Anyone have luck building their trap muscles?

[sophiem]

I've noticed that Cathe and the girls all have nice trapezius muscles, although I don't feel like that's a muscle that is focussed on specifically in any of the Cathe workouts I have, although I could be wrong. Maybe shrugs in PS. Has anyone out there focussed on this and successfully built the nice little lift in their back?

 

[kathryn]

I actually stopped doing shrugs at one point because my traps were getting too big for my tastes. They're not a muscle that looks particularly good, especially on women, IMO.

Heavy shrugs should help build them...if you want them!

 

[Maximus]

Yep, shrugs for me too--I do them at the gym with a barbell & superset them with upright rows. Traps are really easy to build b/c their a large group of compound muscles. I actually had to stop increasing weights b/c I didn't want to get a football player's neck.

Anyway, one thing that will definitely help increase your weights are lifting straps. Typically your hands are weaker than your traps (also back muscles), so the straps take pressure off your hands & help isolate the muscle you're working.