Upper trap dominance can happen for many reasons from poor gym training to prolonged sitting at work, but here’s information on what fitness blogs and research say.
Upper trap (trapezius) dominance is also known as upper trapezius tension, upper trapezius overdependency and many other names. All these names describe the imbalance that some people have in recruiting the appropriate upper back muscles when doing movements. The upper trapezius part of the back is mostly involved in pulling type movements but the overuse of this area of the upper back can also happen from non pulling movements like extended sitting. Given the variable causes for upper trap dominance, it is important to focus on things that can be done to improve it. There are many exercises that can be used to treat this imbalance and therefore lower the risk for neck pain, shoulder impingement or other related anatomical difficulties.1
As our population becomes more sedentary and most of the work we do tends to be in a sitting position, the likelihood of muscle imbalances tends to increase and often contributes to things like upper trapezius dominance. Although lifestyle can play an important role in creating upper trap dominance, it can also happen in the gym. It can happen because of poor biomechanics, form or programming. It can affect your posture when sitting and standing. But most importantly, when you do exercises or any form of training, it may put unnecessary strain on specific areas of your body. Here we focus on the increased impact that excess upper trap recruitment might have.8
What Do Fitness Blogs Say?
In simple terms, upper trap dominance is when the upper portion of your trapezius wants to do all the work when doing movements or exercises. Usually, it is obvious because the upper trapezius will move up noticeably. As said above, pulling motions are most evident in recruiting the upper trap muscles. As such, exercises like barbell rows and the bent over fly can often be good movements to show you how much your upper trapezius is relied on while training.1
If left untreated, this over-reliance on the upper trap can lead to neck and shoulder pain with surgical intervention in worst cases. Because no one wants this, a common solution for this issue is to look at other muscles around the shoulder and back area that may be weak. The weakness in these other muscles may be the reason for your upper traps taking on the bulk of the load when doing some movements. Do exercises that target the lats (latissimus dorsi), teres major, pecs, rhomboids, and others. Then, you will be able to notice which of these need more work and once you are able to improve the strength in the weaker muscles, you will progressively improve your upper trap dominance. Be careful to maintain proper form while strengthening the weaker muscles or the intended benefits will not happen.7
Tip: To improve muscle imbalances, reduce the resistance to improve your form. It is a great way to counteract muscle imbalances that may have developed over time.
What Does the Research Say?
The trapezius muscle has functional subdivisions that are called neuromuscular compartments because different nerves influence their activation. Since the nerves for the lower part of the trapezius can be activated independent of the upper trapezius and vice versa, balance improvements can be achieved by targeting either the lower subdivision of the trapezius or the upper one to compensate for an overactive one. In upper trapezius dominance, you should choose exercises that can focus on the lower trapezius to improve the muscle’s activation pattern.4
Also, the excess activation of the upper trapezius is also considered one the main reasons for poor scapula movements. This has an important impact on shoulder pain. This is because the increased reliance on the upper trapezius means that the serratus anterior muscle becomes weak. This muscle is an important mover of the scapula and when it is weak, it can cause impingement because of poor scapula mobility. Researchers have come to suggest that exercises that increase activation of the serratus anterior and that reduce activation of the upper trapezius can be an effective way of addressing the issue.6
One of the most effective exercise to achieve this balance between the serratus anterior and upper trapezius is the Push Up Plus. This exercise can be used in the rehabilitation of the upper trapezius dominance. Ultimately, it will reduce risk of impingement or scapular winging that can cause pain and is likely to happen with upper trapezius dominance.6
Exercise you can do to improve upper trap dominance:
Although the research has shown how effective the Push Up Plus can be, here is a short list of other exercises you can do:
These exercises are great for addressing your upper trapezius tension, but they are also great at improving scapular mobility. You can try to include these exercises as part of your warm-up.
In conclusion, as you start introducing these into your workouts, be patient, it may take a bit of time before real progress can be seen. But, do not despair, they will undoubtedly help you!
