Training The Traps
The trapezius is a large muscle that spans the neck, shoulder and back and requires at least three exercises to completely develop.
The upper trap is best developed by neck extension on a 4 or 5 Way neck machine. Probably the next best exercise to activate the upper tapezius musculature is a one arm dumbbell or a machine shrug. This is very effective as the upper trap is pulling the clavicle upwards.
The middle trap draws the shoulders up and in. A seated or standing barbell or dumbbell shrug with both hands gets the job done.
The lower trap seems to be the most neglected part of the trapezius. The scapula, clavicle and arm work as a team. Neglecting one area of the trap diminishes the effectiveness the musculoskeletal unit. A one arm seated overhead press with one appendage fixed by holding on to a bench fires up the lower trap especially if you lower the weight slowly.
A Kelso shrug that is scapula retraction with an underhand grip, followed by a row on a row machine isolates the lower trap. The one arm press is good, but this movement with scapula retraction followed by bringing the hands to the arm pits for 10-15 reps is probably the best exercise for the lower fibers of the trapezius muscle. The athlete will immediately understand what is occurring as this area is often as mentioned, circumvented.
Train The Traps Three Ways To Get Strong.