The HORIZONTAL SHRUG exercise to GROW the FULL TRAPEZIUS

[Type-IIx]

THE HORIZONTAL SHRUG

A new exercise that ACTUALLY GROWS the FULL TRAPEZIUS

 

[Vanguards]

THE HORIZONTAL SHRUG

A new exercise that ACTUALLY GROWS the FULL TRAPEZIUS

Will give this a try next back day just to see how it feels

You touched on the traps being a mostly fast twitch muscle group. Would you be able to touch on all the different muscle groups and whether they're predominantly fast or slow twitch? In addition to being good content, it could help if we orient our training to appeal to the types of fibers were trying to recruit

 

[BLKGUY2006]

I shrug standing upright and at a 45 degree also chest supported. Guess it’s kinda the same thing. Traps fire from different angles. Thanks for the vid.

 

[dimethyl11]

Interesting - thoughts on the Kelso shrug?

 

[Type-IIx]

Will give this a try next back day just to see how it feels

You touched on the traps being a mostly fast twitch muscle group. Would you be able to touch on all the different muscle groups and whether they're predominantly fast or slow twitch? In addition to being good content, it could help if we orient our training to appeal to the types of fibers were trying to recruit

Sure. Now, to be clear, there are fast-twitch fibres contained across all the muscle groups, and these fibers have the most growth potential. The expression of slow (e.g., type IA) muscle isoforms versus fast (e.g., type IIA/B/X) is under partly genetic control but is also amenable to training influence. Transitions from faster to slower isoform expression is possible (training for endurance qualities, for example), and vice versa as well, with type IIX fibres, the fastest, most glycolytic, least aerobic isoform in humans, serving as a sort of reserve fibre that is the most glycolytic, most fatiguable, most forceful and fastest type, with unloading.

Speaking from a teleological perspective of conserved evolution, generally, the muscle groups that are responsible for maintaining an upright torso and basic locomotion, and for long hunts on foot, or for foraging tasking, tend to be the slow twitch groups, e.g., the erector spinae (standing upright on two feet), the abdominals and obliques (standing upright, twisting, bending, stooping), the soleus of the calves (walking long distances) along with the Achilles complex. This is because they need endurance, to be fatigue resistant.

The fast twitch fibres are those needed for "fighting" or "fleeing," generally, for example the trapezius (yanking/pulling), the hamstrings (jumping), punching (triceps), and these examples of conserved evolution go down to the motor unit, cellular, and probably subatomic level.

 

[Type-IIx]

Will give this a try next back day just to see how it feels

You touched on the traps being a mostly fast twitch muscle group. Would you be able to touch on all the different muscle groups and whether they're predominantly fast or slow twitch? In addition to being good content, it could help if we orient our training to appeal to the types of fibers were trying to recruit

The setup is usually a bitch, but when you get your configuration right and you get used to it, I am 100% positive you'll like this exercise cause it's an incredible difference vs. dumbbell shrugs.

 

[Vanguards]

Sure. Now, to be clear, there are fast-twitch fibres contained across all the muscle groups, and these fibers have the most growth potential. The expression of slow (e.g., type IA) muscle isoforms versus fast (e.g., type IIA/B/X) is under partly genetic control but is also amenable to training influence. Transitions from faster to slower isoform expression is possible (training for endurance qualities, for example), and vice versa as well, with type IIX fibres, the fastest, most glycolytic, least aerobic isoform in humans, serving as a sort of reserve fibre that is the most glycolytic, most fatiguable, most forceful and fastest type, with unloading.

Speaking from a teleological perspective of conserved evolution, generally, the muscle groups that are responsible for maintaining an upright torso and basic locomotion, and for long hunts on foot, or for foraging tasking, tend to be the slow twitch groups, e.g., the erector spinae (standing upright on two feet), the abdominals and obliques (standing upright, twisting, bending, stooping), the soleus of the calves (walking long distances) along with the Achilles complex. This is because they need endurance, to be fatigue resistant.

The fast twitch fibres are those needed for "fighting" or "fleeing," generally, for example the trapezius (yanking/pulling), the hamstrings (jumping), punching (triceps), and these examples of conserved evolution go down to the motor unit, cellular, and probably subatomic level.

Ahh so that's where the username comes from. It all makes sense now

And I appreciate the detailed reply bro, this was incredibly helpful and easy to understand.

