of the load on the trapezium.

Sitting Block Rows: The main thing here is not to "rock" the torso. Keeping your back pointedly straight, pull the handle of the block to your stomach - just below the solar plexus. Each time in the final phase of the movement, additionally reduce the shoulder blades - this greatly stimulates the growth of the trapezium in the median region. As you release the handle, consciously maintain tension in the trapezium.

BOTTOM OF THE TRAPEZES

Incline Dumbbell Angled Raises: Sit on a bench and grab a pair of relatively light dumbbells. Tilt the body, trying to touch the legs with the chest. Spread with straight arms dumbbells exactly to the sides, and then bring your arms in a horizontal plane at an angle of 45 degrees. This is the starting position. From this position, lower the dumbbells down and up again. Don't let the hefty tension in the deltas fool you. The main load, however, falls exactly on the lower region of the trapezium.

Note: The chest press, clean and jerk and clean-up are exercises for the upper trapezium, but they indirectly “load” the lower trapezius as well. The reason is that the top and bottom of the trapezium are synergistic when the shoulder blades rotate. Simply put, they share the same anatomical function. Any lifting of the weight above the head causes the shoulder blades to rotate, hence the "turning on" of the bottom of the trapezium.

Training program: Beginners are advised to "pump" the trapezoid once a week. Intermediate and advanced bodybuilders - no more than three times a fortnight. "Weightlifting" exercises are included in the training from time to time and are done two or three weeks in a row to give the trapeze a fundamentally new impetus to growth.

Main phase (for beginners)

Exercise Sets Reps
Shrugs with dumbbells or barbell 4 12
"Soldier" press or Scaption 3 12
Seated dumbbell rows 3 12
Both the negative and positive phases of the exercise are performed slowly under complete control, it is not necessary to delay the movement at the top point.

"Advanced" phase

Exercise Sets Reps
Sitting Dumbbell Rows or Seated Block Rows 3 12
"Explosive" shrugs с гантелями 3-4 4-6
Breeding dumbbells in an incline sitting * 3 12
* - perform at will

For variety, go slow from time to time - 1-2 seconds on the positive phase, 1 second on the pause at the top and 3-4 seconds on the negative phase.

Phase of "weightlifting" exercises

Exercise Sets Reps
Cleaning or Clean & Jerk 5-6 3-5
Barbell shrugs 4-5 6
The positive phase is fast, explosive, then without a pause a negative phase lasting 2-3 seconds.

Honored masters of "trapeze"

It's jaw dropping when you see how much success some individuals in the world of professional bodybuilding have achieved in the matter of "pumping" muscles. Of particular admiration are the shoulders, crowned with magnificent, as if hewn from stone, "trapezes". Let's find out from our champions how they managed to "pump up" these "problematic" muscles for many.

Dorian Yates, Mr. Olympia 1992-1997

AT shrug barbell and simulators, I prefer dumbbells; they expand the range of exercises. Due to the large amplitude at the top point, the contraction force of the trapezium almost doubles. Neither a barbell nor a simulator will give such an effect.

The real "breakthrough" for me occurred when I began to combine trapezoid training with delta training. I used to bomb the trapezium with the lats as usual. Well, after the heavy pulls, I no longer had enough strength for the normal pumping of the trapezoid.

Nasser El Sonbaty, champion, "Arnold-Classic" 1999

ATообще-то, основное упражнение для трапеции у меня - шраги с гантелями. Sometimes I change this exercise to shrugs with a barbell - to make it harder. I don’t have any special tricks here: grip shoulder-width apart, and then up and down, up and down until I collapse.

The number of repetitions in the set when you "bomb" the trapezoid is in the range of 6-15. I start with 15 repetitions and finish with six, pyramidally increasing the weight.

Sean Ray, IFBB Pro

The secret of the trapezoid is very simple: the positive phase must be completed at an "explosive" pace, and the negative phase must be done more slowly, under control. For those who are afraid to swing "trapeze" with large scales in an "explosive" manner, I will say: there is simply no other way.

When doing shrugs with dumbbells or a barbell, I try to raise my shoulders as much as possible. Empirically, I found this technique for myself: at the top point, at the moment of the peak contraction of the trapezium, I slightly tilt my head forward - this makes the trapezoid stretch a little. This greatly enhances the return on exercise.