Few bodyparts denote power as effectively as a thick set of traps. In fact, the traps have become showcase muscles second only to the biceps. While fashions come and go, the “no-neck” look remains the sign of a hardcore trainer. So whether you want to look huge for a national competition or just add some body armor for your favorite sport, there’s plenty you can do to fix your flat traps.The function of the trapezius is to stabilize the scapulae (shoulder blades). The upper part of this muscle, which is visible bulging over your shoulders, raises the scapulae. The middle brings the scapulae together, and the bottom part lowers the scapulae. Stabilization of the scapulae keeps the neck in a neutral position, helping to avoid injury.

“If you lift a suitcase and rotate your neck, you’re more likely to get hurt,” says James D. Weiss, MD, director of the Longevity Institute of Houston, which specializes in physical rehabilitation and anti-aging medicine. “Strengthening the traps will make it less likely that you will twist your neck during any physical activity. Stabilizing the scapulae ensures that you won’t use your neck when you should rotate your shoulders.”

Weiss, an expert in martial arts, says that while strengthening the traps is clearly useful in full-contact sports, such as judo and football, any activity that flexes or rotates the neck creates a risk of injury that is greatly reduced by developing the trapezius.

How you train your traps depends on your goals, according to Hollis Liebman, CPT, a former teenage national bodybuilding champion. Some athletes want mountainous traps, which, like every other bodypart, requires heavy training. Wrestlers or football players may want huge traps for extra power and protection. “But if you’re talking about functional muscle mass,” Liebman says, “Bruce Lee had it.”

Liebman says attaining functional mass is best done with a balanced upper-body attack. “Your routine should contain direct trap movements without neglecting moves that develop upper-body width, like pull-ups and lateral raises,” he says. “It’s a mistake to use a lot of poundage on the various forms of shrugs.”

Liebman also recommends the sumo deadlift as the perfect all-in-one movement for working the traps while promoting overall upper-body strength and thickness. According to Liebman, intensity is the key. “And like anything else in life, it takes time to build,” he says.Women need to decide what type of physique they want. A competitive female bodybuilder will, of course, need thick traps to balance the rest of her body. If you’re a noncompeting woman who only wants to be fit, however, Liebman recommends that you leave trap training alone.

“I rarely do any type of direct trap work with my female clients,” Liebman says. “Instead, I use the sumo deadlift with light weight and high reps as a way to get the whole body working and burning fat.” He also recommends the light upright row and the rear-delt raise for women to create a balanced look in their shoulder area.Trap training isn’t about ego. While great trapezius muscles top off any great physique, this bodypart is a key component in safety for all sports. Whether you’re on the tennis court, the dojo or the gridiron, building your traps will help you to avoid injuries. Then you can push past your limits and achieve new levels of competitive performance on the field or posing dais.Former Mr. Olympia Lee Haney, whose traps were from another galaxy, loved this movement. Stand with your back to an Olympic bar, your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Grab the bar behind you with your palms facing away from the body, your hands shoulder-width apart and your elbows slightly bent. Begin with the bar resting on your hamstrings. Shrug the bar all the way up past your glutes, dragging it along your body. Fully contract at the top and hold this position for a second before lowering the bar to a full stretch. Repeat.This movement can be done with a straight barbell or an Olympic bar. Take a shoulder-width stance with your knees slightly bent. Use a close grip (hands six inches apart) to hit more of the traps than the delts. Begin with the bar resting on your front thighs. Raise the bar by bending your elbows, lifting them up and to the side. Fully contract your traps at the top before returning to a full stretch.This is an overall upper-body movement that also stimulates your trapezius. Standing in an exaggerated but comfortably wide stance (hence the word sumo), grab an Olympic bar off a squat rack with your palms facing toward you and your elbows slightly bent. Keeping your back straight, take a couple of steps backward to give yourself room. Once you’ve stabilized yourself, lower the bar by bending your legs, not your back. Bend your knees until the plates just barely touch the floor, then return to the standing position. Keep your entire body tight throughout this movementStand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Grab an Olympic bar with your palms facing toward you at shoulder width. Begin with the bar resting on your front thighs. Shrug the weight straight up without rolling your shoulders, dragging the bar along your thighs. Fully contract your traps at the top before lowering the barbell to give your traps a full stretch. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Beginner Mass Workout
Sumo deadlift (4 sets of 6 to 10 reps)
Shrug (4 sets of 8 to 12 reps)

Advanced Mass Workout
Upright row (3 sets of 6 to 10 reps)
Dumbbell shrug (3 sets of 6 to 10 reps)

Functional Mass Workout
Sumo deadlift (3 sets of 10 to 15 reps)
Upright row (2 sets of 10 to 15 reps)

Femme Fatale Workout
Sumo deadlift (2 to 3 sets of 20 to 25 reps)

TRAP-TRAINING TRAPS
Using too much weight
Bouncing a bar up and down without ever fully contracting your traps will do little to stimulate muscle growth — while greatly increasing the risk of injury. Use a weight that you can handle, focusing on proper form and a full range of motion. Leave your ego at home. In time, the weight you can use will increase.

Rolling your shoulders
Shrug your shoulders straight up and down while training traps. Rolling your shoulders is unnecessary and dangerous.

Losing your grip
Use straps while training heavy so your grip doesn’t give out before your traps do.

Julio Rivera is from New York City. The light-heavyweight winner at the 1995 Teen Nationals, he is now studying jiu-jitsu and boxing.