Twin Peaks

The landscape that is reflected in that shiny mirror is one that only you can paint.

The valleys that dip between your chiseled muscles, the rivers known as your veins that flow haphazardly throughout your torso, they jointly blend together to form a breathtaking spectacle. You smile pleasantly as you take in the view.

Then, set high atop the backdrop, you marvel at those high, imposing mountains known as your traps.

The trap muscles may be one of the most overlooked components of a bodybuilder’s physique, but by no means, are they of less importance. Without development in these muscles, the territory between your neck and shoulders will be nothing more than flat, barren, terrain.

So, in your quest to form those twin peaks known as your trapezius muscles, hopefully the following trap-blasting exercises will provide the roadmap to success.

UPRIGHT ROWS: Take a barbell into your hands and hold it by your upper thighs. Have your palms facing you with your thumbs about six inches apart. Slowly raise the bar toward your chin as your squeeze your traps. You want your elbows to rise above the level of the bar. Hold during the contraction for a beat, then slowly lower to the starting position. As you lower, stretch your neck upward so your traps are worked during the negative.

DUMBBELL SHRUGS: Find a pair of dumbbells of considerable weight and hold them down at your sides with your palms facing inward. Find a good posture, back straight, with your feet close together and perhaps a slight bend in the knees. Dip your shoulders downward, then pull them straight up to shrug. Let your shoulders drop slowly, resist the weight a bit on the negative portion of the motion. Do not rotate your shoulders as this could result in injury and does not add any additional impact on muscle formation.

Remember, most of your shoulder exercises will hit the traps to a degree, so it would be most beneficial to couple traps with shoulders within the same workout.