60 Minutes Intermediate Traps Workout with Barbell
A 60 minutes muscle building workout targeting your traps using barbell equipment. 5 exercises, 18 total sets, designed for intermediate lifters.
60 Minutes
Duration
18
Total Sets
8-12 reps
Rep Range
~756
Est. Calories
The Workout
Start with this as your primary movement. Warm up with 2 lighter sets first.
Form cues
- Set the barbell on rack pins at or just below knee height.
- Grip the bar with a mixed or hook grip at shoulder-width.
- Pull the bar to lockout by extending the hips.
Advanced movement — prioritize form over weight.
Form cues
- Set up as you would for a deadlift with a shoulder-width or slightly wider grip.
- Drive through the floor and extend the hips explosively.
- As the bar passes your waist, shrug hard and pull your elbows high — the bar should reach upper chest height.
Stand with feet shoulder-width, holding the barbell at arm's length with an overhand or mixed grip.
Form cues
- Stand with feet shoulder-width, holding the barbell at arm's length with an overhand or mixed grip.
- Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears.
- Hold the peak contraction for 1-2 seconds — squeeze hard.
Advanced movement — prioritize form over weight.
Form cues
- Press or snatch a barbell to full lockout overhead with a wide grip.
- Without bending the elbows, shrug your shoulders up toward the ceiling.
- Focus on elevating the shoulder blades — the movement range is small but powerful.
Finish strong — take the last set close to failure.
Form cues
- Set the safety pins at knee height or slightly above.
- Grip the bar with an overhand or mixed grip.
- Brace your core and pull the bar up to lockout.
Why This Workout Works
This workout is built around the principles of muscle building training. Use moderate loads (65-80% of your 1RM) with controlled eccentrics and full range of motion. Prioritize progressive overload by adding reps before adding weight. Train each muscle group 2x per week with 10-20 hard sets per muscle per week.
Training Parameters
- Rep Range: 8-12 reps — the hypertrophy sweet spot for maximum muscle growth
- Rest Periods: 60-90 seconds — long enough for quality reps, short enough for metabolic stress
- Sets Per Exercise: 3-4 sets — optimized for muscle building
Traps Training Tips
- *Heavy shrugs build the upper traps but neglect the mid and lower traps — add face pulls and prone Y-raises.
- *Hold the peak contraction for 1-2 seconds on shrugs instead of bouncing the weight.
- *Deadlifts and rack pulls are underrated trap builders — heavy isometric loading is very effective.
Get this traps workout personalized for you
Revy's AI will analyze your training history, recovery status, and strength levels to customize every set, rep, and weight for maximum muscle building results.