Having decided to join a healthy lifestyle and go in for sports, you should seriously and very responsibly approach this issue, carefully and thoughtfully compiling a training program, trying to use absolutely all muscles in the process of training. As a rule, the focus is on the muscles of the press, arms, legs and buttocks. However, we should not forget about the less noticeable, but at the same time quite important muscle groups, which include the trapezius muscles. If you do not work out the trapezoid, you can get an insufficiently proportional body. The main emphasis on this muscle group, of course, is made by men who want to appear broad-shouldered and strong, however, women are also advised to include several exercises for the trapezoid in their training program.
What are trapezius muscles
As mentioned earlier, the trapezius muscles are muscles located on the back. They are divided into three main areas, which are functionally independent. This is the top, bottom and middle of the trapezoid. To obtain the desired result, each area should be trained separately and evenly. The best exercise for working out the bottom of the trapezoid is considered to be lifting weights above your head, in particular shoulder presses. To train the top of the trapezoid, it is recommended to use barbells and dumbbells, placing the sports equipment directly in front of you, moving it around the circumference and performing exercises at chest level. The middle of the trapezoid is pumped by performing a bent over row, of which there are several types, and which is often used to train the muscles of the back. In short, in order for your arms, shoulders and back to acquire ideal shapes and shapes, you need to regularly train using exercises to strengthen the trapezius muscles.
Trapeze Exercises
Rod pull
The main sports equipment for performing strength exercises, including exercises for the trapezoid, is a barbell. Rod pull к подбородку позволяет отделить мышцы трапеции от дельтовидных мышц и сделать акцент на среднем и верхнем участках трапеции. To perform the exercise, take a barbell with a suitable weight. It is not recommended to start training using too heavy sports equipment, as this is fraught with various injuries and health problems.
So, having chosen the right bar, take it with an overhand grip, turning your hands with your palms facing you. Stand up straight, spread your legs slightly apart so that they stand about shoulder-width apart, after which you can begin to perform the exercise. Please note that the wider the grip of the bar, the greater the load will be on the deltoid muscles. A narrow grip will provide a complete workout for the muscles of the trapezium and back. If you want to ensure the same load on all muscle groups, then stop at a medium-width grip, placing your hands on the bar a little narrower than shoulder-width. The back should be straight, arms straightened at the elbows, and the bar should touch the hips slightly.
Tighten your neck and trapezius muscles and lift the bar vertically up until it touches your chin. In this case, the elbows must be spread apart. The bar should move along the body, not clinging to it, but not moving away from the body. Hold the bar at the top for a few seconds and then return to the starting position. The exercise is performed slowly without sudden and jerky movements. It should be repeated until a slight pain in the muscles of the trapezium appears, gradually increasing the number of approaches as the muscles are trained.
Shrugs with a barbell
One of the basic exercises to strengthen the muscles of the trapezoid are shrugs with a barbell. They train the upper part of the trapezoid and allow you to simultaneously develop the muscles of the shoulders and back. To perform the exercise, you need to stand in the starting position, placing your feet shoulder-width apart, lowering your arms along the body and clasping the barbell with a wide grip from above, turning your palms towards you. Straighten your shoulders, straighten your back and slightly arch your lower back. After that, tighten your trapezius muscles and pull the bar up, raising your shoulders as high as possible, trying to touch them to your ears. All other parts of the body must remain motionless. The arms are slightly bent at the elbows and firmly hold the barbell. As soon as the shoulders are at the highest point, fix them in this position for a couple of seconds, then lower them to the starting position and repeat the exercise a few more times.
Shrugs with dumbbells
When performing exercises for the trapezoid, the barbell can be replaced with dumbbells, which will slightly change the load on the muscles. Shrugs with dumbbells оказывают большую нагрузку на середину трапеции, в отличие от упражнения со штангой, которое делало emphasis on the upper part of this muscle group.
In the starting position, the body is in an even, vertical position, dumbbells with the same weight are placed in both hands, the arms are extended along the body at the level of the hips. While performing the exercise, slightly move your arms forward and take your shoulders back. As you inhale, raise your shoulders as high as possible, tensing your trapezius muscles. Raising your shoulders as high as possible, strain and leave the trapezoid in this position for a short time, then lower your shoulders and return to the starting position. The higher you raise your shoulders, the greater the effect of the exercise you can get. Please note that when performing a shrug, you should not rotate your shoulders and lift them diagonally, as this can lead to unwanted injuries.

Mahi to the sides
To perform the exercise, you will need two dumbbells with the same weight. Stand up straight or sit on a bench with your back straight and slightly arched in the lower back. Lower your arms with dumbbells along the body so that the palms are turned towards the thigh. Now slowly spread your arms to the sides, performing smooth swings and slightly turning your wrists with your palms to the floor. Try not to swing the body during the exercise, raising and lowering your arms exclusively with muscles and without sudden movements. Hands must be raised slightly above shoulder level, and then returned to their original position.
Mahi in tilt
This exercise allows you to work out the back of the deltoid muscle, which is rarely involved in standard basic exercises. In each hand, you should have a dumbbell with the same weight. Stand up straight, put your feet already shoulder-width apart and slightly bend at the knees, and tilt your body forward so that it is almost parallel to the floor. Bend your lower back a little, and straighten your shoulders. Hands with dumbbells hang freely, and palms look at each other. Now, without raising your torso, spread your arms to the sides, raising them until they are even with the body and also become parallel to the floor. The shoulder blades are slightly reduced, and the back remains straight. Do not loosen your arms and body by lifting dumbbells exclusively with muscles.
Bench press from behind the head
This bench press, like the previous one, can be performed both sitting and standing. If you are new to the sport and your muscles are not yet sufficiently prepared, it is recommended to give preference to the bench press in sitting position. This exercise involves not only the shoulders, but also the lateral deltoids and triceps. Sit on a bench with your back straight and slightly arched at the waist. Grasp the barbell with both hands with a wide grip and lift it above your head with your elbows fully extended. After that, lower the bar, moving it behind your head, and place it on your shoulders without tilting your head forward. Upon returning to the starting position, the elbows should look down and the forearms should be parallel to the floor. When performing this bench press, legs should be shoulder-width apart, and the body should be slightly tilted forward.