Society has set these standards, and as a result, many people are overworked, underpaid, in debt, divorced, and unhappy. I call them traps.

A big yoke equals instant respect. No one wants to screw with a guy that has a big neck and a thick yoke.

Traptimus Prime. Trapsquatch. Triceratraps. Trapasaurus Flex. Trap Lord. Trappleberry Finn. Traptain America. Whoever you want to be, this will get those muscle mounds growing like a Chia-pet.

Stop thinking of your traps and start thinking of your clavicles.

Joey Smith gives the secret to getting “meat hooks” like his.

Elitefts™ Founder Dave Tate and Elitefts™ Advisor and Owner of Mountain Dog Training and Nutrition John Meadows demonstrate prone rows with grenades and chains at the Elitefts™ S4 Compound.

John Meadows performs a Chained Deadlift with Shrugs

Livin’ that Shrug Life like Trapzilla

The beloved symbol of masculine strength and power: the yoke.

Elitefts™ Advisor and Owner of Mountain Dog Training performs a shrug variation at the S4 Compound using elitefts™ Pro Strong Bands.

Set of upright rows with rope handle attached to a kettlebell. First half of the set with overhand grip and second with underhand grip

Josh McMillan gives the lowdown on his calves and traps work.

The Swiss Bar military press is a great exercise to improve the strength of your shoulders and triceps.

This exercise works your posterior chain like no other.

One good tip is to try and keep your chin down. This will keep you from pulling into the start of a chin.

Those who enjoy oly lifts, this is a great way to perform 1 arm snatches.

Just don’t do the New Jersey Roll.

Exercise should be done with minimal deviation from neutral.

To start, set the bar in the power rack at approximately waist height.

The lifter will perform a bent over row and hip extension movement with multiple plates.

Another plus is that there truly is no resisting the bells on the way down.

Setup in a T-bar and perform protractions and retractions with head in neutral

In the gym, you know that one bar where the end collar is always loose?

The Rickshaw deadlift is very similar to a rack deadlift in that it is a limited range of motion.

Who doesn’t want a bigger upper back and traps?

Your plan to own your own set of farmers.

On the pick-up keep your back tight with a good arch.

Yoke development, pinch and support grip strength.

The rotator bar has a reverse angle to the ends making it an excellent choose for targeting the muscles of the lats and rotator cuff.

The face pull is a great movement for bringing up the upper back and traps.

Remember when you found out there was no Santa Claus and how disappointed you were?

This is a great exercise to develop your upper back.

When you train in a gym with very limited equipment you come up with interesting ways to train different muscles.

This exercise is designed to work your upper back and traps.

First off we need to see what this really is and then break it down.

This exercise is certainly different; no barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell.

This is another Yoke variation on the standard upright row.

I was first introduced to the upright row when I was in high school.

Get under the bar, unrack the weight, and take a moderate to wide stance.

Pick it up and shrug it, there you go.

Pretty simple. Stand between the two bars.

This is a great exercise to build up your traps.

This max effort exercise is designed to test overall body strength.

I have talked extensively about building a big yoke.

Using Bands with Pin Pulls is a great way to get extra work out of the glutes.

This movement is unreal for bringing up your deadlift.

This is an excellent exercise that can be done at home for extra upper back work.