How many sets of traps per week?

Direct shrug and carry work is usually 6 to 12 hard sets a week. Deadlifts and rows already load the traps, so FlexFit keeps the extra sets modest and adds one only when you are logging them cleanly.

Do deadlifts replace shrugs?

They load the traps while you hold the bar, which helps, and they do not take the shoulder through a full shrug. Add shrugs or carries if you want that raising motion. FlexFit programs those as separate movements.

Traps Exercises

The upper traps shrug the shoulders up and help you hold a heavy pull or carry. A shrug trains that motion directly, with the arms staying long. A farmer's walk trains the same muscles while you walk with a load at your sides. FlexFit programs shrugs or carries in small doses, using dumbbells at home and a barbell or cable at the gym.

How to train traps

Shrug straight up, pause for a second, and lower under control. The 8 to 15 rep range fits a barbell or dumbbell shrug. Skip shoulder circles; the work is up and down. Carries are a finisher: walk 20 to 40 seconds with a weight you can hold without the shoulders dumping forward.

How FlexFit programs traps

At home, FlexFit programs dumbbell shrugs and farmer's walks. At the gym it adds barbell shrugs, cable shrugs, and a trap-bar carry when the bar is there. Sets and reps come from your program's current week and the last time you logged the movement.

Traps exercises in FlexFit's library

Barbell Shrug
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip just outside your...
Cable Shrug
Attach a straight bar to the low pulley of a cable machine and stand facing it with feet hip-width apart. Grip the...
Dumbbell Shrug
Stand upright with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with arms fully extended. Keep...
Farmer's Walk
Stand tall with a heavy dumbbell in each hand at your sides, arms fully extended. Position your feet hip-width apart...

Traps training questions

How many sets of traps per week?: Direct shrug and carry work is usually 6 to 12 hard sets a week. Deadlifts and rows already load the traps, so FlexFit keeps the extra sets modest and adds one only when you are logging them cleanly.
Do deadlifts replace shrugs?: They load the traps while you hold the bar, which helps, and they do not take the shoulder through a full shrug. Add shrugs or carries if you want that raising motion. FlexFit programs those as separate movements.