The Art of Getting Big Traps

When you see an imposing, intimidating physique, or simply a sign of strength, you see big traps. When you see a man or human and say "Man those traps look like mountains" or are borderline freakish and larger than life, you see traps. Big traps are an anomaly and a rare sight to see. When you are in a dark alley or walking around and your traps pop through your shirt or hoodie or tank top, best believe nobody will target you for a violent crime.

Traps short for trapezius are the muscle between your torso and head. The are located right about your shoulders and are slightly lower than your neck. If you are freakish your traps are even up to your neck aka up to your ears but that's the ultimate level and a select few have traps like that. Normally the best bodybuilders or strongest men in the world have traps like that.

Traps have androgen receptors and respond well if you have high testosterone or take androgenic drugs. That is why those who use PEDs have their traps get bigger especially if they up the dosage.

You want a fool proof way of building massive traps whether you are natural or on PEDs? Here are how I built my traps and observations of how many others have built their traps. Along with how my clients built their traps.

1. Get strong at the powerlifts: Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift. Get strong at each of the powerlifts and each of their variations. Lift heavy for low reps, heavy for high reps, break volume PRs, break rep PRs. Also lift with a full range of motion.

2. Get strong at Calisthenics both weighted and skills. Get strong at pushups and hard variations of pushups. Get stronger at pullups and do them weighted or hard variations. Get strong at dips and do them hard variations. Even Nordic Curls eventually with a weighted vest. Heavy weight and low reps, heavy weight and high reps or high volume, volume PRs, rep PRs, full range of motion.

3. Get strong at rows and especially overhead press. These two exercises involve the traps. Lift heavy, lift full range of motion, lift high reps or low reps and heavy or moderately heavy. Rows should not be below 5 reps a set for barbell or dumbbell.

4. Do Shrugs or any direct trap work. Use heavy weight eventually and lift a full range of motion. Do for high reps above 5 reps. Even do crazy high reps

5. Do strongman exercises and carries. Like yoke, farmers walk, log, any carrying exercise that gives a weighted stretch.

6. Also Olympic Lifts. Notice most Olympic lifters have big traps. When you do clean and jerks and snatches and variations you are in a constant shrugging state.

Also a fun fact of what I've done as a kid and what I've been doing for years. All through school I carry a heavy backpack and a lot of books. Always was in a shrugging state. Also as I got older and cared obsessively about my physique I flex my traps every opportunity I get.

These are the ways to get big traps. Put in the time and enjoy the journey and you too will have big traps. Enjoy.