Upper-back muscles

Trapezius

Musculus trapezius

Your trapezius guides the shoulder blades when you shrug, pull and lift your arms overhead. It spans the neck and upper back.

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Back view of the human muscular system with the trapezius highlighted
Back view · neck and upper back

At a glance

Region
Neck and upper back
Movement pattern
Shoulder-blade elevation, retraction and rotation
Joint
Shoulder girdle

Exercises

Exercises for the trapezius

Standing band row with a secure chest-height anchor, elbows drawn back and handles near the lower ribs.

Resistance band · Rated fixed anchor

Standing resistance-band row

Pull against a band to train the lats and mid-back while keeping the torso still.

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Inverted row beneath a secured low bar with grounded heels, straight body and chest close to the bar.

Bodyweight · Fixed low training bar

Inverted row on a low bar

Pull the chest toward a low fixed bar while the heels stay on the floor to train the lats and upper back.

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Standing shrug with a barbell at thigh level, straight arms and raised shoulders.

Barbell · Weight plates · Collars

Barbell shrug

Elevate the shoulders while the arms stay long to train the upper trapezius.

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Standing person holding two dumbbells beside the thighs, arms straight and shoulders raised.

Dumbbells

Dumbbell shrug

Lift the shoulders with straight arms. This small movement trains the upper trapezius.

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Person lying face down with forehead supported on a towel and straight arms slightly raised sideways in a T.

No equipment · Mat and towel

Prone T raise

Lift your arms sideways in a T. The middle trapezius works with other shoulder muscles.

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Person lying face down with forehead supported and nearly straight arms slightly lifted forward in a wide Y, thumbs up.

No equipment · Mat and towel

Prone Y raise

Lift your arms diagonally in a Y. This challenges control by the lower and middle trapezius.

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Understand the muscle

Three regions guide your shoulder blades

The paired muscle spans from the back of the skull and spine to the collarbone and shoulder blade. Its three regions pull in different directions and work together.

From the neck to the shoulder

Upper fibers

Pars descendens

Run from the back of the skull and neck to the outer collarbone. Help elevate the shoulder girdle.

Exercises for this region

Toward the middle back

Lower fibers

Pars ascendens

Run upward from the lower thoracic spine to the scapular spine. Help lower and upwardly rotate the shoulder blade.

Exercises for this region

The listed exercises involve this region alongside other parts of the muscle. A muscle head or deep portion is not necessarily trained in isolation.

Simply explained

What does the muscle do?

The trapezius helps your shoulder blades move and stay controlled on the rib cage. Its upper, middle and lower regions share the work.

Back view with the shoulder blades moving from a lower starting position (1, dashed) upward (2, teal).
Back view · upward movement

Lift the shoulders

Scapular elevation

The upper region helps lift the shoulder girdle, as in a shrug. The head can stay still while the shoulders rise.

Back view with the shoulder blades moving from farther apart (1, dashed) toward the spine (2, teal).
Back view · toward the spine

Bring the shoulder blades together

Scapular retraction

The middle region draws the shoulder blades toward the spine. This happens during rowing and T raises, together with muscles such as the rhomboids.

Back view of the right shoulder blade rotating from its resting position (1, dashed) upward (2, teal), its lower tip moving outward.
Back view · right shoulder blade

Support overhead arm movement

Upward rotation

The trapezius and serratus anterior coordinate upward rotation. The lower tip of the shoulder blade swings outward as the socket turns upward.

Often works with
Sources & illustrations

Anatomy and technique: the references below. Region boundaries and movement diagrams are schematic. Exercise images are AI-generated illustrations.