Strong Traps

[stef]

by Bill Starr

Strong traps have a direct bearing on nearly every exercise in strength training. Obviously, they help all pulling movements, but they play a major role in squatting as well. Without a strong upper body, the athlete is not able to hold the proper positioning during a heavy squat. And while few think in terms of upper back strength in connection with pressing movements, a strong upper back benefits bench presses, inclines, and particularly overhead presses.

Full Article (http://startingstrength.com/articles/strong_traps_starr.pdf)

Resources Page (http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/resources)

[Patrick]

I always look forward to Starr's articles -- as much for the content as the quality of the writing.

[RobertFontaine]

If we chip in an buy Bill a computer is there any chance he would use it?

... another great piece.

[caseyd123]

So to clarify, the type of shrug mentioned is not the typical barbell one where you stand straight up and shrug, its actually a hip extension and shrug?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Is this actually not clear to you? Or do you just want somebody to answer a post?

[Dixen]

What set and rep range is suggested for shrugs? 5's, 3's?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Starr always had me do sets of 5. Just one set at the top.

[rockyshaun]

Rip,

Where would you place the top pulls that you are pictured doing in the Texas Method?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Where is this picture?

[rockyshaun]

Where is this picture?

At the bottom of page 6 there is a series of photos.

So where would be the best place to put those in TM.

[78704]

Hise shrugs after squats and shrugs after deadlifts made my traps bigger and stronger. Doing really long complexes; 2-3 hang power snatches then 2-3 hang power cleans then 2-3 hang high pulls then shrugs made me really sore, but it didn't make any of my lifts go up.

[StrongIslander,NY]

high pulls and upright rows are they the same thing?

[Mark Rippetoe]

At the bottom of page 6 there is a series of photos.

So where would be the best place to put those in TM.

Ah, word order comprehension interference. The way I use them is in a 2x/week program, with rack pulls/halting on Tuesday, barbell shrugs/cleans on Friday.


high pulls and upright rows are they the same thing?

No, not even close.

[simonsky]

why does the barbell have to be in the pins rather than from the floor for shrugging? is it to prevent the excessive back strain?

and what does bill mean when he says pulling the shrug higher with the target above head? i don't get it, how will you hit that target? with your head by jumping?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Because when the bar is loaded on the floor, it's too close to the floor to be a shrug. And yes, you'll hit the target with your head so you have to be very careful so that you don't make a bump.

[simonsky]

Because when the bar is loaded on the floor, it's too close to the floor to be a shrug. And yes, you'll hit the target with your head so you have to be very careful so that you don't make a bump.

so to be clear the shrug referred here involves some ankle/knee/hip extension not just purely shoulders?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Is this actually not clear to you? Or do you just want somebody to answer a post?

[thersites]

high pulls and upright rows are they the same thing?

High pulls are pulled from the floor with the same mechanics/form as the clean or the snatch (depending on which high pull you are performing) with more weight than you can rack in the full movement. They rely on the pull from the hips, the full extension of the body including up onto the toes, and some shrug to get the bar to the target height (most of the power coming from the hip pull and full extension of the body).

The upright row starts from a hang type position & pulls mainly with the arms and deltoids with a bit of trap & upper back, and is not done with the explosiveness of the high pulls, nor with as many muscles. It does not come close to the high pulls for helping improve the clean or snatch. In other words, it is an inferior movement for those who will not take the time to learn the clean, snatch, and their respective high pulls. The upright row is worse than inferior in that it also may lead to bad clean & snatch technique by causing the lifter to use the arms in the pull.

I would add that high pulls are a lot of fun as an assistance lift for your cleans & snatches.

[simonsky]

Is this actually not clear to you? Or do you just want somebody to answer a post?

no it is really not clear to me, sorry. maybe because i am asian and not even the racially stereotyped smart asian.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I thought you were Polish. Just read the description of the exercise. I think it's actually in the article.

[Mugje]

Great article!!!

I have one question. Do you catch the bar also on high pulls when you lower the bar to the floor? Because Bill talks about using straps into the movement, I assume you lower it under control to your belly and then to the floor. But with heavy weights is this save?

Excuse me for my poor writing, because this is not my native language;)

[thersites]

Great article!!!

I have one question. Do you catch the bar also on high pulls when you lower the bar to the floor? Because Bill talks about using straps into the movement, I assume you lower it under control to your belly and then to the floor. But with heavy weights is this save?

Excuse me for my poor writing, because this is not my native language;)

Yes, you catch the bar coming down. It won't be that much weight for a while. Just control the bar as you are coming down, and it is not like you are suddenly applying the brakes just as the bar comes to your waist. You are also not lowering it from snatch height.

