Prone Trap-3 Shoulder Raise — top hold
The lower trap, which sets the shoulder blade for every overhead action and switches off first when the shoulder is sore
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Lie face down on an incline bench set to about 30–45°, chest on the pad, with a light dumbbell in each hand and the arms hanging down, thumbs pointing up.
The rep
Raise the arms out at about 45° from your head, in a Y shape, keeping them straight and the thumbs up, until they are in line with your body. Draw the shoulder blades down and back to get there. Hold at the top for twenty seconds, then lower over four seconds, controlling the last inch.
On the exercise card
- Thumbs up, arms at 45°
- Lift to the top and hold there
- Lower slowly — the last inch is the exercise
- Tempo
- 4s to lower
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Shrugging up | The lower trap pulls the shoulder blade down. If the shoulders creep up to the ears, go lighter. |
| Arching the back to lift higher | Stay on the pad. The arms only need to reach in line with the body. |
| Too heavy | Keep it very light. It is a small muscle, and you will feel it within a few seconds. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- No weight, or lying flat on the floor.
- Harder
- A slightly heavier weight, or a longer hold.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
The lower trapezius sets the shoulder blade for everything done overhead, and it is the first thing to switch off when a shoulder is sore. The bodybuilding program holds it in its upper-body prehab, to balance all the pressing.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodybuilding | Pull — Back, Rear Delts, Biceps | 2 × 20s hold | Light DBs |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Muscles worked
- Traps · Shoulders
- Region
- Full body
- Classified as
- Mobility
- Prescribed in
- bodybuilding
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| DB Shrug | Upper-trap mass |
| Barbell Shrug | Heavy upper-trap overload |
| Smith Machine Shrug | Machine: stable bar path for heavy trap overload |
| Cable Shrug | Constant-tension traps |
| Trap Bar Shrug | Heavy neutral-grip trap loading |
| Farmer Carry | Traps + grip under load |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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