How to Exercise the Trapezius Muscles

Your trapezius muscles lie in two different triangular shapes in your upper and middle back. You use your trapezius muscles when you move your shoulders. You must strengthen them to provide balance between your chest and your back. When you build up your chest, you should also work on your trapezius muscles. This enables you to improve your posture and to get uniform growth of your different muscle groups.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Perform a shrug exercise. Hold barbells, cables or dumbbells and keep your arms straight to your sides. Raise your shoulders toward your ears and hold briefly before releasing to the starting position.

2. Execute the low pulley, or seated, row exercise to strengthen your trapezius muscles. Sit with your legs in front of you, keeping your back straight. Pull a cable from its starting position near your feet up to your neck.

3. Do the upright row. Stand and rest a barbell against your thighs with your palms down. Pull the barbell up toward your chin until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Return the barbell to the starting position.

Tips & Warnings

• Try not to lean back when you pull the cable toward your neck in the low pulley exercise.
• Keep the barbell close to your torso as you raise it when you perform the upright row.
• Do two to three sets of each of the above trapezius exercises, with 8 to 12 repetitions each.

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