Middle traps: exercises and how to train
The middle traps run from the upper thoracic vertebrae to the spine of the shoulder blade and the acromion. They pull the shoulder blades toward the spine and lock them in place when you row a weight or hold a bar on your back. They add thickness to the upper back and keep the shoulder blades stable in presses and pulls.
How to train it
Horizontal rows with a full squeeze of the shoulder blades do the job: Barbell row, Seated cable row, T-bar row and Face pull. Drive the elbows back and slightly out, and hold the squeeze for a beat at the end of each rep. Around 8–14 sets of rows a week usually covers the middle traps along with the rhomboids.
Exercises where it is the main mover
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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