lower lats and traps

[saiyanjin]

i want to develop my lower lats and lower trap area much better, what are some good exercises to achieve this.

[IliekFude]

What do ya mean by lower lats? Can you post an anatomy pic? Do you mean like the finger muscles that run under yr lats above yr obliques? There arent lower lats that i know of.

[Beverly McD.]

Deadlifts http://www.afboard.com/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

[saiyanjin]

What do ya mean by lower lats? Can you post an anatomy pic? Do you mean like the finger muscles that run under yr lats above yr obliques? There arent lower lats that i know of.
well the lat is one muscle you are correct, but there are ways to get the lower end of them better?

[IliekFude]

Nah, not that i know of. Ive tried all kindsa shit from wide pull downs to wide pullups to close grip pullups to suppinated pullups to chest supported rows to bb rows to db rows to seated close grip rows to seated closegrip pulldowns and they all work the same for me so i just stick to close grip rowing style stuff now because its easier on my shoulders than wide grip stuff and it never made a shred of difference. In fact i think i grew a bigger wider thicker back from closer grip rowing than anything else.

[saiyanjin]

Nah, not that i know of. Ive tried all kindsa shit from wide pull downs to wide pullups to close grip pullups to suppinated pullups to chest supported rows to bb rows to db rows to seated close grip rows to seated closegrip pulldowns and they all work the same for me.
gotcha, i have been messing with closegrip underhand pulldowns and of course i do TONS of pullups/chinups for back.

[IliekFude]

i edited a few times sorry. bad habbit.

[Curious George]

If you could work your lower lats than Lee Priest would be a 7 time Mr. Olympia.

It's all insertions and muscle shape. You can make your lats wider, but only Franco Columbo can have lats that look like a cobra.

For width, chins of different variations...pronated, supinated, narrow, neutral, wide, wider.

Traps are a product really of lifting heavy weights, but I think that jump shrugs, power cleans, high pulls and deads do a good job.

You can do some seated dumbell shrugs and then clean them for reps. It will help the rear delts/traps/upperback. A person needs to get their upper back bigger in order to get those traps bigger.

[RagingBull666]

Deadlifts http://www.afboard.com/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

Bev you should have said DEADLIFT!!!!

I shrug every now and then, very heavy and then finish with one high rep set. SS, RB

[T-Cake]

If deadlifts aren't your thing, consider low-cable pullthroughs using a rope attachment. Good mornings might be another option.

Since you're already conditioned for pull-ups/chin-ups, maybe also consider a plyometric move like Kettlebell swings (demo can be seen on Crossfit.com in the demos section). I do these while holding a plate with two hands since my gym doesn't have kettlebells. The point of the move is to help your core control the weight moving in front of you and over your head. Maybe once you see the demo video it'll make more sense.

Finally, another option for trap growth would be wide-grip upright rows. Narrow/should-width grip will grow the lateral delts, but when I switched to a wide grip stance for upright rows... man, my traps really responded.

I like the other suggestions as well. Maybe supersetting some of these moves would help you to grow too. :wiggle:

[Evidence]

Don't want to repeat what anyone said, you got a lot of things to chose from as said above. Bent over lateral raises are great for a thick real delt/upper back area that might hit what you are talking about.

[drdug27]

If you could work your lower lats than Lee Priest would be a 7 time Mr. Olympia.

It's all insertions and muscle shape. You can make your lats wider, but only Franco Columbo can have lats that look like a cobra.

For width, chins of different variations...pronated, supinated, narrow, neutral, wide, wider.

Traps are a product really of lifting heavy weights, but I think that jump shrugs, power cleans, high pulls and deads do a good job.

You can do some seated dumbell shrugs and then clean them for reps. It will help the rear delts/traps/upperback. A person needs to get their upper back bigger in order to get those traps bigger.

Jump Shrugs...could you elaberate???

[Curious George]

My buddy madcow got me doing these:

Use the cage. Set the pins in the cage to slightly above or slightly below the knee. Use a weight that is approx 50 percent of what your 1rm for a shrug is...or at least that is what I do.

Load up the bar. Jump with the weight as your shrugging, in other words use your toes, your hips, basically your whole body to get the weight going. I usually try 20 reps and also do 3 or 4 sets to start. It's a dynamic movement which will help you become explosive, help your speed in your dead at the top end and also put size on your traps and upper back. It's a bit hard on the body at first if not used to dynamic movements, but something that seems to work for me.

Make sure you stop at the bottom of each rep. It's dynamic, but each rep is its own.

[MR.cashcream]

I love jumping/dynamic shrugs, they hit my traps good and hard, great movement I'd suggest to anyone looking to beef up and become more explosive.

[T-Cake]

^^^ A jump shrug is basically the beginner's motion of a clean, except your don't bring up the bar -- your arms will remain hanging. It requires a great deal of control with the shoulder region because you are not to "cheat" and pull up on the bar with your arms -- traps/delts do all the work. Also, when you land, really plant the heel of the foot with purpose, like you're landing a Clean/Jerk or a Snatch.

There's a demonstration video that includes a Jump Shrug somewhere in the "Exercise Demos" section of Crossfit.com, but I just cannot seem to find it right now. :( Grrr! I tried!

[bluetwistedsteel]

deadlifts, rows, pull ups and heavy shrugs - all anybody needs. Forget about upper, lower and all of that stuff. You're either firing the muscle or your not.

[Killer]

You can hit mid and low trap by laying stomach down on a 45 to 30 incline and doing DB raises with arms straight over head, thumb up.

But, it is more of a rehab thing and I am not sure it will pack on the mass you are seeking.

[JG1]

You can hit mid and low trap by laying stomach down on a 45 to 30 incline and doing DB raises with arms straight over head, thumb up.

But, it is more of a rehab thing and I am not sure it will pack on the mass you are seeking.

What about laying on a 30-45 degree bench face down and doing d-bell shrugs? I do these all the time and I feel it more mid trap then upper.

[Evidence]

T-Cake I see you are going for your CSCS, what sports did you play?

[Killer]

JGI - those hit the mid trap more, and esp the rhomboids.

[T-Cake]

I just came back here to say that CG's "Jump Shrugs" are usually called "Clean Pulls". That's why I couldn't find them yesterday.


T-Cake I see you are going for your CSCS, what sports did you play?
I played basketball when I was 10-14.

Then I was a fat kid in the marching band.

Most of my knowledge in the last few years has come from watching the sports and athletes themselves, learning about the sport-specific training (endurance vs power vs strength).

I guess if I had a sport now, it'd be close to CrossFitting -- I do some of everything. I'm an endurance person.