How strong are your trapezius muscles? You might wonder why it’s important for your trapezius muscles to be strong. It’s not just an aesthetic issue. Your trapezius muscles stabilize your scapula, the triangular bone that makes up your shoulder blade. Your trapezius muscles are also responsible for moving this bone. The upper trapezius muscles, or traps, lift your shoulder blades up while your lower traps pull your shoulders back down also retract them.
Studies show that strengthening the trapezius muscles helps support and stabilize your neck and lower the risk of neck pain and injury. Plus, strong trapezius muscles improve posture and alignment. Why does this matter? According to a study, over two-thirds of the population has neck pain at one time or another. Some individuals experience chronic neck pain that makes the activities they do every day, like driving a car or sitting in front of a computer screen, uncomfortable.
The Benefits of a Stronger Trapezius Muscle
Can strength training help? One study that looked at neck pain among laborers found exercises that strengthen the lower trapezius muscles increase the thickness of the muscle, improve alignment, and enhance neck muscle function. So, strengthening your neck muscles may lower your risk of neck pain. That’s something you need if you work a desk job.
Many people who suffer with neck pain have a tight upper trapezius muscle and a weak lower trapezius. This type of muscle imbalance is a set-up for neck pain. Plus, the muscle imbalance that comes from a discrepancy in trapezius strength contributes to poor postural alignment. Therefore, your best bet is to strengthen your lower trapezius. How can you do that? Here are five of the best exercises for trapezius strengthening, with an emphasis on the lower trapezius.
Barbell Bent-Over Row
When you use good form, the barbell row is an effective exercise for building trapezius strength, but this movement also works the latissimus dorsi, the rhomboids, and the posterior deltoids. Working the posterior deltoids is important because so few exercises target this portion of the shoulder. If you strengthen your anterior and medial deltoids and ignore the posterior portion of the muscle, you’ll end up with a muscle imbalance. Bent-over rows help you avoid that.
How’s your form when you do barbell bent-over rows? The problem is it’s easy to use momentum and bounce the barbell when you do this exercise. The main reason people use momentum with barbell bent-over rows is they’re working with a barbell that’s too heavy. Lighten up on the barbell weight and slow down the movement to maximize the recruitment of your traps. Make sure you’re not rounding your back or flaring your elbows when you do the exercise either. Rounding your back is a quick way to get a back injury.
Pushup
The push-up is an all-around effective exercise for targeting the upper body and it requires no equipment. It’s nice to have do-anywhere exercises, isn’t it? The push-up works your shoulders and triceps but it also recruits your middle and lower trapezius muscles. You’ll maximize the trapezius benefits of this exercise by squeezing your shoulders together as you do the exercise.
Upright Row
Upright rows are an exercise you’re already familiar with. It’s an excellent exercise for targeting the trapezius muscles and the deltoids but it’s an exercise you should do with caution since it’s a movement that stresses your shoulders if you get sloppy. You can do this exercise with a dumbbell in each hand or by holding a barbell. Make sure the weight is modest to avoid injury and don’t use momentum when you do this exercise. Avoid jerking the weight up; keep the movement slow and controlled. Keep the barbell close to your body. If you have a history of a shoulder injury or feel any shoulder discomfort when you do this exercise, it’s probably not for you.
Shoulder Shrug
Shrugs are a simple exercise but one that can deliver results. You can do shoulder shrugs without weights or hold a dumbbell in each hand. This exercise strengthens your trapezius muscles and your shoulders for better alignment and for more neck support and a lower risk of neck pain.
Here’s how to do one:
- Stand facing forward with a light pair of dumbbells, one in each hand.
- Tighten your core by pulling in your abdominal muscles.
- Contract your trapezius muscles and lift your shoulders up and back.
- Squeeze your traps and hold at the top for a few seconds.
- Lower your shoulders back down to the starting position.
- Keep repeating.
Shoulder Blade Squeeze
Shoulder blade squeezes is an exercise few people do. The shoulder blade squeeze needs no weights, although you can use resistance bands for more resistance. Here’s how to do this exercise:
- Stand up straight with your arms by your side.
- Draw your shoulder blades toward each other and hold the position for 3-5 seconds.
- Release your shoulder blades in a slow manner back to the starting position.
- Keep repeating the movement.
The Bottom Line
It’s easy to ignore the back muscles since they aren’t the muscles you see in the mirror. Plus, many people don’t understand the benefits of strengthening their trapezius muscles or know which exercises to do. Now you have five exercises that will strengthen these often-neglected muscles. Focus on form over resistance when doing these exercises. You’ll be rewarded with stronger triceps and healthier neck and shoulders.
References
- nlm.nih.gov. (2021, June 27). Retrieved from “https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7115121/”.
- Park SH, Lee MM. Effects of Lower Trapezius Strengthening Exercises on Pain, Dysfunction, Posture Alignment, Muscle Thickness and Contraction Rate in Patients with Neck Pain; Randomized Controlled Trial. Med Sci Monit. 2020;26:e920208. Published 2020 Mar 23. doi:10.12659/MSM.920208.
- com. (2021, June 27). Retrieved from “https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/strengthening-exercise-trapezius”.
- Strength in Individuals with Unilateral Neck Pain. Journal of Spine, 1(3), 1-3. Retrieved 6 29, 2021, from https://omicsonline.org/open-access/comparison-of-upper-middle-and-lower-trapezius-strength-in-individuals-with-unilateral-neck-pain-2165-7939.1000115.pdf
- Scapular Elevation and Depression. (2002). Retrieved 6 29, 2021, from University of Michigan Medical School: http://www.med.umich.edu/lrc/coursepages/M1/anatomy2010/html/modules/upper_limb_module/upper_limb_03.html
- Yang, D., & Morris, S. F. (1998). Trapezius muscle : Anatomic basis for flap design. Annals of Plastic Surgery, 41(1), 52-57. Retrieved 6 29, 2021, from https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9678469.
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