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The Best Trap and Neck Exercises, Ranked

Five exercises for your traps and neck in the order worth trying them, plus every other exercise in the library that trains them.

5 ranked picks12 exercises

By Jobri Fitness

The short answer

Heavy pulls like deadlifts and rows already train your traps. To work them directly, add shrugs or farmer's carries. Neck exercises are optional; if you do them, start very light.

The 5 best trap and neck exercises

  1. Shrug

    Dumbbell

    The direct trap exercise: lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears and pause at the top. Dumbbells let your arms hang naturally at your sides.

    How to do it: Shrug

    Also with: Machine, Cable, Barbell, Smith machine, Kettlebell

  2. Farmer's Carry

    Dumbbell

    Walking with heavy dumbbells works your traps, grip and core at once, and it's easy to progress by adding weight or distance.

    How to do it: Farmer's Carry

    Also with: Kettlebell

  3. Upright Row

    Cable

    Works the traps and side delts together. Stop at chest height if raising your elbows higher feels uncomfortable.

    How to do it: Upright Row

    Also with: Dumbbell, EZ bar, Barbell, Smith machine

  4. Scapular Pull Up

    Bodyweight

    Hang from a bar and pull your shoulder blades down without bending your arms. It teaches the start of a pull up and trains the lower traps.

    How to do it: Scapular Pull Up

    Bodyweight only

  5. Neck Curl

    Bodyweight

    Direct work for the front of the neck. Start very light, since the neck muscles are small.

    How to do it: Neck Curl

    Bodyweight only

How these are ranked

The order puts the exercises that load the traps most directly and are easiest to progress first: shrugs and carries both take heavy weight in small steps. The upright row also works the side delts, and the scapular pull up trains the lower traps, which shrugs barely reach. If a lower pick suits you better, use it.

How much trap and neck work you need

The number of hard sets you do each week matters more than which exercise you pick. How many sets per week to build muscle covers the numbers. The training volume calculator counts your weekly sets per muscle, and the workout plan generator builds a week around them.

All 12 trap and neck exercises

  • Band Shrug
  • Clean
  • Clean and Jerk
  • Clean Pull
  • Farmer's Carry
  • Hang Clean
  • Neck Curl
  • Neck Extension
  • Power Clean
  • Scapular Pull Up
  • Shrug
  • Upright Row

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