Actor Tom Hardy’s portrayal of the menacing Bane in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises is iconic for his ruthlessness, unforgettable voice, and jacked traps. These upper back and neck muscles have three heads — upper, middle, and lower — that lift, retract, and depress the shoulders.
In early December 2024, Dr. Mike Israetel channeled his inner Bane during a trap workout with former Women’s Physique Olympia champion Dana Linn Bailey.
Israetel’s 5 Exercises for Huge Traps
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Since the upper traps are important for appearing big, Dr. Israetel focused on exercises for them. The middle and lower traps garner enough stimulus from rowing exercises. His advice regarding exercise is, “Do as many sets as you have to until [you need a change]. If the weight feels good, keep going.”
Deadlift for Overall Big Traps
Deadlifters usually have huge traps. But if you don’t deadlift, you should do more trap-specific movements for comparable results.
The middle and lower traps are most activated in the bent-over position at the start of a deadlift and halfway through the pull. The upper traps are more engaged at the top.
“The traps benefit from [high] volume,” Dr. Israetel instructed, suggesting four to five sets of 10 to 15 reps for best results.
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts for Time Under Tension
Dr. Israetel offered a stiff-leg deadlift with an isometric shrug as an alternative or alongside conventional deadlifts to hit the traps without lifting too heavy.
“Push your chest, tummy, and back out. Elevate your traps the entire time,” Dr. Israetel demonstrated. “It’s a very slow eccentric. All the reps take time.”
Keep your shoulders shrugged as long as you can. “You’re slowly performing an eccentric contraction,” Israetel described. “The maximum force at the top pulling you apart is insanely muscle growth promoting.”
Y-Raise
While Bane might scoff at such an exercise, the prone Y-raise is widely considered the gold standard for building the lower traps. (1) It involves upward scapular rotation — the muscles elevate in a circular motion, another function of the traps besides shrugging the shoulders.
Y-raises hammer the rear delts. Use lighter weights for the following variation:
- Lie prone on a bench at a 45-degree incline with your toes on the floor and arms hanging relaxed. Raise your arms as high as possible so your body forms the letter “Y.” Pause for a second, then slowly lower.
Super Range of Motion Lateral Raise
“One of the best ways to train traps is by training your shoulders,” Israetel argued. Trainers often advise minimizing trapezius activation, particularly during side lateral raises, to isolate the outer delts. Israetel disagrees, “Your delts are trained just the same, except your traps help.”
The super range of motion lateral raise is performed by raising the arms all the way to vertical overhead, followed by slow eccentrics. The traps should engage more via this variation.
Shrugs
Shoulder shrugs build mountainous upper traps. Though Israetel used a trap bar, any implement or weights work.
The movement is simple: lift the shoulders, pause and squeeze for two seconds, then lower slowly. Push for more reps if possible. So reaching failure, use the legs and hips to help the weight up, then slowly descend. Let the shoulders fall until you feel the stretch in the traps.
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Featured image: @danalinnbailey on Instagram
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