Dumbbell Trapezius Exercises For Women

Exercises aimed at the development of the trapezius muscle include lifting the shoulder girdle up with a slow lowering. In this case, the shoulders are under the load of additional burdens. As sports equipment used barbells, dumbbells, own body weight, exercise machines.

Where is the trapezius muscle Structure and function

The trapezius muscle is a paired, wide and flat bundle of muscle fibers that completely covers the entire back surface of the neck, as well as the upper back, located along the spinal column. Performing exercises on this part of the body involves creating a static load on the shoulder girdle and back.

Visually, the trapezius muscle resembles a large triangle, the base of which is in contact with the spine, and its apex is directed to the corner of the scapula.

The functional purpose of the trapezius muscle is as follows:

• during active physical activity provides the approach of the scapula to the bone tissue of the spine;
• participates in the process of turning the scapula around the sagittal axis, which makes it possible to fully function the upper back and the entire shoulder girdle;
• when reducing the right or left trapezoid, the head is turned in the corresponding direction;
• bilateral activation of muscle fibers provides extension of the cervical spine.

Dysfunction or trauma to the trapezius muscle leads to the loss of the ability to fully turn the head, perform rotational movements of the neck. Similar problems with the musculoskeletal system occur in the case of infringement of the nerve bundle that regulates the functions of the right or left trapezoid.

Features trapeze training for women

Trapezius muscle exercises can be performed in the gym or at home.

Features of the training process aimed at the development of the trapeze are in the following aspects:

Training Features	The essence of the training process
Regular loads	Trapeziums are large paired muscles that must undergo constant physical activity. Only under this condition is their uniform growth and development ensured. Skipping workouts is unacceptable and may lead to a lack of progress.
Heavy drink	Regular intake of a sufficient amount of liquid allows you to maintain a moisture balance and prevent fiber dehydration. During training should drink at least 0,4 gallon of water. After doing the exercises, during the recovery day, you need to drink at least 4 – 5 pint of water.
Preheat	The wide location of the trapezoid, which simultaneously regulates the work of the upper segment of the back and cervical spine, requires a thorough warm-up. It is performed before the start of training and should last at least 15 minutes. High-quality heating of muscle fibers prevents injury during training.
Good nutrition	In order for the exercise on the trapeze to bring a positive result and ensure the development of this part of the body, it is necessary to provide the body with good nutrition. The daily menu must include dishes containing meat, fish, chicken eggs, cereals, sour-milk products, fresh fruits, vegetables, greens.
Compliance with the execution technique	All trapezius muscle exercises should be performed correctly and without any disturbance in technique. The presence of jerks, lifting weights with a stooped posture, skewing the body on one side or incorrect positioning of the legs will cause a lack of a positive result or lead to injury.
Proper weight selection	During training, the optimal and working weight is selected, which will allow the woman to perform at least 10 repetitions in 3 sets. At the same time, a sports apparatus will not be a source of excessive burden, and all exercises will be performed correctly and without breaking the equipment.

If physical exercises are performed in the gym, then the trainer or fitness instructor will always tell you the correct type of exercise and give practical recommendations on the formation of the working weight of a sports apparatus. Trapezius muscle exercises that are performed at home are limited by the qualitative and quantitative variety of sports equipment.

For example, in the gym you can use dumbbells of all weights, use collapsible Olympic barbells, weights, use modern simulators and instructor’s methodological help.

At home, training the trapeze is reduced to lifting the barbell, using dumbbells with a limited weight range, performing exercises with your own weight (horizontal bar, parallel bars, push-ups from the floor.).

Dumbbell Exercise Contraindications

Trapezius muscle exercises are contraindicated for women who have the following diseases of the body:

• varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and other vascular tissue pathologies;
• disturbances in the rhythmic activity of the heart (arrhythmia, tachycardia, bradycardia, angina pectoris);
• a previous cerebral stroke or severe traumatic brain injury;
• arthrosis of the shoulder or elbow joints;
• hernia of the thoracic or cervical spine;
• diabetes;
• arterial hypertension, the course of which is accompanied by periodic pressure surges and hypertensive crises;
  
• inguinal hernia;
• prolapse of the uterus, as well as inflammatory diseases of the female reproductive system;
• inflammation of the hemorrhoids.

Women who are in a state of pregnancy need to temporarily refuse to perform strength exercises on the trapezius muscles. This warning is justified by the risk of complications of bearing the fetus, as well as early termination of pregnancy in the early stages.

Warm up before training

Exercise on the trapezius muscle is prohibited to perform without prior warm-up. It consists of the following actions:

1. Light jogging to a distance of 984’3 foot.
2. Turns the body to the sides. 20 repetitions to the right and left side.
3. Rotational movements of the shoulder joints. Both hands are kneading at once or each in turn. 30 reps recommended.
4. Forward and backward inclinations, which consist of 35 repetitions.
5. Rotational head movements. You must make 30 turns to the right and left.
6. Tilt your neck forward and backward. 25 reps should be performed.

