Use barbell or dumbell shrugs to train your traps?
here's a little-known alternative guaranteed to add thickness and size to your upper back. It's called the Seated Cable Row to the Neck.
Here's how to do it.
First, remove the v shaped handle normally found on most seated row machines, and attach the rope. Adopt a seated position, just like you were getting ready to perform a set of conventional seated rows. Now, rather than pull the rope into your stomach, pull it up your neck.
The movement isn't like an upright row, where your elbows are normally high. Instead, let your elbows come out to the side - that way, you'll really hit the fibres in the mid portion of your traps. Allow a small amount of movement in your upper body, but not much. This can be a tricky movement to get the hang of, so start out with a light weight (roughly half the weight you'd normally use for the seated row).
