by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
Strengthening your traps at home is easier to do than you think. Working out at home is convenient and is an excellent way to fit in a workout if you don’t have time to get to the gym. Your traps are responsible for the tilting and turning your neck and the rotation, retraction, and elevation of your shoulder blades. This article will discuss bodyweight trap workouts you can do at home.
You can add several trap exercises to your workout regime that you can quickly do at home without equipment. Shoulder blade squeezes, pushups, and lying y raises are among some of the best exercises to incorporate into your routine. These exercises are easy to do and are effective.
Working out at home removes the excuse of not having time, and there are many at-home exercises you can do that are effective. If you are consistent, you will see results.
The five bodyweight trap workouts you can do at home are:
- Shoulder Blade Squeeze
- Pushups
- Lying Y Raises
- Upright Prayer Rows
- Take-Offs
Most people see traps as a more complex muscle to grow, but with consistency and hard work, it is possible to build your strength without equipment.
Having stronger traps will help you to have a better posture. You must focus on your trap muscle throughout each movement to build strength in them effectively.
If you are in a hurry to see products to help with your workouts, check the products below. Also, see our post How To Build Bigger Traps Fast and At Home Chest and Shoulders Workout With or Without Weights
Contents
1. Should Blade Squeeze
Shoulder blade squeezes are easy to do and simple to fit into a busy day. You begin by standing straight and ensuring that your posture is good.
Slowly focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together and hold this position for 3 seconds before releasing your shoulder blades.
Repeat this for twelve reps and a total of three sets. If you want shoulder blade squeezes to be more intensive, you can increase your reps and sets.
You can do this exercise in a variety of different ways.
For example, you can adjust the exercise to work with resistance bands and cables or by using a stable object (such as a doorframe) to hold onto while focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Here are some great resistance bands to use for this exercise. Also, see our post Shoulder Resistance Bands Exercises For Building Big Shoulders and Cable Shoulder Workouts.
2. Pushups
Pushups are a well-known and popular exercise. However, there are many variations – diamond pushups, woman’s pushups, wall pushups, and strict pushups. Each pushup type helps strengthen your traps while strengthening your core, back, and legs.
The wall pushup is one of the easiest pushups to start with.
You begin by placing your hands against a wall while maintaining a good posture. Your feet need to be a hips-width apart; slowly lower yourself towards the wall while keeping your elbows tucked into your body.
The wall pushup will enable you to move on to more difficult pushups by helping you build strength.
Pushups are a classic exercise that almost everyone knows how to do. There is a good reason why pushups remain an exercise often programmed into training routines.
To do a strict/military pushup, start by lowering yourself onto the floor.
Keep your hands flat on the surface, with your palms down and in line with your shoulders.
Focus on keeping your back straight and your core tight. You must keep your neck in line with your spine throughout the exercise.
Your legs need to be straight while you slowly bend your arms which lowers your forehead to the floor.
Your arms need to form a “T” shape. Hold this position for two seconds when you have bent your arms as far as you can, and then straighten your arms to bring yourself back into a straight line.
You can modify the strict pushup by bending your knees, which enables you to perform a pushup even if you do not have the strength to do so, and this modification will help you build enough strength to transition into a strict pushup.
You should incorporate pushups into every exercise routine, and consistently doing them will benefit you in the long run.
This is because they are one of the most effective exercises for building your traps, and pushups are multifunctional as they strengthen additional muscles while you do them. See more in Overactive Traps: How to Build Shoulders Without Working Your Traps.
A mat will be helpful to lie on for military pushups. See some great options below.
3. Lying Y Raises
Lying Y raises is an easy exercise that effectively builds your trap muscles.
It is best to do lying Y raises on a mat, towel, or a soft floor. You start by lying face down with your arms stretched in front of you in a “Y” shape.
Your arms must be straight, and you must not press your face directly against the floor.
You still need to be able to breathe comfortably. Slightly lift your chest off the floor and lift your arms as high as possible.
Hold this position for up to 4 seconds before lowering yourself back to the starting position.
Repeat this exercise ten to twelve times for a total of three sets.
To increase the difficulty of this movement, you can add additional reps and decrease the rest time between your sets.
More exercises like Lying Y Raises are available at Shoulder and Triceps Workout for Upper-Body Strength and Shoulder and Arms Workout.
4. Upright Prayer Rows
Upright prayer rows are easy to do in the comfort of your living room.
Start by standing in an upright position with a straight posture. Next, put your hands together in a prayer position while pushing your palms against each other as hard as possible.
It would be best if you keep your elbows above your wrist.
You will then need to shrug your shoulders upwards and squeeze your trap muscles while you shrug your shoulders.
Keep this pose for three seconds before lowering your shoulders to the starting position.
You can repeat this exercise for fifteen reps and three sets.
If you want to increase the intensity of this exercise, you can increase your reps and complete sets.
See more great exercises in Why Your Side Delts Aren’t Growing.
5. Take-Offs
To do take-offs:
- Start by standing upright.
- Focus on a good posture and extend your arms to your sides with your palms facing outwards.
- Slowly lift your arms over your head and shrug your shoulders upwards.
Hold this pose for three seconds, then slowly bring your arms back to the starting position.
You can repeat this exercise for twelve reps and three sets.
Why Is It Important to Train Your Traps?
Consistency is key to improving and strengthening your trap muscles.
Incorporating these bodyweight exercises into your routine is straightforward from the comfort of your home.
It’s important not to overtrain your trap muscles, but you should regularly be training your traps. Finding the balance is vital.
Having a bigger trap muscle will give you a bigger back, and you use your traps in numerous other exercises and daily activities.
Strengthening your trap muscles will help you complete basic day-to-day tasks more easily, such as lifting your children, moving boxes, and carrying groceries.
Bodyweight exercises won’t sufficiently build your trap muscles alone, and you should incorporate trap exercises with weights into your workout routine to effectively strengthen your traps. Traps are complex muscles to strengthen, and to do so requires regular training.
You can do higher reps for each exercise if you want more effective results.
However, you should never forget that you shouldn’t feel more than mild discomfort while performing each exercise.
Regular stretching will protect your trap muscles from injury and prevent severe muscle pain.
Conclusion
I hope you have learned the bodyweight trap workouts you can do at home.
You must build your trap muscles before you begin training with heavier weights.
These bodyweight exercises are also convenient at home at any time, and they are safer if you have an injury.
In addition, strong trap muscles will help you have better posture, decreasing the neck and shoulder pain you experience.
You should always use the correct form when you do trap exercises and focus on engaging your muscles throughout the movement.
The mind-muscle connection is crucial to building strength and working the right muscle.
Check out How to Master Shoulder Pull-Ups before you go.
Last update on 2023-09-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