The completion of the warm-up is self-heating of the back of the neck and upper back with massage movements. The average duration of preparation for the training process is 15 minutes.

Trapeze exercises for home and gym

There is a wide variety of weight training exercises that allow you to develop trapezius muscles, increase their physical strength, add volume, muscle mass and relief.

Farmer walk with dumbbells.

The implementation of this exercise begins with the selection of the optimal weight of the dumbbells.

When a sports equipment is selected, the following technique must be followed:

1. Take dumbbells in both hands.
2. Level your posture and bend the lumbar spine slightly.
3. Smooth and uniform movements to pass a distance of 82 foot, and then turn around and return to the starting place, where the start was taken.
4. Watch the breath while the farmer walks. It should be deep and even.

This exercise resembles walking with two large bags. After the 1st approach, you need to rest for 2-3 minutes, and then repeat the same steps. It is recommended that you complete at least 3-4 sets per workout. Exercise provides pumping of the upper beam of trapezoid.

Shrugs on an incline bench with dumbbells

This exercise is performed in a gym. You will need to put the bench for the bench lying at an angle of 45 degrees. Then you need to pick up the working weight of the dumbbells.

When the preparation for the training is completed, the following order of exercise begins:

1. A woman lies belly on a bench exposed at a specified angle.
2. Dumbbells are fixed in the hands.
3. On inhalation, the elbow joints are bent and the dumbbells diluted so that the chest and back are deflected.
4. On exhalation, the trapezius muscles relax, and the hands return to their original position.

This exercise promotes the development of the middle and lower bundle of trapezius muscles. It is recommended to perform 8 repetitions in 3 sets. During physical activity, keep your posture as even as possible.

Shrugs with weight behind

This is a technically difficult exercise that is suitable for women with experience in the training process.

It is performed as follows:

1. Take a collapsible Olympic barbell and gain working weight on it, corresponding to the physical strength of the athlete.
2. A woman is upright. The legs are fixed at shoulder width.
3. Hands are wound behind the back, a bar is taken and held at the back at the level of the lower back.
4. On inspiration, weight lifting is performed using the triceps and trapezius muscle as much as the flexibility of the shoulder joint allows.
5. On exhalation, the barbell returns to the level of the lower back.

The exercise is performed in 10 repetitions in 3 sets. Provides muscle growth of the lower segment of the trapezoid. Makes this part of the body more prominent. This exercise is performed using dumbbells or weights. The principle of training is to pump the neck of the trapezium, as well as the middle segment of this muscle.

The technique of lifting weights with weights is as follows:

1. The woman occupies an upright position, and her legs are set shoulder width apart.
2. In hands are dumbbells weighing 7 pounds and above, or weights.
3. On inspiration, the sports apparatus is lifted up in front of itself.
4. On exhalation, the upper limbs with dumbbells or weights return back to the level of the hips.

At the time of the exercise, it is necessary to ensure that the elbow joints do not bend. Weights should be chosen small. The main task of the training is to complete the exercise correctly, creating optimal physical activity on the trapezius muscles. The recommended number of repetitions is 12 times in 3 sets.

Weighted cabling

The technique of this exercise is reminiscent of weight lifting training with weights. Only the direction of movement of the hands differs, and physical activity is created only on the upper part of the trapezoid.

The wiring with improvised weights is as follows:

1. It is necessary to take an upright position and spread your legs shoulder width apart.
2. Pick up dumbbells, weights or pancakes of a collapsible bar.
3. On inhalation, the hands are spread apart from the hips to the level of the shoulder joint.
4. On exhalation, the limbs gradually descend to the level of the belt.

The elbows should be flat without bending. During training, it is recommended to perform 8-10 repetitions in 3-4 sets. This indirect exercise develops the shoulder girdle.

Deadlift

A complex and traumatic exercise that allows you to simultaneously develop all sections of the trapezius muscles. For its implementation, only a rod is used.

The training technique is as follows:

1. On the neck of a collapsible Olympic bar, you need to collect the necessary number of pancakes, the weight of which corresponds to the physical strength of the athlete.
2. Put your feet shoulder width apart and keep your back as flat as possible with a slight deflection of the lumbar spine. The barbell is in front of the athlete.
3. The woman leans in and fixes the bar with her hands. The distance between the hands of the limbs should correspond to the width of the shoulders.
4. On inspiration, extension of the lower back and lifting of the body up are performed.
5. On exhalation, the woman bends again and puts the barbell on the floor.

Together with the trapezium, the latissimus dorsi muscle is pumped. This exercise is basic and complex for all muscles located along the spinal column. During the workout, you must complete 7 repetitions of 3 sets.

Tilt Standing

As in the case of the deadlift, a rod is used as a sports projectile.

The technical side of the exercise is as follows:

1. The legs are slightly wider than the shoulders.
2. The woman leans forward, and the spine remains in the most even position.
3. The barbell is firmly covered by the hands.
4. On inspiration, the bar is pulled to the surface of the chest. In this case, the body continues to be in an inclined state, and the posture is kept extremely flat.
5. On exhalation, the sports equipment is placed on the floor surface.

