Lower traps: exercises and how to train
The lower traps fan out from the middle and lower thoracic vertebrae to the base of the spine of the shoulder blade. They pull the shoulder blade down and, together with the serratus anterior, rotate it upward when your arms go overhead. Think of them as stabilizers that keep the shoulder blade steady in overhead pressing and pull-ups.
How to train it
There is no dedicated catalog exercise for them: the lower traps assist in vertical pulls such as Pull-ups and Chin-ups. Start every rep by pulling your shoulders down away from your ears, then bend the elbows. If you want extra focus, add 2–4 sets of light Y-raises lying face down on an incline bench.
Exercises where it is the main mover
There is no isolation exercise for this muscle in the catalog — it works in the compound lifts listed below.
Exercises where it assists
Weekly sets in ready-made programs
A set where the muscle is primary counts in full, a set where it assists counts as half — the same way the log’s stats count it.
Other back muscles
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