about the development of the trapeziums, these muscles are not tenderly given priority attention and at the amateur level there will be sufficient indirect work of the trapeziums in other basic exercises.
Training the trapezius muscles with large weights spoils posture and does not allow you to work out the desired area as clearly as possible, distributing the load between all the muscles of the shoulder girdle. When training with a maximum load, it is necessary to use wrist straps in order to have enough strength to hold the barbell and complete the set in full.
There are no general guidelines for using a specific starting weight. It is determined individually, depending on the preliminary fitness of the athlete. Of course, it is better to start with a minimum to hone the ideal technique and gradually increase the load over time.
Video on how to make shrugs with dumbbells while standing (Denis Borisov):
