Falling For Traps

Shoulder pain is a common companion if you’ve been lifting for years. A recent study published in The Journal of Strength And Conditioning Research has found one way to reduce painful shoulder joints: Hit your lower traps more. In the experiment, a large group of trained men were assessed with shoulder impingement syndrome, a common cause of shoulder pain. (One common reason for shoulder impingement syndrome is an over-reliance on certain big lifts such as the bench press.)

Scientists found that a main factor in shoulder impingement syndrome is the presence of weak lower traps. The best exercises to hit your lower traps are one-arm rows, face pulls, and the prone trap raise, which is similar to a one-arm incline Y-raise, using a very light weight. If you love chest day, you need to start regularly incorporating these moves.