Exercises for the trapezius muscle of the back with dumbbells for women

Exercises aimed at developing the trapezius muscle involve lifting the shoulder girdle up with a slow lowering down. In this case, the shoulders are under the load of additional weights. Barbells, dumbbells, own body weight, exercise equipment are used as sports equipment.

Where is the trapezius muscle located? Structure and function

The trapezius muscle is a paired, wide and flat bundle of muscle fibers that completely covers the entire back of the neck, as well as the upper back, located along the spinal column. Exercise on this part of the body provides for the creation of a static load on the shoulder girdle and back.

Visually, the trapezius muscle resembles a large triangle, the base of which is in contact with the spine, and its apex is directed to the angle of the scapula.

The functional purpose of the trapezius muscle is as follows:

• during vigorous physical activity, ensures the approach of the scapula to the bone tissue of the spine;
• participates in the process of turning the scapula around the sagittal axis, which makes it possible to fully function the upper back and the entire shoulder girdle;
• when reducing the right or left trapezoid, the head is turned in the appropriate direction;
• bilateral activation of muscle fibers provides extension of the cervical spine.

Dysfunction or injury to the trapezius muscle leads to the loss of the ability to fully turn the head, perform rotational movements of the neck. Similar problems with the musculoskeletal system arise in case of infringement of the nerve bundle that regulates the functions of the right or left trapezium.

Features of trapeze training for women

Trapezius exercises can be done in the gym or at home.

Features of the training process aimed at the development of the trapezoid are in the following aspects:

If physical exercises are performed in the gym, then a trainer or fitness instructor will always suggest the correct type of exercise and give practical recommendations on how to form the working weight of the sports equipment. Trapezius exercises that are done at home are limited by the qualitative and quantitative variety of equipment.

For example, in the gym, you can use dumbbells of all weights, use collapsible Olympic barbells, weights, use modern simulators and the methodological help of an instructor.

At home, trapeze training is reduced to lifting the barbell, using dumbbells with a limited weight range, performing exercises with your own weight (horizontal bar, parallel bars, push-ups from the floor.).

Contraindications to dumbbell exercises

Exercises on the trapezius muscle are contraindicated for women who have the following diseases of the body:

• varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and other pathologies of vascular tissue;
• disturbances in the rhythmic activity of the heart (arrhythmia, tachycardia, bradycardia, angina pectoris);
• previous stroke of the brain or severe traumatic brain injury;
• arthrosis of the shoulder or elbow joints;
• hernia of the thoracic or cervical spine;
• diabetes;
• arterial hypertension, the course of which is accompanied by periodic pressure surges and hypertensive crises;
  
• inguinal hernia;
• prolapse of the uterus, as well as inflammatory diseases of the female reproductive system;
• inflammation of the hemorrhoids.

Women who are in a state of pregnancy need to temporarily stop performing strength exercises for the trapezius muscles. This warning is justified by the risk of complications of gestation, as well as early termination of pregnancy in the early stages.

Warm up before workout

Exercises on the trapezius muscle are prohibited without first warming up. It consists of the following actions:

1. Jogging at a distance of 300 m.
2. Turns the body to the sides. 20 reps on the right and left sides.
3. Rotational movements of the shoulder joints. Both hands are stretched at once or each in turn. Recommended for 30 reps.
4. Bends forward and backward, which consist of 35 repetitions.
5. Rotational movements of the head. You need to make 30 turns to the right and left.
6. Tilting the neck forward and backward. Do 25 reps.

The end of the warm-up is the independent warming up of the back of the neck and upper back with the help of massage movements. The average duration of preparation for the training process is 15 minutes.

Trapezium exercises for home and gym

There is a wide variety of resistance exercises that can develop the trapezius muscles, build their physical strength, add volume, muscle mass and definition.

Farmer's Walk with Dumbbells

This exercise begins with the selection of the optimal weight of the dumbbells.

When a sports equipment is selected, you must adhere to the following technique:

1. Take dumbbells in both hands.
2. Align the posture and bend the lumbar spine slightly.
3. Walk a distance of 25 m with smooth and even movements, and then turn around and return to the starting point from where the start was taken.
4. Monitor your breathing while walking. It should be deep and even.

This exercise is similar to walking with two large bags. After the 1st approach, you need to rest for 2-3 minutes, and then repeat the same actions. It is recommended to perform at least 3-4 approaches per workout. The exercise provides pumping of the upper bundle of trapeziums.