If you try it with lighter weight and then work up, you should find that lowering it comes fairly easily.

[Matti]

After a couple of lighter experiments during the last weeks I loaded the barbell yesterday with a bit morer than I deadlift, 165 kg and shrugged 3x5. I can feel it today, it feels good. I got some leather straps, the sort I think Mark Rippetoe refers to as junk in SS, but maybe for weights under 200 kg they work. No problem yesterday at least. About this topic also: with leather straps, do you notice when they start to break, or do they just snap?

About form I am wondering, is it OK that the bar is in slight contact with the body throughout the movement? I don't have very good rack for this so I must pick the barbell out from the rack, step back, and then start working. This means I start from a standing up position, lower the bar and myself and thereafter pull and shrug upp.

Before I did barbell rows for alternating between power cleans and deadlifts, but would the shrug cover the BB-row? At least I can use about twice that weight, and the more weight the better, right?

[Mark Rippetoe]

The bar must remain in contact with the body during the whole rep. But doing shrugs the way you describe is not the same exercise Bill details in the article.

[Matti]

The bar must remain in contact with the body during the whole rep. But doing shrugs the way you describe is not the same exercise Bill details in the article.

Yes I know, but it will have to do for now. I have this body-solid multi-press rack and I cannot get the straps on very well with the bar on the safties as I cannot rotate the bar there. My traps are sore still today, so it was definitely something new.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Well, okay then. There you go.

[JoeM]

Are there any videos up of folks doing these lifts right?

There really is something very hard to follow about written descriptions of these things when you're a newb... If I could see it and then read Bill's descriptions again I'd get a lot more out of this...

Who knows? Maybe these are common lifts with lots of videos, but then there's the whole problem of a lot of people doing things in whack ways.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'll put that on our list.

[KSC]

Here...this is from a few years ago. These are pretty close to being good and are open to any criticism. I don't really care. Shrugs have never done shit for me other than make my traps bigger....which is kinda cool, I guess

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o44Fz4w0OyQ

[forgeforth]

I've seen some pretty amazing results using these high pulls. Although I didn't want to tell Rip that because my cleans can still use some work. I'm sorry, Rip. I couldn't resist acquiring the levels of awesome this exercise has provided me. Sometimes I even pull from a lower position.

[Dixen]

It's not high pulls. Its power shrugs!
High pulls are a totally different exercise...

[Mark Rippetoe]

Actually, the name is just "barbell shrugs".

[beast]

All this was covered in the book, why doesn't everyone just go and look in their imaginary book

[forgeforth]

I don't even know the proper terminology, yet I still do the exercise. There are quite a few gentlemen at the gym who have a fear of overdeveloping their traps. lol

Nevertheless, great article. I did these on Thursday and remain extremely sore. +1

[Dastardly]

Actually, the name is just "barbell shrugs".

This might make it difficult to differentiate from the slow bodybuilding style movement in which you avoid using the hips. The type starr teaches seems to be a full body explosive hip extension exercise somewhere between a hang power clean and a rack pull.

I have a question regarding soreness & technique. As you are pulling more weight than can be "slow shrugged" without hip power, after the snap of the pull, when the bar comes donward again should a trainee try to immediately decellerate the bar from the high position, or let it drop down fully to be caught at arms length?

The exercise seems to cause a lot of DOMS, which is said to occur when muscles elongate under load (I think I read this in your book), with this in mind, which is the best method of controlling the bar after the actual shrug? I can imagine this kind of exercise would be perfect for training on blocks with bumpers. But as most of us will be doing them inside racks, we do need to be careful about the descent.

Thankyou.

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you do them with enough weight, there will be only one way to control the descent. You just catch it and set it down.

[Dixen]

[QUOTE=Dastardly;170922]But as most of us will be doing them inside racks, we do need to be careful about the descent.
QUOTE]

Isnt that what the pins in the rack are for?

[Bahadur]

Love the article just a quick question. Starr gives reps/sets schemes for all the exercises expect the shrug. Was wondering what the best set-up is? I'll be honest and admit that I'm somewhat interested in trap hypertrophy (want to become a henchman one day) - still recommend 3 x 5?

[Mark Rippetoe]

He likes 5s for the shrug.

[Dylan Crooks]

Rip,

If I'm currently alternating rack pulls (500 x 5) and halting DL (450 x 8) on intensity day while following texas method, where would you recommend adding in Shrugs? Volume day?

Thanks

Dylan

[Mark Rippetoe]

Shrugs are done in alternation with cleans. I recommend them for the split routine workout.