Full Traps Routine (Plateau Breaker)

Today we are going to go over a few exercises and techniques to help with stubborn traps growth. If you missed the last GIANT SETS workout for chest, I will link to that article HERE.

Now, I just need to say that if you already have huge traps, or you’re seeing steady progress with your traps growth from exercises like Heavy Rack Pulls, T-Bar Rows and Pull-Ups, then this article is not for you.  You can definitely still read to learn some new techniques but the traps gods have already blessed you and you should be grateful!

Having said that, it’s good to mention big exercises like Rack Pulls, T-Bar Rows and Pull-Ups because if you ARE doing these exercises and are not seeing much progress, that tells me that you should be focusing a bit less on mechanical tension, and more on metabolic stress. Lifting heavy is fun and impressive, but VOLUME training needs attention too and that is where the GIANT SETS technique comes in.

How The Giant Sets Work

Giant sets will help introduce an insane amount of volume with limited rest intervals, taking advantage of METABOLIC STRESS and basically forcing your traps to grow.

So to perform this workout, you’re going to perform 2 – 3 giant sets of 4 exercises, resting only 1 – 3 minutes between sets completing 8 reps for the first two exercises and 15 reps for exercises three and four.  

Exercise #1: Cheat Shrugs (8 Reps)

The goal of this exercise isn’t to have much control over the concentric or eccentric portion of the movement.  You just want to jerk the weight up and feel a deep stretch at the bottom of each rep.Remember, when it comes to upper traps, it’s that deep stretch with weight that’s going to spark muscle growth. Perhaps using wrist wraps would be a wise decision.

Exercise #2: Wide Upright Rows (8 Reps)

Immediately after shrugs, jump into your upright rows.  Make sure you use a wide-grip and also that you keep your shoulder blades retracted throughout the movement.  If your shoulder blades are “protracted” you will engage more side and front delts. This also means your hands are too close and the added pressure in the shoulder joint can cause shoulder impingement or similar injuries.

Exercise #3: Face Pulls (15 Reps)

The next movement is face pulls and the goal here is traps engagement so we’re going to keep our elbows up and focus on retracting and elevating the shoulder blades while bringing the rope towards our face.

Exercise #4: Scapular Pull-ups (15 Reps)

The last exercise is a scapular pull-up and if you’ve never done this before you’re in for a treat. Especially if you already have great traps, but decided to read the article anyways because you wanted to see if you would learn something new! Guys, scapular pull-ups are going to be THE exercise that help place more emphasis on the LOWER traps.  This is because the upper fibers elevate your shoulder blades (shrugs), the middle fibers retract your shoulder blades (face pulls) and the lower fibers depress your shoulder blades.

Now to perform this movement, just dead-hang from a pullup bar and lift your chest towards the bar without bending your elbows. You should feel all the work should be carried out by your middle and lower traps with the assistance of your rhomboids and rear delts.  If you can’t do this exercise with your bodyweight, try using a pull-up assistance machine or just find a band to help displace your weight.  But if bodyweight is TOO EASY for you, make sure you grab a dumbbell to make the exercise harder.

Conclusion

Remember guys, the goal of the GIANT SETS is to take advantage of lifting as much weight as possible to focus a bit more on the muscle building techniques Mechanical Tension & Muscle Damage, and then use the next two movements to train with HIGH VOLUME and short rest periods, or metabolic stress, to force as much blood in the area as possible.

Finally, if you wish to combine this workout with shoulders or back, you are more than welcome to do so!