Just because you don't see them in the mirror doesn't mean they don't exist.

Have you ever met a jock in an amateur gym who would responsibly deal with his trapeze? Me not! In the mind of the average bodybuilder, the trapeze is firmly obscured by the biceps, chest, and abs. And in vain! Traps are no less "ostentatious" muscles than biceps. At least for a knowledgeable street fighter, a powerful scruff is always a sign of a serious danger to the enemy.

Yes, powerful trapezes are a "symptom" of real, real strength. So, ignoring the trapezoid in favor of the "popular" muscles, we make a big mistake. Well, having realized it, it will not be easy to fix it. The fact is that the trapezium is comparable in area to the rectus abdominis muscle, it’s easier with the press. How much you need to fight over him, you know. The same with trapezoids. In other words, trapeziums are big muscles that require a large and thoughtful program.

Neglect of trapezium training is often explained by anatomical error; for many, the trapezius muscles are no more than a bridge between the shoulders and the neck. Well no guys! What you see in the mirror is, as they say, just the tip of the iceberg. What is it really? The trapezius muscle starts very high - from the so-called. external occipital protuberance. From here, the muscle fibers diverge widely to the sides, attaching to the surface of the shoulder blades. But that's not all. The trapezium "goes down" exceptionally low - much below the thoracic spine! And as a result, they cover at least a third of the back! (The other two-thirds are divided among themselves by the broadest.) So, think for yourself: if you do not train trapezoid, then you are leaving a huge "island" in the very center of your back without attention. What this threatens is clear: weak trapezium is automatically a weak back.

“Well-developed trapezoids are needed in order to visually connect the rear deltas with the widest backs into a single powerful whole,” teaches Sean Ray. “The double biceps back pose especially benefits from powerful trapezoids; here behind these muscles, as they say, the final word."

This is in bodybuilding, but if you take it in life, then there is no such movement in which the trapeze would not play a critical role: from carrying heavy suitcases to a simple blow to the jaw ...

Attack in three directions

So how do you build powerful trapezius muscles? I'll tell you straight away the usual scars with a barbell are indispensable here. The problem is that, unlike simpler muscles, the trapezius muscles consist of three functionally independent areas, which is why their "pumping" should take place in three directions at once.

Let's break down the function of each area. The "top" of the trapezius muscle holds the shoulders, prevents them from dropping limply when you carry something heavy in your hands. "Center" assumes the load during traction movements with the hands; to understand, imagine opening a heavy steel door towards yourself. The lower area of ​​the "trapezoid", on the contrary, lowers the shoulders; "down" is turned on when we push the body up during push-ups on the uneven bars or lift some kind of weight overhead.

Hence the conclusion: trapezes need not one or two exercises, but a whole complex that will “process” them from top to bottom. Moreover, the trapeze training itself must be divided into phases - successive levels of intensity.

If you are a beginner, then you will have to start from the very beginning - the first phase. If you are "average" (you train for a year and a half), then again from it. The fact is that the state of the trapezium of such jocks is no better than that of beginners. There is nothing paradoxical in this. It's just that trapezes, just like caviar, do not respond well to indirect loading. So, training experience is not a plus here.

If you are advanced, then there is a special program for you. Take a start from it and then move on to the elite super level - a difficult one that requires a lot of experience, coordination skills and strength.

Each level workout is a combination of exercises that target different areas of the trapezium. Some exercises are well known to any bodybuilder, but there are also those that we are used to referring to the arsenal of weightlifters. You don't need to be surprised. Trapeze for weightlifters are the main muscles along with the legs and shoulder girdle. And that means we have a lot to learn from them.

In conclusion, a few words about the technique of performing such "weightlifting" exercises. The lifting of the bar is provided by a powerful explosive force (this is not the measured controlled movement that we bodybuilders are accustomed to). To put it simply, try to do "explosive" shrugs, push the barbell from the chest, lift the barbell to the chest very quickly.

And now attention! The same manner should be applied in all purely bodybuilding exercises that you do in interests of the trapezium. The positive phase should be completed as quickly as possible, and the weight should be returned to its original position slowly, under complete control.

"Explosive" shrugs

This exercise is a variation of the well-known exercise. Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. In each hand, a dumbbell - more weight. (In principle, dumbbells can be replaced with a barbell.)

Explosively lift your shoulders as high as you can! The weight will gain inertia and "drag" you up with it. Submitting, straighten your knees and even rise on your toes. Lifting weights - only with the effort of the shoulders! A common mistake is to involuntarily help yourself with your hands - you lift the dumbbell bar, bending your arms at the elbows. It turns out something like a thrust to the chest.

Many experts believe that a bodybuilder's training program should include regular shrugs as well as "explosive" shrugs. At the same time, traditional shrugs should be done slowly and under control, while "explosive" shrugs should be done with extremely fast movement.

In sight - trapeze!

UPPER TRAPEZIUM AREA

Barbell Shrugs (Wide Grip): The starting position is the same as in the "explosive" shrugs. Grip difference. The bar should be held with an extremely wide grip. After lifting your shoulders to failure with an explosive movement, relax your trapezium, dropping your shoulders as low as possible. Throughout the exercise, the arms remain absolutely straight.

Chest Press: This exercise is commonly referred to as a delt workout, but it is equally effective for trapeziums. Throw the barbell over your chest. Exhale and powerfully squeeze the barbell up until the arms are fully extended in the elbow joints, then slowly and under control lower it to the level of the collarbones. Do not even try to perform the movement while sitting - this is only for deltas. Trapezes need a solid weight, but you can only overcome it while standing with the participation of the stabilizing muscles of the body and legs. However, you can not go over the weight. Holding weight on straight arms is dangerous for the lower back. If you feel pain in the lower back, then the weight is too heavy. For insurance, you can wear a weightlifting belt.

"Angle" Press: This slightly awkward name has been given to a highly effective variation on the classic dumbbell press. First, raise the dumbbells to the shoulders parallel to one another, and then turn the brushes so that the dumbbells form a 45-degree angle between them. The bench press from this position is more natural in the anatomical sense and therefore much better "loads" the trapezium than the classics.

Push: In the initial position, the bar is at the level of the collarbones. Grip - wider than shoulders. Elbows are brought forward. The knees are slightly bent. On a long exhalation, with a powerful cumulative push (hands, body and legs participate), we send the bar up. Following her, we rise on our toes. We take the barbell on straight arms and lower ourselves to the full foot. Lower the bar under control to the chest. We inhale. We repeat the movement.

Lifting the bar to the chest: In the initial position, the bar is just below the middle of the thighs, the knees are bent. The body is slightly tilted. The grip is wider than the shoulders. With a sharp explosive movement, straighten your torso and legs, and rise on your toes. Due to the starting impulse, the bar will “move” up, and then it must be picked up and “thrown” onto the chest. With a quick movement, bring your elbows forward and take the bar on horizontal palms ("weightlifting" position of the hands). Absorb the reverse inertia of the bar by bending the legs at the knees. Hold the position momentarily and lower the bar to its original position.

MID TRAPEZO

Sitting Dumbbell Rows: Sit on a bench, grab a dumbbell each and tilt your body as low as possible so that your chest almost touches your knees. With a powerful pulling movement, lift the dumbbells to your chest. In the upper position, bring the shoulder blades together with additional willpower - this will further increase the effectiveness of the exercise.

Breeding dumbbells in an incline: Starting position as in the previous exercise. One difference: dumbbells are lighter. Extend your arms out to the sides until they form a straight line. The exercise has a clear advantage over the pulls, which also load the middle of the trapezium. The biceps are not involved in the dilutions, but in the pulls they inevitably “eat up” part