A massive pair of traps will do more than fill out your T-shirt. The trapezius muscles are functional, working as a synergist for a lot of lifts, including the bench press. Find any guy with a big bench and chances are he’s got a monster yoke to match.
Most guys hit their traps with a few sets of heavy shrugs (hopefully not the rolling version) at the end of their shoulder workout. Shrugs are a great trap builder, but to shake things up and instigate new growth, try the banded barbell shrug. By attaching a strength band to a barbell, you’ll put a new kind of stress on your traps. Not only will you make the lift heavier without adding plates, the bands will also provide constant tension, pulling the bar back to your waist and forcing your traps to work overtime to keep the weight elevated.
The Workout
Ready Strap a Velcro loop outside the collar on each side of a loaded bar, stretching it the length of the bar.
Set With a hip-width stance, grasp the bar with an overhand grip and stand up straight, bracing your abs.
Go Contract your traps and shrug your shoulders as high as you can, then slowly lower the bar under control.
