Build mountainous traps.

No matter how much you lift, some of us will never achieved that “yoked” look. That look that takes you from a mere man to something out of a superhero movie. But not everyone wants to go there, not everyone wants to go from muscular to monster. For those of you who do, read on.

Most people think traps just sit on top of your shoulders going up to your neck. Not true, the trapezius muscles start mid-back in the center with a ‘V’ going up to (and including) the upper traps that sit on top of the shoulders. The rhomboids are in the upper back beneath the traps.

The Kelso shrug is the perfect exercise for the focused retraction and depression attention traps need to prevent imbalances. This exercise targets the rhomboids and middle/lower traps exceptionally well.

Create a stable base with your feet. With an underhand, shoulder-width grip, grab the bar and lift it by pinching the shoulder blades down and back as hard as possible. Focus on achieving a hard contraction of the lower traps – try to “break the bar” by externally rotating the arms. This makes the shoulder blades come together nicely.

Kelso Shrug w/ dumbbells

This is the same as the exercise above but instead extend the lower back and focus on contracting the lower traps through external rotation of the arms.

Implement both exercises into your gym arsenal and watch your look go from average to dangerous in a matter of weeks.

What do you guys think are the best variation shrugs? Will you add the Kelso shrug to your routine?

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