The sedentary nature of modern life causes changes in our bodies that, in the long term, undermine our quality of life. The glutes lose tone, the back rounds, and the arms and legs lose muscle tone. All of this means that as the years go by we become slower beings, with less autonomy and more aches and pains.
Therefore, many experts emphasise the need to compensate for the daily lack of activity and mobility with strategies such as exercise snacks, micro-workouts and specific exercises to strengthen the areas most affected by a sedentary lifestyle.
The Large Trapezius Muscles Hit Hard by a Sedentary Lifestyle
One such area of the body is the trapezius, which suffers particularly in those who spend their working days seated. That is why trainer Álvaro Puche offers a specific exercise “to strengthen your lower trapezius”. He regards this muscle as a faithful ally in improving your posture if you spend the day seated.
“In this exercise we will work the strength of our lower trapezius. This muscle, in its lower fibres, tends to be quite weak,” says the expert.
The Álvaro Puche Exercise for the Trapezius
In fact, the exercise recommended by Álvaro Puche is a variant of the Superman plank that we explain later on, only in this case the arms remain parallel to the body.
- We should adopt a very particular position, which is face down, and extend the arms at 45 degrees, with the palms facing the floor. The reason, according to the trainer, is that “we want to align the arms with the orientation of the fibres of our lower trapezius.”
- The toes should be resting on the floor.
- Engage the glutes: they should stay strong and active, “as if we had a nut between them,” he says. “Not because the exercise is a glute exercise, but because it will greatly protect the lumbar region,” the expert notes.
- Gaze toward the floor, with the neck aligned with the spine, to protect the cervical area.
- Lift the torso: inhale and, on exhale, raise the chest off the floor without the feet lifting and without relaxing the glute. Raise the arms at the same time, keeping the position open and parallel to the floor.
- Connect the shoulder blades: as you lift the torso from the floor, the trainer says “we should visualise a pencil between the shoulder blades” to bring them together, without causing the shoulder to rise. At the same time, open the chest and separate the arms as wide as possible.
- Maintain the posture: with the torso elevated, breathe in and out completely before lowering again and repeating the movement.
Other Exercises to Strengthen the Trapezius
Shoulder Shrugs
It is a specific exercise to work the trapezius in isolation. It can be performed with dumbbells, a kettlebell or barbell. It involves lifting the shoulders toward the ears, with the head slightly forward while holding the load with the hands. It is the movement you would make if you were trying to say ‘I don’t know’ with a shrug.
Upright Row
The upright row is a variant in which the hands rise to chest height, so that the elbows stay above the shoulders. Ideally done with weights and slowly, without jerking.
Superman Plank
The Superman plank is an exercise that also works the trapezius, though with a particular focus on the core: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis and obliques. It also helps strengthen the glutes and hip stabilisers – areas that also suffer from a sedentary lifestyle. In this exercise, where the arms extend forward and the legs extend back – like the hero’s flight – the demand concentrates on the midsection of the body.
As you can see, you have several options to strengthen this part of the back musculature that loses tone from spending too many hours seated.
