5 Best Barbell Exercises for Men to Build Bigger Traps

To build bigger traps, aka trapezius muscles, are an often ignored group of muscles in the upper to mid back. While men take pride in building their upper traps, most visible around the neck, the rest of this group tends to get overlooked.

However, strengthening and sculpting the traps isn’t too difficult. In fact, that can be done with minimal equipment. A barbell is all you need for an effective workout for the bigger traps.

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Best Barbell Exercises for Bigger Traps

Here are five of the best exercises to build the bigger traps and strengthen them so that you can perform other back movements better:

#1 Barbell Shrug

Here's how a barbell shrug is done:

• Hold the barbell in your hands, with both arms straight and in line with the shoulders.
• Shrug your shoulders upward, squeezing your traps under the weight of the barbell.
• Release the tension, and relax your shoulders into their resting position.
• Perform 10-12 reps.

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#2 Upright Row

An upright row is done as follows:

• Hold the barbell with a closer grip; i.e. hands closer than shoulder-width apart.
• Pull the barbell up, leading with your elbows all the way up to your chin and elbows pointing towards the ceiling.
• Release the barbell back down, straightening your arms out fully.
• Perform 10-12 reps.

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#3 Military Press

Here's how a military press is done:

• Hold the barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart. Raise it up, and hold it in front of your collarbones, with your wrists facing forward.
• Push the barbell up over your head, straightening your arms completely.
• Lower the barbell back down to its starting position.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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#4 High Pull

It's done as follows:

• Hold the barbell with hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Raise the barbell up towards the chin by lifting your elbows towards the ceiling.
• Lower the barbell to its starting position.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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#5 Behind-the-neck Press

Here's how it's done:

• Rack the barbell onto your upper traps. Grip the barbell wider than shoulder-width apart, as you would for a back squat.
• Push the barbell up over your head, straightening your arms out fully.
• Lower the barbell to carefully return it to its starting position on your traps.
• Perform 10-12 reps.

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Takeaway

For bigger traps, don’t forget that it’s not just the muscles that are seen but a whole group of them that support the upper back.

Add the aforementioned exercises to your next back routine, and observe how bigger traps can make your back workouts better. Make sure to get plenty of rest after your workout, as a sore back can be painful.