Dumbbell Incline Shrugs

This exercise is performed in a gym setting. You will need to set the bench press at an angle of 45 degrees. Then you need to select the working weight of the dumbbells.

When the preparation for the workout is complete, the following exercise sequence begins:

1. The woman lies down on her stomach on a bench set at a specified angle of inclination.
2. Dumbbells are fixed in the hands.
3. On inspiration, flexion of the elbow joints and dilution of dumbbells are performed so that the deflection of the thoracic back and shoulder blades is ensured.
4. As you exhale, the trapezius muscles relax, and the arms return to their original position.

This exercise helps to develop the middle and lower trapezius muscles. It is recommended to do 8 reps in 3 sets. During physical activity, you should keep your posture as even as possible.

Shrugs with weights behind the back

This is a technically challenging exercise for women with training experience.

It is performed as follows:

1. Take a collapsible Olympic barbell and gain on it a working weight corresponding to the physical strength of the athlete.
2. The woman is in an upright position. The legs are fixed at shoulder width apart.
3. Hands are wound behind the back, a barbell is taken and held at the back at the level of the lower back.
4. On inspiration, the weight is lifted with the triceps and trapezius muscle as much as the flexibility of the shoulder joint allows.
5. On exhalation, the bar returns to the level of the lower back.

The exercise is performed for 10 repetitions in 3 sets. Provides muscle growth of the lower trapezium segment. Makes this part of the body more prominent. This exercise is performed using dumbbells or weights. The principle of training is to pump the cervical part of the traps, as well as the middle segment of this muscle.

The technique of lifting arms with weights is as follows:

1. The woman is in an upright position and her feet are shoulder-width apart.
2. In the hands are dumbbells weighing 3 kg and more, or weights.
3. On inhalation, the sports equipment is lifted up in front of you.
4. On exhalation, the upper limbs with dumbbells or weights return back to the level of the hips.

At the time of the exercise, it is necessary to ensure that the elbow joints do not bend. Weights should be chosen small. The main task of training is to perform the exercise correctly, creating an optimal physical load on the trapezius muscles. The recommended number of repetitions is 12 times in 3 sets.

Wiring with an improvised burden

The technique for performing this exercise is reminiscent of lifting weighted arms. Only the direction of movement of the arms differs, and the physical load is created only on the upper part of the trapezoid.

Wiring with an improvised weight is performed as follows:

1. It is necessary to take an upright position and spread your legs shoulder-width apart.
2. Pick up dumbbells, weights or collapsible barbell pancakes.
3. On inhalation, the arms are spread apart from the hips to the level of the shoulder joint.
4. As you exhale, the limbs smoothly descend to the level of the belt.

The elbows should be straight without bending. During the training, it is recommended to perform 8-10 repetitions in 3-4 sets. This exercise indirectly develops the shoulder girdle.

Deadlift

A complex and traumatic exercise that allows you to simultaneously develop all parts of the trapezius muscles. To perform it, only the bar is used.

The training technique is as follows:

1. On the bar of a collapsible Olympic bar it is necessary to collect the required number of pancakes, the weight of which corresponds to the physical strength of the athlete.
2. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, and keep your back as even as possible with a slight deflection of the lumbar spine. The bar is in front of the athlete.
3. The woman bends over and fixes the bar with her hands. The distance between the hands of the limbs should correspond to the width of the shoulders.
4. On inhalation, the lower back is extended and the body is lifted up.
5. On exhalation, the woman bends down again and puts the barbell on the floor.

Together with the trapezium, the latissimus dorsi muscle is pumped. This exercise is basic and complex for the entire muscles along the spinal column. During the workout, you need to perform 7 repetitions of 3 sets.

Bent-over row

As in the case of the deadlift, a barbell is used as a sports equipment.

The technical side of the exercise consists in the following actions:

1. The legs are set slightly wider than the shoulders.
2. The woman leans forward, and the spine is kept as straight as possible.
3. The bar is firmly gripped by the hands.
4. On inhalation, the bar is pulled up to the surface of the chest. In this case, the body continues to be in a tilted state, and the posture is kept extremely even.
5. On exhalation, the sports equipment is placed on the floor surface.

The peculiarity of this exercise is that it cannot be performed with jerks or with a bent back. In this case, injury to the thoracic spine is possible. The recommended number of repetitions is 8 times in 3 sets, a break between which is 2-3 minutes.

Lifting dumbbells on the back to the belt

This exercise is performed alternately, first for the left, and then for the right trapezoid.

