Well you can probably guess my response...? If you train like a lifter and don't use a belt you can eventually expect thick traps and abdominal wall. The thicker guy is definitely doing the Northstar in Oct. The skinnier guy might also. It's so cool sharing my knowledge about posing with them cause they're getting excited about it too.

You say you want to do the acrobatic/fitness routine type stuff and yet you keep talking about your appearance. Have you for sure decided what you want to do?

@kmdskit3 haha that is the age old question eh? I think it's like the issue that I want to have my cake and eat it too kinda deal. I want that gymnastic ability....but....also to look good haha. Hmmm. I'm trying to think what I was doing when I had the traps issue. Weighted pull ups maybe? I duno. But my partner still teases me for how I used to have big traps. Lol. Well he had an over developed chest. So there! Lmao

@livetodiscover Weighted pull-ups wouldn't hit your upper traps. Deadlifts, rows, shrugs, poorly performed lateral raises all hit those upper traps a lot. When I was a little younger than you I thought I could do everything with physical development. Eventually my body made me choose. I just wish I would've worn a weight belt...I know you've heard my opinion on muscular development. You let me know if you want my opinion to help you make a choice. ☺

@kmdskit3 not even narrow grip pull ups? Those were my weapon of choice lol. Like...really narrow lol. I did do a lot of rows in the past too I suppose and probably poorly performed lateral raises too lol. Could have been the circus stuff. I duno.

@livetodiscover Properly performed pull-ups/pull-downs pull your shoulders down. Contracting the upper traps pulls your shoulders up.

@kmdskit3 I guess I am thinking more along the lines of traps being worked as a secondary muscle group sort of like how triceps are activated when doing bench even though bench is primarily for pectoral muscles. I can feel that my traps are activated on a close grip pull up. I know I have very good form with pull ups so that's not the issue. I think that different grip placement will activate different "helper" muscle groups. I know that when I was a pull up queen I did have rediculous back development, especially lats, which makes sense. But there was some trap development too. I found a picture on Google of the close grip pull ups I would do. I would sometimes do them even closer or do close grip chin ups.

[fitnessandpower.com]

@livetodiscover Aaarrrgghhh! That is not directed at you and I am almost positive you use good form (send me a video and I'll know for sure?) but even that link you sent me got it wrong. Pull-downs/pull-ups will hit your traps but only the lower and mid-trap. The upper trap has to relax to let the lats and lower 2 heads of your traps pull your shoulders down and back during the positive part of the movement just like your front delt has to relax if you're gonna contract your rear delt. Or your tricep has to relax if you want to perform a bicep curl. Also in that link it says your upper traps pull your shoulders up at the bottom or fully stretched position. No! Gravity pulling your body down or pulling that pull-down bar up is what changes the position of your shoulders in relation to your back or vice versa. I mimicked the motion of an extremely close grip pull-up (you ARE freakishly strong) and the upper trap doesn't feel completely relaxed, like in a shoulder width grip, because it's being so dramatically pinched between your shoulders and your neck.