Lying face down (or on an incline bench), extend your arms out at a 45-degree angle to form a "Y" shape. With your thumbs pointing up, lift your arms toward the ceiling by squeezing your shoulder blades down and together. Pro tip: Keep your shoulders away from your ears to ensure the upper traps don't take over.
Stop trying to "stretch" away the tension in your neck. More often than not, the solution isn't relaxation—it's . By strengthening your lower traps, you give your upper body the stable foundation it needs to stand tall and move without pain.
But here’s the plot twist: your upper traps aren’t the villain—they’re a overworked employee covering for a "no-show" coworker. That coworker is your (or "low trap"), and it’s the secret key to unlocking better posture and pain-free shoulders. What is the "Low Trap"? lowwwtrap
In our modern, "hunched-over-a-laptop" world, our lower traps often become weak and overstretched. Because they aren’t doing their job of holding the shoulder blades down, the upper traps have to pull double duty to stabilize your shoulders. This leads to:
The bottom of your shoulder blades might poke out like little wings. Lying face down (or on an incline bench),
The "Low-Trap" Trap: Why Your Posture is Actually Backwards If you spend more than four hours a day at a desk, you’ve likely felt it: that nagging, burning knot at the base of your neck. You might reach back, give it a squeeze, and think, "Man, my traps are so tight. I need to stretch them out."
Most people think of their "traps" as the meaty muscles next to their neck that they shrug during a workout. Those are the . However, the trapezius is actually a giant, diamond-shaped muscle that extends all the way down to the middle of your back. Stop trying to "stretch" away the tension in your neck
When doing cable face pulls, focus on driving your elbows back and slightly down . Using a "thumbs out" grip can help inhibit the upper traps and force the lower fibers to engage. The Bottom Line