{"id":608943,"date":"2026-05-28T18:41:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/608943\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T18:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:41:15","slug":"judd-lienhard-shares-8-moves-to-build-bigger-traps-after-40-without-heavy-deadlifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/608943\/","title":{"rendered":"Judd Lienhard Shares 8 Moves to Build Bigger Traps After 40 \u2013\u00a0Without Heavy Deadlifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the benefits of heavy deadlifts<\/a> is the trap-building results they can deliver, but not everyone is able \u2013 or wants \u2013 to pull heavy weight from the floor.
<\/p>\n

As coach Judd Lienhard<\/a> explains in a YouTube video<\/a>, the basics such as deadlifts do work. \u2018The problem is though, as we age, some of us can\u2019t really do those basics anymore,\u2019 he says. \u2018I do still heavy row and deadlift, but I don’t do that as often as I used to.\u2019<\/p>\n

Instead, Lienhard uses a series of variations to target the traps without relying solely on heavy compound lifts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018The traps are an honest muscle<\/a>,\u2019 he says. \u2018It’s hard to have big traps without lifting heavy, but sometimes we have to be able to isolate that muscle.\u2019<\/p>\n

How to Build Bigger Traps Without Heavy Deadlifts1\/ Barbell Hang High Pull\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

\u2018A high pull is fundamentally different from an upright row,\u2019 says Lienhard.<\/p>\n

He explains: \u2018You 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\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019re using that hinge like in a hang clean to generate the concentric phase, so you can use eccentric overload to grow the traps.\u2019
<\/p>\n

2\/ Catch Hang High Pull\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

This variation involves briefly releasing the bar at the top of the movement before catching it again on the descent.<\/p>\n

\u2018You allow the bar to begin accelerating slightly on the way down, then catch it halfway,\u2019 Lienhard explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018That way, you take even more advantage of eccentric loading because you\u2019re trying to stop it in a shorter amount of time. You can use a lot less weight and still generate a huge overload.\u2019
<\/p>\n

3\/ Banded Kettlebell High Pull\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

Lienhard likes combining a resistance band with kettlebell<\/a> high pulls for both comfort and resistance.<\/p>\n

\u2018It aligns your wrist so it can stay neutral,\u2019 he says. \u2018It also puts your elbow in a much more comfortable position.\u2019<\/p>\n

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.
<\/p>\n

4\/ Kelso Shrug Variation\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

Lienhard also includes a chest-supported Kelso shrug<\/a> variation designed to train the traps through both scapular movement and thoracic extension.<\/p>\n

\u2018A Kelso shrug, you just stay here and pull your traps up and back,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018Start fully pronated and protracted. Get a good stretch. Chin down. Pull your traps back first. Lift and squeeze.\u2019<\/p>\n

Lienhard says the exercise highlights an often-overlooked function of the traps: thoracic extension.
<\/p>\n

5\/ Half-Kneeling Kettlebell High Pull\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

\u2018I like this because it incorporates a front-swing motion and hip hinge,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

Rather than simply shrugging upwards, the movement trains multiple trap functions simultaneously, including scapular elevation and retraction.<\/p>\n

\u2018Your traps get a great stretch and a great contraction at the end,\u2019 Lienhard adds.
<\/p>\n

6\/ Standing Single-Arm High Pull\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

The standing single-arm variation adds a balance component alongside the pulling work.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019re using a hip hinge with a little bit of support for balance to perform repeated single-arm high pulls,\u2019 says Lienhard.<\/p>\n

He notes that the slight hinge shifts the pulling angle in favour of the traps.<\/p>\n

\u2018Do you see how I\u2019m slightly hinged? That changes the angle of pull both up and back in a way the traps really like.\u2019
<\/p>\n

7\/ Alternating Kettlebell High Pull\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

Lienhard prefers unilateral trap work because it allows a greater stretch on each side.<\/p>\n

\u2018When you work unilaterally, you get a slightly better range of motion and stretch per side,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018My goal isn\u2019t to drive my elbows super high. It\u2019s to explode with the traps and create a strong eccentric overload.\u2019<\/p>\n

He also likes the slight swing element built into the exercise.
<\/p>\n

8\/ Alternating Shrug Variation with Thoracic Extension\"judd<\/p>\n

@juddlienhard\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

Lienhard says he rarely performs traditional shrugs anymore.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not because I don\u2019t like shrugs. It\u2019s more about the time-to-benefit ratio,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n

Instead, he prefers an alternating shrug variation that combines scapular elevation, scapular retraction and thoracic extension all in one movement.<\/p>\n

\u2018When you stand up and pull this towards your ear, you\u2019re working thoracic extension along with scapular retraction and elevation,\u2019 he says. \u2018Those are three really important functions of the traps.\u2019<\/p>\n

He adds: \u2018A lot of people go really heavy with shrugs and just bounce them up and down. That\u2019s fine. I just like this version much better because it gives me a really good stretch.\u2019 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the benefits of heavy deadlifts is the trap-building results they can deliver, but not everyone is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[168491,11157,207329,381,6647,102,190731,1156,207328,150961,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-608943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-collection-back-exercises","tag-content-type-default","tag-contentid-ccfc5793-faf3-4304-90f7-16a3e87538a4","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-8-moves-to-build-bigger-traps-after-40","tag-subsection-train-smarter","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}