What are the Trapezius or trap muscles?

Answer:
The trapezius, or trap muscles, are the

muscles that create the slope from the shoulder to the neck. From the back the muscles are actually quite large.

On each side, they create a large, sideways triangle from the middle back up to the base of the skull and out to the shoulder.

The fibers of the trapezius muscles run in different directions. Because of this, the muscles have a variety of functions along the scapular plane. These functions include:

scapular adduction (drawing the shoulder blades together)

scapular depression (pulling the shoulder blades down)

scapular elevation (shrugging the shoulders)

For this reason, there are several exercises that act as effective trap builders. As with most back development, the dead lift is the Godfather for building traps. Barbell and dumbbell shrugs, rows, and pull downs also make for effective trapezius exercises.


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