If you’re lifting weights for any purpose, there’s one muscle group you must focus on to improve your performance.

I’m talking about muscles that connect your neck, shoulders, and spine.

They are called trapezius (aka traps)

It doesn’t matter if you’re a bodybuilder, powerlifter, or just a casual lifter.

Everyone needs stronger traps – even those who are not lifting weights but are instead sitting in a chair all day.

Strong traps will help you maintain proper posture by stabilizing your neck and upper back.

To get stronger traps, you need a combination of exercises.

Just like with any other muscle, it’s best if you target it with both compound and isolation movements.

That’s why in this post you will see 3 different movements for stronger traps.

If you’re a beginner, you can start with straightforward isolation movements to activate and strengthen the traps.

And once you get over that hurdle, you can aim for more technical movements that will develop your physique and explosiveness as well.

So let’s get into the three best exercises for stronger traps.

Barbell Shrugs

Your traps will grow in proportion to the weight you lift.

Which means that, in this case, more weight is definitely better and with barbell shrugs, you can go quite heavy.

Just make sure you use the proper form without engaging your biceps too much.

Let your upper and middle traps do most of the work.

Dumbbell Shrugs

Dumbbell shrugs are basically the same as barbell shrugs. If you don't have dumbbell, just use large plates (like above).

But there is one key difference that makes both variations highly effective in their own way.

Unlike barbell shrugs that allow you to lift heavy, dumbbell shrugs allow you to use the full range of motion of your traps.

This means you can get a deeper stretch and better muscle activation.

Power Cleans

Power clean is a more technical movement so you should develop some starting strength before you try it out.

Its primary purpose is to help you develop explosiveness.

In other words, by working on your power clean technique, you will be able to produce a strong force very quickly.

This kind of skill translates very well into many other sports besides weightlifting.

That’s why even the most advanced athletes can benefit from doing power cleans more often.

But, as I said, you don’t have to worry about them too much.

If you’re a beginner, focus on increasing weight with barbell shrugs and using a full range of motion with dumbbell shrugs.

These two shrug variations will allow you to develop monster traps with minimum effort.

Stay fit my friend,

Michael

Founder & CEO