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January 16, 2006
The Best and the Worst Traps Exercises
The Worst Traps Exercise: the Smith Machine Shrug
I have never seen a set of big traps inside a Smith machine. You cannot pull your shoulders back at the top of the movement and your traps will miss all the good stuff. Besides, the machine locks your shoulder girdle in a set track and that could lead to joint problems.
The Best Traps Exercise: the Barbell Shrug with a Hip Thrust
The traps of Soviet weightlifting legend David Rigert stood out like a foreign object, an alien parasite. You can bet that the champion did not get there with uncertain shrugs with little weights. The traps best respond to explosive barbell shrugs assisted by a hip thrust: violently contract your glutes and throw your hips forward as you shrug up and back. Do not bend your arms; it helps to keep your triceps flexed, at least on the bottom of the movement. You may hold the contraction on the last rep for a few seconds followed up by a slow negative. Do not relax under the weight! Breathe shallow.
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Posted by james at January 16, 2006 6:30 AM
Comments
Posted by: Sten98776 at May 22, 2007 2:28 AM