One of the benefits of heavy deadlifts is the trap-building results they can deliver, but not everyone is able – or wants – to pull heavy weight from the floor.
As coach Judd Lienhard explains in a YouTube video, the basics such as deadlifts do work. ‘The problem is though, as we age, some of us can’t really do those basics anymore,’ he says. ‘I do still heavy row and deadlift, but I don't do that as often as I used to.’
Instead, Lienhard uses a series of variations to target the traps without relying solely on heavy compound lifts.
‘The traps are an honest muscle,’ he says. ‘It's hard to have big traps without lifting heavy, but sometimes we have to be able to isolate that muscle.’
How to Build Bigger Traps Without Heavy Deadlifts
1/ Barbell Hang High Pull
‘A high pull is fundamentally different from an upright row,’ says Lienhard.
He explains: ‘You need to generate enough momentum on the way up so that the way down eccentrically overloads the trapezius muscle at speed and at length. That’s what we’re trying to do.’
What to read next
‘You’re using that hinge like in a hang clean to generate the concentric phase, so you can use eccentric overload to grow the traps.’
2/ Catch Hang High Pull
This variation involves briefly releasing the bar at the top of the movement before catching it again on the descent.
‘You allow the bar to begin accelerating slightly on the way down, then catch it halfway,’ Lienhard explains.
‘That way, you take even more advantage of eccentric loading because you’re trying to stop it in a shorter amount of time. You can use a lot less weight and still generate a huge overload.’
3/ Banded Kettlebell High Pull
Lienhard likes combining a resistance band with kettlebell high pulls for both comfort and resistance.
‘It aligns your wrist so it can stay neutral,’ he says. ‘It also puts your elbow in a much more comfortable position.’
The band additionally reduces momentum at the bottom of the movement, forcing the muscles to work harder throughout the pull while creating more eccentric tension on the way down.
4/ Kelso Shrug Variation
Lienhard also includes a chest-supported Kelso shrug variation designed to train the traps through both scapular movement and thoracic extension.
‘A Kelso shrug, you just stay here and pull your traps up and back,’ he explains.
‘Start fully pronated and protracted. Get a good stretch. Chin down. Pull your traps back first. Lift and squeeze.’
Lienhard says the exercise highlights an often-overlooked function of the traps: thoracic extension.
5/ Half-Kneeling Kettlebell High Pull
‘I like this because it incorporates a front-swing motion and hip hinge,’ he says.
Rather than simply shrugging upwards, the movement trains multiple trap functions simultaneously, including scapular elevation and retraction.
‘Your traps get a great stretch and a great contraction at the end,’ Lienhard adds.
6/ Standing Single-Arm High Pull
The standing single-arm variation adds a balance component alongside the pulling work.
‘You’re using a hip hinge with a little bit of support for balance to perform repeated single-arm high pulls,’ says Lienhard.
He notes that the slight hinge shifts the pulling angle in favour of the traps.
‘Do you see how I’m slightly hinged? That changes the angle of pull both up and back in a way the traps really like.’
7/ Alternating Kettlebell High Pull
Lienhard prefers unilateral trap work because it allows a greater stretch on each side.
‘When you work unilaterally, you get a slightly better range of motion and stretch per side,’ he explains.
‘My goal isn’t to drive my elbows super high. It’s to explode with the traps and create a strong eccentric overload.’
He also likes the slight swing element built into the exercise.
8/ Alternating Shrug Variation with Thoracic Extension
Lienhard says he rarely performs traditional shrugs anymore.
‘It’s not because I don’t like shrugs. It’s more about the time-to-benefit ratio,’ he explains.
Instead, he prefers an alternating shrug variation that combines scapular elevation, scapular retraction and thoracic extension all in one movement.
‘When you stand up and pull this towards your ear, you’re working thoracic extension along with scapular retraction and elevation,’ he says. ‘Those are three really important functions of the traps.’
He adds: ‘A lot of people go really heavy with shrugs and just bounce them up and down. That’s fine. I just like this version much better because it gives me a really good stretch.’