You have a great mind. Looking forward to future content

 

[Type-IIx]

Interesting - thoughts on the Kelso shrug?

It's a coupled dynamic + isometric for the trapezius and rhomboids. These complexes build very little muscle during the isometric phase since they're submaximal, and isometrics generally do not stimulate muscle damage/hypertrophy.

If the isometric phase was, instead of the Kelso shrug, done as a maximal pull at various heights into an immovable object, i.e., loaded maximally as MVIC, maximal voluntary isometric contractions, then you might get somewhere!

Suffice it to say, I think the Kelso shrug is pretty dumb.

 

[Type-IIx]

I shrug standing upright and at a 45 degree also chest supported. Guess it’s kinda the same thing. Traps fire from different angles. Thanks for the vid.

It's not the same thing! Changing torso positions doesn't change gravity's pointing down.

 

[st114]

Interesting - thoughts on the Kelso shrug?

Didn’t watch the video and I love doing Kelso shrugs when I do train traps. Either with dumbbells on an incline bench or using a chest supported T-bar row

I had to stop training traps a while ago. Got too ridiculous and looked like a frog

 

[dimethyl11]

It's a coupled dynamic + isometric for the trapezius and rhomboids. These complexes build very little muscle during the isometric phase since they're submaximal, and isometrics generally do not stimulate muscle damage/hypertrophy.

If the isometric phase was, instead of the Kelso shrug, done as a maximal pull at various heights into an immovable object, i.e., loaded maximally as MVIC, maximal voluntary isometric contractions, then you might get somewhere!

Suffice it to say, I think the Kelso shrug is pretty dumb.

Tried your version this morning, definitely cooked my traps

 

[Simon90]

I shrug standing upright and at a 45 degree also chest supported. Guess it’s kinda the same thing. Traps fire from different angles. Thanks for the vid.

I do chest supported also.

Line an incline bench over the top of a smith machine bar, so it's positioned under my shoulder. Feels great and deffo noticed more thickness from the back as opposed to the height of traps.

 

[Type-IIx]

I do chest supported also.

Line an incline bench over the top of a smith machine bar, so it's positioned under my shoulder. Feels great and deffo noticed more thickness from the back as opposed to the height of traps.

Chest-supported (at ~ 45-deg) does work better than standing for sure since the trapezius' function is not merely scapular elevation but retraction as well.

 

[Simon90]

Chest-supported (at ~ 45-deg) does work better than standing for sure since the trapezius' function is not merely scapular elevation but retraction as well.

I'll be giving your way a go when I'm doing back and traps on Saturday... Nice one

 

[Alzadosghost]

I like them on the t bar or laying down on the seated cable row w the v handle.

 

[Type-IIx]

Tried your version this morning, definitely cooked my traps

Which variant, the seated row style configuration? Or the dumbbell one? The seated row style one is much less fucking about with configuration than the dumbbell one if you can do it.

 

[gungalunga]

Watched Mike Van Wyck's trap video a while back. Used dumbells and leaned forward while lifting them up with bent arms a couple days ago. My traps are sore as I'm posting this.

 

[dimethyl11]

Which variant, the seated row style configuration? Or the dumbbell one? The seated row style one is much less fucking about with configuration than the dumbbell one if you can do it.

the seated row style - wasnt ready to look like a science experiment with the dumbbell cable set up lol

 

[buck]

I find most people load up the bar and do short range partial shrugs herky jerky movement and don't pull back at all and don't come close to a full range. The traps work by pulling up and back. My favorite version in on something like a standing calf raise. I can get a full contraction with my shoulders up by my ears and back. I can feel them all the way down to the lower base of the traps.

 

[pureectoplasm]

It's a coupled dynamic + isometric for the trapezius and rhomboids. These complexes build very little muscle during the isometric phase since they're submaximal, and isometrics generally do not stimulate muscle damage/hypertrophy.

If the isometric phase was, instead of the Kelso shrug, done as a maximal pull at various heights into an immovable object, i.e., loaded maximally as MVIC, maximal voluntary isometric contractions, then you might get somewhere!

Suffice it to say, I think the Kelso shrug is pretty dumb.

Not sure why you say this. What you've described and shown in the video is the Kelso shrug. The second exercise on the cables is more clear because there's one line of pull, but that's just the Kelso shrug using a cable machine.