some help with traps please

kingofallkings · Post by **kingofallkings** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:48 am

hi everyone, i'm new here. what's bothering me is an imbalance in the size of traps. i'm 20 and i've only been doing weight training for about a month, but already i have seen good gains, but even before i started training left trap was much bigger than right (i am right handed if this makes a difference).

basically if i flex left trap it looks pretty massive whereas right one when flexed doesn't seem to move at all. i was told this could be due to lack of muscle control on the right side making me unable to flex it properly, but i find exercises like shrugs much easier on the left side so i don't think its that.

anyway i was just wondering if this is normal and should i just continue to build them both equally (i'm doing dumbell and barbell shrugs and barbell rows) or is there any way to help this.

i have usually been doing traps 2 or 3 times a week

thanks in advance for any advice

Andy

Young J · Post by **Young J** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 1:55 pm

hey
well ive got the same problem well i kinda had it left 1 is bigger than right so wat i just do is like i do one or 2 more sets for the right 1 and its been working
oh and sometimes what ido wen some muscle are uneven i just take a day to work out the muscle that arnt caught up
well sorry if i couldnt be of much help

kingofallkings · Post by **kingofallkings** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:04 pm

cheers for the response.

i was thinking of doing that, but i wasn't sure if it was a good idea to just work one side.

next time i'm working them i will try and go a bit further with right side to try and even them it up

thanks

Young J · Post by **Young J** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:42 pm

ya wen i first did it i tought it was a bad idea bcus i thought that the right one was gonna get really big but it didnt it ended up catching up to the left one i sitll need to catch the right one up a bit

alrite thats good
your welcome

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:30 am

increase the volume for the small side..example

if your doing 3 x 10 for shrugs, do db shrigs and only do for your strong arm what your weak arms does than do 1 extra set for weak side only...3 times a week for traps seems excessive...are you training mid / loweer traps (probably not)...imbalance and postural problems waiting to happen

felguard · Post by **felguard** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:38 am

Whoa, I have the exact same problem also, but solution was to stop doing traps. This very day, left is still bigger than right. I'll try working back no traps now and do an extra on smaller side.

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Tue May 01, 2007 5:25 pm

good idea...once the traps are built up they are one of the only muscles tat don't shrink back to normal size when they are untrained

brad_69 · Post by **brad_69** » Wed May 02, 2007 2:01 am

How does that make any sense? Why dont they atrophy? What makes them so special? I find working them out once a week is a good way to go, I set new records each week, 350 today.

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Wed May 02, 2007 4:06 pm

the traps are postural / slow twitch muscles which mean they are activated constantly to keep you upright so they are always being trained to soe degree so stumulation is constant...i just think there's plenty better exercise that's all but if you love em, do em

brad_69 · Post by **brad_69** » Thu May 03, 2007 12:55 am

I guess that makes sense but couldnt the same be said of rear delts lats abs hamstrings quads etc? Alot of muscles get constant work but if you want to push them to new levels of strength hsouldnt you work them all out?

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Thu May 03, 2007 1:51 am

not neccesarily...the body knows movement not muscles so getting stronger at shrugs isn't actually getting the muscles used stronger but the motor unit pathway stronger and more efficient...not sure if you understand that but getting stronger is your nervous system becoming more efficient (brain sending msg's to muscles via nerves), not actually strenthening 1 muscle that's working...this is why compound exercises are so much better than isolation exercises

brad_69 · Post by **brad_69** » Thu May 03, 2007 11:46 am

Ya I understand I remember ou saying this before. But what I meant is if your weight training in order to put on muscle why not do it for every muscle, rather than letting one stay the same like traps.