Want to build amazing traps with a resistance band? Don’t worry, I’m here to help you out.
After training hundreds of clients, I assure you that resistance bands build trap faster and as effectively as traditional weights.
Bands provide continuous tension, which helps in deeper muscle fibre recruitment and more growth trap (the upper, lower, and middle traps) stimulation with less joint stress.
This guide’ll show you my top 8 resistance band trap exercises and PRO TIPS.
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5 Best Resistance Band Trap Exercises
Some of the best resistance band traps to add to your workout routine include:
1. Resistance Band Face Pull
The resistance band face pull is a highly effective exercise that primarily targets the rear deltoids, traps, and the muscles around the scapula.
Face pulls work wonders for correcting forward-rounded shoulders, a common issue caused by modern sedentary lifestyles. Strengthening the muscles responsible for retracting the scapula can lead to improved posture.
The band’s tension greatly activates the rear delt and upper back, making it an excellent warm-up before an upper-body training session.
How To Do
- Securely anchor the band slightly above shoulder height.
- This angle helps recruit the lower traps and promotes slight downward rotation of the scapula, counteracting upper trap dominance.
- Stand facing the anchor point with feet shoulder-width apart or staggered for added stability. Maintain a slight athletic bend in the knees.
- Use a neutral grip (palms facing each other) or a slightly pronated grip (palms down). Wrap the band securely around your hands or use handles if available.
- Take a few steps back to create initial tension. Pull the band towards your face and aim for a spot around your forehead or just above your eyebrows.
- As your hands get close to your face (elbows bent around 90 degrees), squeeze those back muscles hard.
- Slowly and under control, let the band stretch your arms back to the starting position.
Pro Tips
- Stand straight with your feet in a comfortable, balanced stance.
- Think about trying to pinch your shoulder blades as tight as possible when pulling weight toward your face.
- Constantly remind yourself to keep your shoulders away from your ears. This ensures you use your mid/lower traps and rhomboids, not just shrugging with the upper traps.
- Your upper arms should be straight out to your sides with elbows bent.
2. Resistance Band Standing Reverse Fly
This movement can be done on shoulder day, targeting the rear delts and lower trap. However, we also like to hit it on a back day, as the rear delts often need to double the weekly work.
The band reverse fly resembles the motion of a reverse fly you’d perform on a machine. The difference is that resistance bands provide constant tension throughout the exercise.
The reverse fly with bands will work your rhomboids, rear delts, and traps.
How To Do
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, keeping a slight knee bend.
- Place a band around a stationary post, such as a squat rack.
- Hold the exercise band before you with your hands slightly lower than your shoulders.
- Keep your elbows slightly soft to avoid hyperextending the joint.
- Squeeze the shoulder blades together and open the arms out to either side, pulling the band apart and squeezing your shoulder blades.
- Return to start and repeat, keeping tension on the band the entire time.
- Repeat 8-10 reps.
Pro Tips
- Squeeze and hold once you reach the peak contraction.
- Keep your core engaged throughout each set.
- Try to keep your elbows up so you can target your upper back muscles correctly.
Related: 20 Best Trap Workout and Exercises for Mass and Strength
3. Resistance Band Shrug
Unlike face pulls or reverse flies, which heavily involve scapular retraction and posterior delts, the band shrug is primarily a scapular elevation movement that helps build the upper trapezius muscle.
Shrugs are the “hulking” exercise that can build you big traps. The band shrug is a variation of the dumbbell shrug.
How To Do
- stands squarely on the center of the resistance band. Feet should be roughly hip to shoulder-width apart, planted firmly and symmetrically.
- Grab the ends of the band with an overhand grip (palms facing inwards, towards your body).
- Stands tall with good posture – chest up, shoulders naturally down and relaxed, neutral spine, looking straight ahead.
- Actively pull their shoulders straight up towards their ears. Think vertical motion only.
- Emphasise that this is a shoulder movement, not an arm pull. Arms should remain mostly straight, maintaining that slight elbow bend throughout.
- At the very top of the movement, squeeze your upper traps as hard as possible.
- Slowly and deliberately lower the shoulders back to the starting position. Allow the shoulders to descend and feel the stretch, but maintain full control.
Pro Tips
- Prevent from rolling your shoulders, as this is an incorrect form and can result in injury.
- Avoid bending your elbows to complete the motion.
Know More: Shrug Exercise: Benefits, Variations, Muscles Used, Tips
4. Resistance Band Upright Row
The resistance band upright row targets the upper back and shoulder muscles, including the deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids, and biceps. It is an excellent addition to any full-body workout.
The band keeps tension on the muscles throughout the entire range of motion, ultimately increasing muscle activation and hypertrophy.
How To Do
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place the resistance band under your feet. You can adjust the foot width to change the band tension.
- Grab the handles (or the band itself) with an overhand grip (palms facing your body). Your hands should be relatively close together, usually within shoulder-width.
- Start with your arms extended downwards in front of your thighs, maintaining some tension on the band.
- Exhale and pull the band upwards towards your chin. Start by lifting your elbows up and out to the sides.
- Inhale and slowly lower the band with control to the starting position.
Pro Tips
- Lifting your elbows above your shoulders can pinch your rotator cuff. To avoid shoulder pain, stop at chin level.
- Keep your body stationary throughout the exercise, using only your arms.
- Use a lighter band or stand on one end of the band with one foot to reduce tension. This helped my newbie clients master form without strain.
Know More: Upright Row: Muscle Worked, How To Do And Form
5. Resistance Band Seated Row
Seated Rows with Resistance Bands primarily target the traps, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, rear delts, and biceps. It will also work your erector spinae, as you need your lower back to stabilize your movement.
Resistance bands are easy to carry and use so you can do seated rows almost anywhere.
How To Do
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended. Loop the resistance band around the soles of your feet and hold one end in each hand.
- Keep your posture erect and your lower back slightly arched.
- Slowly pull the handles to your lower abdomen, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
- As the handles touch your body, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Then, reverse direction, slowly returning to the start position.
Pro Tips
- Retract your shoulder blades as you pull the band back.
- Maintain your legs extended with just a slight bend in the knee, and keep your shoulders back.
What is the Trapezius Muscle?
The trapezius, aka trap, is a large muscle in your back. It starts at the base of your neck and extends across your shoulders and down to the middle of your back. It looks like a trapezoid (a shape with four sides, two of which are parallel).
Healthcare providers divide the trapezius into three areas. Each area helps you with a specific kind of movement.
The three parts of the trapezius help you move your head, stand up straight, bend or twist your torso, and raise your arms.
As mentioned above, the trapezius muscle is divided into 3 areas:
References
- Ronai, Peter MS, CSCS, RCEP: Exercise Modifications and Strategies to Enhance Shoulder Function. Strength and Conditioning Journal: August 2005 – Volume 27 – Issue 4 – p 36-45
- McAllister M, Schilling B, Hammond K, Weiss L, Farney T. Effect of grip width on electromyographic activity during the upright row. J Strength Cond PMID: 22362088 DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31824f23ad
- Cools AM, Witvrouw EE, Declercq GA, Danneels LA, Cambier DC. Scapular muscle recruitment patterns: Trapezius muscle latency with and without impingement symptoms. Am J Sports Med 31: 542–549, 2003.
Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.
Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.