Few muscles in the body transform our physique like a solid set of traps. Running across the back of the shoulders, this broad, flat muscle makes up a large portion of our upper body mass.
The size and shape add to the thickness of the upper back and neck. This makes it an excellent muscle to target to develop a well-balanced physique.
In this article, we share the seven best trap dumbbell exercises. We cover proper technique, expert tips, and workout routines to create a thick, muscular, athletic-looking upper back.
7 Dumbbell Exercises For Traps
These are the seven trap dumbbell exercises to transform your physique in 2025:
- Dumbbell Bent-Over Row.
- Incline Dumbbell Row.
- Dumbbell Upright Row.
- Dumbbell Deadlift.
- Dumbbell Shrug.
- Dumbbell Incline Y Raise.
- Dumbbell Head Supported Row.
These use various equipment and angles to target the trapezius. They can be performed together to increase training volume and stimulate muscle growth.
7 Trap Dumbbell Exercises
These are the seven best trap dumbbell exercises. Below we list a step-by-step technique guide, load recommendations, and training tips to help you increase muscle mass and enhance your physique.
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
The dumbbell bent-over row is an upper-body compound exercise that increases muscle mass. The primary movers are the latissimus dorsi. The secondary movers are the trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoid, biceps, forearm flexor, and extensors.
This exercise enables us to overload all major back muscles, allowing us to significantly increase resistance to maximize muscle growth.
How To Do
- While standing, pick up your dumbbell and rest it in the neutral grip position at the side of your thighs.
- Lean forward at the hips and allow your arms to hang directly below your shoulders.
- Inhale and engage your core muscles.
- Exhale, and with your elbows tucked to your sides, row the dumbbell back, diagonally bringing the weight closer to the abdomen.
- Row until the dumbbells make contact with the side of your trunk. Pause briefly, then lower them back down to the starting position.
Tips
- Concentrate on correct breathing and keeping your core muscles engaged for the duration of each set. This will reduce unwanted movement and improve lifting capacity.
- If needed, set your shoulder blade back before the movement. This will ensure proper form.
- Focus on pulling back with your elbows. This will improve your ability to target your back muscles.
Optimal Sets & Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Incline Dumbbell Row
The incline dumbbell row is designed to target the upper back and shoulders. The incline bench supports the body, reducing movement, and allowing better engagement of the targetted muscles. The trapezius primary mover. The posterior deltoid, rhomboids, brachialis, brachioradialis, wrist flexors, and wrist extensors are the secondary movers.
How To Do
- Adjust your incline bench to a 45-degree angle.
- Place a pair of dumbbells on the floor at the head of the bench.
- Lie face down, resting your chest on the head of the bench. Straighten your legs and rest your weight on the balls of your feet.
- Reach down, grab your dumbbells, and hold them using an overhand grip.
- Breathe in and engage your core muscles.
- Breathe out and row the dumbbells back moving your elbows out to the side. Continue until the dumbbells are at chest height.
- Pause briefly, then lower them back to the starting position.
Tips
- Keep your legs straight and rest your weight on your toes. This will help you form a solid base.
- Focus on pulling back through your elbows. This will improve your ability to target your upper back muscles.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Upright Row
The dumbbell upright row is a great exercise for overloading the upper back and shoulders. Smaller than many back exercises, it can be added toward the end of your back workout. This will increase training volume, promoting greater muscle growth.
The primary movers are the deltoids. The posterior deltoid, biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis, wrist flexors, and wrist extensors are the secondary movers.
We recommend performing it alongside these dumbbell back exercises to increase muscle growth.
How To Do
- Standing upright, grab your dumbbells in each hand and hold them in front of your legs with an overhand grip.
- Position your feet shoulder-width apart to create a stable base.
- Gently pull your shoulder blades back and down for proper form.
- Breathe in and engage your abdominal muscles.
- Exhale and row the dumbbells up toward your collarbones.
- Pause for one second, then lower them back to the starting position.
Tips
- Maintain an upright posture for the duration of the set. This will help you target your upper back muscles.
- Focus on proper breathing and keeping your core engaged. This will improve your ability to engage your target muscles.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Deadlift
The dumbbell deadlift large compound exercise is great for functional strength training. Designed to target the glutes and mimic optimal lifting technique, this exercise also engaged the traps. This makes it a powerful functional movement that can be carried into daily life.
Meanwhile, it uses multiple muscle groups, enabling us to significantly increase resistance. This allows us to increase muscle growth and strength.
How To Do
- Standing upright, grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them with an overhand grip at the front of your thighs.
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart to form a solid base.
- Gently engage your shoulder blades.
- Take a breath in and activate your core muscles.
- Push your hips back while moving forward at your torso and, lower the dumbbell down the front of your legs.
- Once the dumbbells pass your knees, allow your knee to bend, and continue lowering until the dumbbells reach mid-shin.
- From here, pull the dumbbells back up by pushing up through your legs to return to the upright position.
Tips
- Maintain an upright chest for the duration of the set. This will help maintain a neutral spine and improve your lifting technique.
- If you feel like you have performed a repetition poorly reset your positioning at the top of each rep. This can be done by forming a proud chest and re-engaging your abdominal muscles.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–10 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12+ |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Shrug
The dumbbell shrug is one of the simplest ways to engage the trapezius and enhance our physique. The primary mover is the upper trapezius, and the secondary movers are the biceps and forearms.
The trapezius muscle makes up a large portion of the upper back. By overloading it directly we can promote growth, helping us develop a well-balanced physique. We recommend adding it to your shoulders and traps workout to increase muscle.
How To Do
- While standing, grab a dumbbell in each hand using an overhead grip.
- Position them at the side of your body so your palms are facing your thighs.
- Plant your feet flat on the floor shoulder-width apart.
- Breathe in to engage your core muscles.
- Breathe out, and shrug your shoulders up toward your ears.
- Then gradually lower your shoulders back to the starting position.
Tips
- Focus on squeezing your trapezius with each repetition. This will improve your mind-muscle connection, improving your results.
- Keep your proud chest upright for the duration of the set. This will improve trapezius muscle engagement.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Incline Y Raise
The dumbbell incline Y raise is a great upper-body isolation exercise for targeting the trapezius.
The lying position offers a stable base that enables us to focus on engaging the muscles of the upper back. The primary mover is the trapezius and the deltoids are the secondary movers.
Isolation exercises are great for specifically targeting specific muscle groups, allowing us to increase total training volume. This makes the dumbbell incline Y raise great for your upper-body dumbbell workout.
How To Do
- Set up your incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
- Place your dumbbells on the floor at the head of the bench.
- Lie face down on the bench and position your toes firmly on the floor.
- Pick up the dumbbells with an overhand grip, and allow them to hang below your shoulders.
- Inhale and activate your abdominal muscles.
- Exhale and raise the dumbbell in front of your body until your arms are in line with your body.
- Then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Tips
- We suggest using a lighter weight as the movement targets smaller muscle groups. This will help improve trapezius muscle activation, enhancing results.
- Focus on correct breathing techniques and bracing your core for the duration of the set. This will increase torso rigidity and create a solid base.
- Avoid raising your shoulders toward your ears in this exercise. If that is occurring, lower the weight.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 6–8 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 2–3 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Head Supported Row
The dumbbell head-supported row is an advanced exercise that is great for increasing muscle mass. During the movement, the legs, core, spine, and head work together to stabilize the body.
The primary movers is the trapezius. The secondary movers are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis, wrist flexors, and wrist extensors.
This is a challenging movement that requires significant upper body and core strength. We recommend that only experienced lifters perform this exercise.
How To Do
- Adjust your bench to a 45-degree angle, and place a pair of dumbbells are the head of the bench on the floor.
- Stand at the head of the bench and position your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lean forward at the hips, and rest your head on the head of the bench.
- Reach down and grab your dumbbells using an overhand grip and allow them to hang directly below your shoulders.
- Inhale and engage your core muscles.
- Exhale and row the dumbbells up to your body with your elbows out to the side.
- Once the dumbbells reach chest height, gradually lower them to the starting position.
Tips
- If it is your first time performing the movement, we recommend using a lighter weight. This will help you familiarize yourself with the movement, and the demand the weight places on your head and neck.
- Keep your core engaged for the duration of the movement. This will keep your torso rigid and distribute the weight across the spine.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 2–3 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Explosive) |
Best Dumbbell Traps Workout Routine
The workout below combines the exercise above to create a trap dumbbell exercise routine. This is a muscle-building workout, with additional high-repetition exercises to improve endurance.
For the dumbbell head-supported row, we recommend selecting a lighter weight. As mentioned, it is a challenging movement that requires considerable core, back, and neck strength. Once you are confident with the technique, gradually increase resistance to avoid injury.
Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Deadlift | 3–4 x 6–8 | 45–60 seconds |
| Dumbbell Bent-Over Row | 3–4 x 6–8 | 30–45 seconds |
| Dumbbell Head Supported Row | 3–4 x 10–12 | 30–45 seconds |
| Dumbbell Incline Row | 3–4 x 10–12 | 30–45 seconds |
| Dumbbell Upright Row | 3–4 x 12–15 | 30–45 seconds |
| Dumbbell Incline Y Raise | 3–4 x 12–15 | 30–45 seconds |
| Dumbbell Shrug | 3–4 x 10–12 | 45–60 seconds |
Benefits Of Trap Workouts With Dumbbells
Performing trap dumbbell exercises is an excellent way to increase muscle mass, functional strength, and appearance. Below we list three benefits of trap dumbbell exercises.
Increase Strength
Developing strength requires us to produce maximal force against an external resistance, such as dumbbells. Our back muscles are capable of considerable strength. It contains many large muscle groups, such as the trapezius and latissimus dorsi. These can be progressively overloaded using increased sets, repetitions, resistance, and intensity to improve strength.
The dumbbell bent-over row and dumbbell deadlift are large compound lifts that utilize the strength of the upper body muscles. This means we can increase resistance to near-maximal loads, elevating intensity and enhancing our strength.
Balanced Physique
Building a balanced physique requires increasing muscle mass to develop symmetry. This can be achieved by performing a combination of compound and isolation exercises to increase total training volume.
Compound exercises target multiple muscle groups. This enables us to increase resistance and intensity to stimulate growth. Meanwhile, isolation exercise can increase the volume of specific muscles, enabling us to promote growth and symmetry.
The trap dumbbell exercises listed above are prime examples of compound and isolation exercises. Exercise such as the dumbbell bent-over row can help to increase muscle mass. While the dumbbell incline Y raises can help you specifically target and increase the mass and symmetry of the trapezius.
Affordable
Training with dumbbells provides us with an affordable means of increasing muscle mass and strength. Exercise equipment such as machines, barbells, and cables are traditionally expensive. This creates a barrier to entry for those who can’t afford to get to the gym or buy equipment to set up their home gym.
Meanwhile, dumbbells are far more affordable and can be purchased with adjustable resistance. This provides us with affordable alternatives, allowing us to increase strength, and muscle at home.
Tips To Maximize The Benefits Of Dumbbell Trap Exercises
- Concentrate on performing the exercise with correct breathing and keeping your core engaged for the duration of the set. Breathing increases intra-abdominal pressure, which is the pressure within the abdomen. This will increase torso rigidity and stabilize the spine, improving your lifting capacity.
- Ensure your feet are firmly planted on the floor shoulder-width apart. This will create a stable base, reducing unwanted movement, and improving lifting capacity.
- During the row-based movements, focus on pulling back through the elbows. This will improve your ability to engage your back muscles.
- Perform each exercise with the correct technique, and focus on movement through a full range of motion. This can increase strength and muscle mass.
- Aim to maintain a neutral spine or upright posture when performing these movements. This will improve your ability to target your back muscles.
- Consider performing your trap dumbbell exercise two to three times weekly. This will increase total training volume, which can increase muscle growth.
- To maximize muscle growth, eat a calorie surplus with a focus on protein. We recommend consuming 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This will provide your body with adequate protein for recovery and muscle growth.
Conclusion
Trap dumbbell exercises target some of our body’s biggest and strongest muscles. Consisting of compound and isolation exercises, they can be used to overload our upper body to increase mass, strength, and symmetry. This will help you develop a well-balanced physique and improve functional strength.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can work your traps with dumbbells by performing exercises such as dumbbell shrugs, incline rows and incline Y raises. These movements specifically target the trapezius, promoting muscle growth.
Dumbbell raises do work the traps. During the movement, the trapezius shortens to perform upward and downward rotation of the scapula. Allows for a smooth, fluid movement of the shoulder joint.
The traps are a pull muscle. Exercises such as shrugs, rows, and raises target the back muscles used in row-based movement.
Your trapezius may not be growing due to inadequate stimulus, or insufficient calorie and protein intake. For trapezius hypertrophy, train two to three times weekly, and eat a calorie surplus while consuming 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Resources
Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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About the Author
Ben Dillon, BHSc, PT Musculoskeletal Therapist & Personal Trainer
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