Overview
If you want a really big trapezius muscles definitely you have to put the behind the back barbell shrugs in the list with your exercises. As you know the trapezius muscles are covering not only the area above your shoulders to the neck they also cover the back of the neck and the rear shoulders and they spread all the way down to the middle back. The barbell shrugs with the bar in front of your body mainly train the upper part of the traps which is only the tip of the iceberg. So when you perform the shrugs with the weight behind your back you put the emphasis on the middle traps zone which is the bigger part of the traps.
Preparation
Put the barbell in squat rack and load it with the desired weight. Stand with your back to the bar and grasp it with a shoulder width overhand grip (hands facing backward).
Bend your knees, arch your back and lift the barbell from the rack. Stand with your feet at 15 -20 cm. apart, slightly flexed knees and straight back. Keep your head straight and look forward. This is the starting position.
Execution
Slowly let your shoulders to go down just a little bit below their usual height and breathe in. Then raise them up as far as you can and hold the peak contraction at the top for 2 seconds as you breathe out. As you control the weight return it to the starting position and begin the next repetition.
Recommendations
- Keep your back straight and your head in line with your spine don’t turn your head sideways.
- Keep your arms straight and pull with your traps not with your biceps.
- Avoid movements in your knees and your lower back let the trapezius muscles do the work not the entire body.
- Use wrist straps for your heavy sets.