The technique of the training process is as follows:

1. You must use a bench press on which the palm of the hand and the knee of the leg are placed.
2. The back is kept as straight as possible in order to prevent deformation of the spine.
3. A dumbbell or kettlebell is taken in the free hand.
4. On inhalation, the sports equipment is pulled up to the belt.
5. As you exhale, the dumbbell returns back to the floor surface.

This exercise allows you to pump the lower and middle muscle bundle of the trapezium. Perform 10 reps in 3 sets.

Raise to the chin

A very effective exercise that allows you to pump the upper trapezius muscles. A barbell or kettlebell is used as a sports equipment.

The technique of the training process is as follows:

1. The woman takes an upright position, and her legs are fixed shoulder-width apart.
2. The bar is in the hands at hip level. The grip should be as narrow as possible with the brushes next to each other.
3. As you inhale, the bar is pulled up to the surface of the chin.
4. As you exhale, the bar is lowered back down to hip level.

The optimal number of repetitions is 12 times in 3 sets. The rest time interval should be 3 minutes.

Deadlift Lee Haney

This exercise is done with a barbell. Promotes the development of the lower bundle of the trapezius and deltoid muscles.

The technique for performing the exercise involves the following steps:

1. You need to put your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Put the barbell with the collected pancakes in the back behind the back.
3. Fix your hands on the bar and raise the sports equipment to the level of the buttocks.
4. On inhalation, the elbow joints of the upper limbs bend, and the bar is pulled up in the direction of the shoulder blades.
5. On exhalation, the sports equipment goes down.

It is recommended to do 6 reps in 3 sets. The exercise was developed by the famous bodybuilder Lee Haney, and is named after him.

Romanian Dumbbell Deadlift

This exercise is performed in a similar manner to the classic barbell deadlift. In this case, dumbbells are used.

The technical aspect of training is the following:

1. You need to put your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Pick up dumbbells of working weight.
3. Lean forward and align your back.
4. While inhaling, unbend the lower back and return the body to an upright position.
5. As you exhale, lean forward again.

It is necessary to perform 12 repetitions in 3 sets. If we compare the exercise with the deadlift, then the latter type of training is more effective.

A set of exercises for the home

At home, you can only perform basic exercises to develop the trapezius muscles.

In this case, the training process may look like this:

• Monday - warm-up, deadlift, lifting the bar to the chin, push-ups on the uneven bars (12 reps, 3 sets);
• Tuesday - rest and restoration of muscle tissue;
• Wednesday - warm-up, wiring with improvised weights, Romanian deadlift with dumbbells, push-ups from the floor (15 times in 3 sets);
• Thursday - a day of muscle recovery and enhanced nutrition;
• Friday - a farmer's walk with weights, bent-over barbell pulls, pull-ups on the horizontal bar (10 times in 3 sets);
• Saturday - cardiac training, which involves jogging at a distance of 2 km.

Sunday is a day of complete rest, recovery of physical strength, enhanced nutrition and psychological preparation for the next week's training.

A set of exercises for the gym

Performing a set of exercises for the trapezius muscles in a gym makes it possible to organize a training process with the participation of a personal trainer or fitness instructor.

The trapezium pumping program may look like this:

• Monday - warming up muscles, Lee Haney deadlift, Romanian dumbbell deadlift, lifting weights to the belt;
• Tuesday - enhanced nutrition, daytime sleep and body recovery;
• Wednesday - warming up muscle fibers, spreading dumbbells to the sides, push-ups from the floor (15 times in 3 sets), lifting dumbbells behind the back;
• Thursday - muscle recovery, enhanced nutrition, daytime sleep and good rest;
• Friday - shrugs on an incline bench with dumbbells, pull-ups on the horizontal bar (10 times in 3 sets), shrugs with weights behind the back.
• Saturday - complex training of the cardiovascular system, which involves jogging on a treadmill (distance 1.5 km), squats (20 repetitions in 5 sets);
• Sunday - drinking plenty of fluids, enhanced nutrition, daytime sleep and complete psycho-emotional calm, aimed at restoring the physical strength of the body.

Exercises that are performed on the trapezius muscle involve the use of such sports equipment as barbells, weights, dumbbells, pancakes. Most of the workouts for this part of the thoracic and cervical spine are power pulls in conditions when the athlete's body is in a horizontal position on a bench press bench, or slightly tilted forward.

The first positive result of pumping the trapezius muscle can be observed after 2 months of intense training.

Back Exercise Videos

How to effectively build back muscles: