To target the neck directly without placing the cervical spine at risk for acute injury, recognize that the main action of the trapezius muscle (all three diverse regions of muscular fiber orientation) is to stabilize the shoulder blade and upper back. The traps respond extremely well under shorter range-of-motion exercises under more intense loading, so the use of isometrics and slight range of motion movements are ideal for building a strong and stable yoke. One of the most effective ways to do this is with the trap bar deadlift and shrug. You can program it two different ways: add shrugs to the tail-end of a set of trap bar deadlifts, or do 3-5 shrugs between reps of trap bar deadlifts. Both of these methods can be effective, but to ensure proper loading and targeting of the traps, you may want to use straps so that your grip doesn’t give out before your upper back and traps. – Dr. John Rusin