Traps : to roll the shoulders or not ?

[Awes0me]

I love training traps, love it.... I have read alot of stuff that says you shouldnt roll the shoulders, just take the bar straight up n down ... Is this right?

 

[louden_swain]

no. . . . squeeze at the top for a 2-count.

rolling is dangerous. . can cause pinched nerves.

 

[Awes0me]

sounds good to me mate. cheers

 

[kingc_79]

i wouldnt roll either..no sense in it. just do as louden said. hold at the top and you should be good.. i do alot of reps with traps and it seems to help

 

[Awes0me]

KingC_79, sets of how many reps would you recommend ?

 

[beefybull]

Dont roll the shoulders. Like Louden said, it can pinch nervers, or fuck with your rotator cuff. Also, use dumbells, it lets you get better range of motion, which is key for trap development (kinda like full ROM when doin calves).

Straight up and down. Hold it for a 1-2 count at the top of the motion. Start with a warmup set or two, then go heavy, then finish with a set or two of higher reps.

 

[casualbb]

If you think about it biomechanically, rolling is pointless. The upper traps, the muscles you're trying to build, contract in a line from shoulder to neck. Rolling back during the motion engages your mid-traps in a task that really puts no load on them.

Plus the injury issues that others mentioned.

A lot of people (myself included), find nerve pinches less likely with dumbbells. The only problem with that is that most people can also shrug tons of weight. I know that if I used DB's they'd be the biggest we have.

Also, no need to hold it at the top. Just control the negative.

 

[bignate73]

if you want to try a variety of shrugging motions from standing vertical to chest supported horizontal(and everything in between), that will be way safer and more effective than rolling the shoulders. rolling is bad ju-ju. hehe.

 

[kingc_79]

KingC_79, sets of how many reps would you recommend ?

i use alot...like 4 sets..start at 30 or 35 then go down 5 reps ea set. think i picked it up from a mm format or similar

 

[c3ntrifug3]

I usually hit up 4 sets of 15. Seems to work well.

The other big question is whether to shrug on back day or shoulder day...

 

[Awes0me]

Thanks for the advise all, much appreciated.

 

[joltman]

I usually do 3 set of heavy shrugs without rolling. Then I do one set of light shrugs with maaaaaaaany reps with rolling. The intense feeling is incredible. Try it!