Muscle Minute TUESDAY – The Lower Trapezius

Wait one second. Now we’re just going to talk about one portion of one muscle?
That’s right. The lower trapezius sometimes gets overlooked because it isn’t usually the thing crying out in pain (like its counterpart, the upper trapezius). But it lies at the root of shoulder and cervical issues. Let’s get started.
Origin | spinous processes T4-T12 |
Insertion | spine of scapula (medial portion) |
Action | scapular depression and retraction |
Innervation | anterior rami (C3, C4), Cranial nerve XI (accessory) |
Antagonists | pec minor, latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoid, upper trapezius |
The Real World Lower Trapezius
The list of antagonists this muscle has to fight on a daily basis is a daunting one. Muscles that pull the scapula into protraction or round the shoulders will place the lower trapezius in a long/weak position. Interestingly enough, we don’t usually see injured lower trapezius muscles, but weakness of the lower trapezius is commonly seen in people with chronic neck and shoulder pain. And one sure-fire way to make your lower trapezius weak is to slouch.
What activates the lower trapezius? Arm elevation past 90Ëš. The upper trapezius initiates scapular elevation and upward rotation as you begin to lift your arm up, but the lower trapezius becomes more active the higher your arm is raised. The more weight you lift, the more active this muscle becomes. Prone exercises have become popular in activating this muscle, but if you are looking to activate this muscle in a more functional position, wall washing and standing dumbbell overhead presses and tubing Y pulls, will do the trick.
And what about if you are unable to lift your arm over 90Ëš like many shoulder patients with rotator cuff injuries? This study revealed two key exercises that activate the lower trapezius below 90Ëš of arm elevation: the press-up and scapular retraction.
There is a fascial connection between the lower trapezius and the opposite gluteus maximus. Functionally as you pull with one arm, you should be loading the opposite butt muscle. So this leads me to what I think would be the ultimate functional lower trapezius activator:

Here’s a short list of why this matters:
- If your upper trapezius is tight, your lower trapezius will be long/weak, possibly leading to chronic shoulder/neck pain
- Slouching (increased thoracic kyphosis) is a sure fire way to shut off your lower traps
- A more effective way to get rid of slouching than just stretching the pecs is to perform some overhead pressing.
- Though prone exercises isolate this muscle, standing exercises that coordinate lower trapezius activation with the opposite gluteus maximus is key.
- Overhead pressing might be a better postural corrector than cervical retraction. Fixing the problem from the center up (overhead pressing) is usually more effective than from the top down (cervical retraction).
Conventional thinking says: Upper trapezius tightness is the cause of shoulder/neck problems.
Real World Thinking says: Lower trapezius weakness lies at the root of neck and shoulder pain and is often caused by slouching. Put some overhead pressing into your day to help you stand up straighter.
Because nobody has time to be in pain.
Until next time…

Kind Regards,
MoveWell Academy
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