The trapezius is located on your upper back and shoulders, extending from the bottom of your skull down to your middle back and fanning out to your shoulder blades. According to Dr. David Kent at Kent Health Systems, lack of strength in the trapezius has been associated with bad posture. The muscle shrugs your shoulders and assists in rowing, and is predominately involved in moving the scapula during more complex movements.
Shoulder Shrugs
Shoulder shrugs are the most popular and effective exercise that targets the trapezius. Typically, most are available to use a significant amount of weight on the shoulder shrug exercise. Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart. Grip a barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart and allow your arms to hang down in front of you with palms facing your thighs. Keep your arms straight as you shrug your shoulders upwards. Hold for a moment at the top before controlling your shoulders down and repeat. Shoulder shrugs can also be done with a dumbbell in each hand, with hands starting by your side instead of in front.
Upright Rows
Upright rows is an exercise that primarily develops the deltoids and the biceps, but it also requires a significant amount of work from the trapezius to stabilize the scapular. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a barbell in front of you at shoulder-width, palms facing your thighs, and allow your arms to hang down in front of you. Pull the barbell straight up your torso towards your chin, allowing the elbows to flare out to the side. Hold for a moment at the top before controlling the barbell back down to starting position and repeat. Upright rows can also be done with dumbbells, with hands still starting in front and palms facing your thighs.
Bent Over Rows
The trapezius assists the primary moving posterior deltoid throughout the movements required in the bent over row. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bend over at the waist with your feet shoulder-width apart and, while keeping a slight bend in the elbows, hang your arms down in front of you towards the floor with your palms facing each other. Raise the dumbbells out and upward in a semicircular arc until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Hold for a moment at the top before controlling the dumbbells back down to starting position and repeating. Bent over rows can also be done seated. Sit at the edge of a chair and bend forward over at the waist.
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