The peculiarity of this exercise is that it cannot be performed with jerks, or with a bent back. In this case, it is possible to receive an injury to the thoracic spine. The recommended number of repetitions is 8 times in 3 sets, a break between which is 2-3 minutes.

Lifting dumbbells back to waist

This exercise is performed alternately first for the left and then for the right trapezoid.

The technique of the training process is as follows:

1. It is necessary to use a bench for a bench press, on which the palm of the hand and the knee of the foot are installed.
2. The back is kept as flat as possible to prevent deformation of the spine.
3. A dumbbell or kettlebell is taken in the free hand.
4. On inspiration, the sports equipment is pulled to the belt.
5. On exhalation, the dumbbell returns back to the surface of the floor.

This exercise allows you to pump the lower and middle muscle bundle of trapezoid. Performs 10 repetitions in 3 sets.

Chin lift

A very effective exercise that allows you to pump the upper section of the trapezius muscles. As a sports apparatus, a barbell or weight is used.

The technique of the training process is as follows:

1. A woman occupies an upright position, and her legs are fixed at shoulder width.
2. The barbell is in the hands at the level of the hips. The grip should be as narrow as possible with the location of the brushes next to each other.
3. On inhalation, the bar is pulled to the surface of the chin.
4. On exhalation, the bar drops down back to the level of the hips.

The optimal number of repetitions is 12 times in 3 sets. The time interval for rest should be 3 minutes.

Craving Lee Haney

This exercise is performed using a barbell. Promotes the development of the lower bundle of the trapezius and deltoid muscles.

The technique of the exercise involves the following actions:

1. You need to put your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Put the bar with the pancakes typed behind the back.
3. Fix your hands on the neck and raise the sports equipment to the level of the buttocks.
4. On inspiration, the elbow joints of the upper limbs are bent, and the bar is pulled up in the direction of the shoulder blades.
5. As you exhale, the sports equipment drops down.

It is recommended to perform 6 repetitions in 3 sets. The exercise was developed by the famous bodybuilder Lee Haney, and named after him.

Romanian traction with dumbbells

This exercise is performed on a similar principle as the classic deadlift using a bar. In this case, dumbbells are used.

The technical aspect of training consists in the following actions:

1. You need to put your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Pick up a dumbbell working weight.
3. Lean forward and align your back.
4. On inspiration, unbend the lower back and return the body to a vertical position.
5. As you exhale, lean forward again.

It is necessary to perform 12 repetitions in 3 sets. If we compare the exercise with deadlift, then the latter type of training is more effective.

A set of exercises for the home

In the home, you can only perform basic exercises for the development of the trapezius muscles.

In this case, the training process may look like this:

• Monday – warm-up, deadlift, lifting the barbell to the chin, push-ups on the uneven bars (12 repetitions of 3 sets);
• Tuesday – rest and restoration of muscle tissue;
• Wednesday – warm-up, wiring with improvised weights, Romanian traction with dumbbells, push-ups from the floor (15 times in 3 sets);
• Thursday – day of muscle recovery and enhanced nutrition;
• Friday – a farmer’s walk with kettlebells, tilt barbell pull, pull-ups on the horizontal bar (10 times in 3 sets)
• Saturday – cardiological training, which involves jogging at a distance of 1 mile.

Sunday is a day of complete rest, restoration of physical strength, enhanced nutrition and psychological preparation for the next weekly training.

A set of exercises for the gym

Performing a set of exercises for the trapezius muscles in a gym makes it possible to organize a training process with the participation of a personal trainer or fitness instructor.

The trapezoid pumping program may look like this:

• Monday – muscle warming up, Lee Haney’s pull, Romanian dumbbell pull, pulling the kettlebell to the belt;
• Tuesday – enhanced nutrition, daytime sleep and body recovery;
• Wednesday – warming up muscle fibers, wiring the dumbbell to the sides, push-ups from the floor (15 times in 3 sets), lifting the dumbbells behind your back;
• Thursday – muscle recovery, enhanced nutrition, daytime sleep and good rest;
• Friday – shrugs on an inclined bench with dumbbells, pull-ups on the horizontal bar (10 times in 3 sets), shrugs with weight behind.
• Saturday – a comprehensive training of the cardiovascular system, which includes jogging on a treadmill (distance 1 mile), squats (20 reps for 5 sets);
• Sunday – a plentiful drink, enhanced nutrition, daytime sleep and complete psycho-emotional calm, aimed at restoring the physical strength of the body.

Exercises that are performed on the trapezius muscle include the use of sports equipment such as barbells, weights, dumbbells, pancakes. Most of the training for this part of the thoracic and cervical spine is a forceful traction of weight in conditions when the athlete’s body is in a horizontal position on the bench for bench press, or is slightly inclined forward.

The first positive result of pumping the trapezius muscle can be observed after 2 months of intense training.

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