Trap Bar Deadlift: Strengthen Your Legs and Core Effectively

There is something special about deadlifts. Lifting the big weights off the floor invokes primal masculine behavior, giving us a sense of being strong and invincible (at least sometimes). 

For those of you not as familiar with the deadlift; it’s an extreme power movement that works every muscle in the posterior chain or “backside of the body”. The posterior chain consists of all the rear muscles of the body like hamstrings, glutes, back, traps, etc, and the deadlift targets all of the “backside” muscles from top to bottom, which is why it’s so effective for developing maximum strength and muscle mass.

Deadlifts are one of the main big lifts in powerlifting and Strongman competition, but bodybuilders can really benefit from the movement because of the mass and strength-building superiority over other compound lifts.

What are Trap Bar Deadlifts

The trap bar deadlift, also known as the hex bar deadlift, is a variation of the conventional barbell deadlift, but instead, it’s performed with a “trap” or “hex” bar, which allows you to step inside the bar to deadlift to perform the movement. Now, unlike your standard deadlift, the trap bar offers some safety benefits, and it’s an amazing movement if you’re not fond of barbell deadlifts.

Now, let’s discuss the trap bar deadlift in full so you can start making massive gains!…

How to Properly Perform a Trap Bar Deadlift

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to properly and safely perform a trap bar deadlift.

Having proper technique (Or form) is crucial for effectively performing the trap bar deadlift while preventing injury. But many people neglect proper form during heavy compound movements, which results in preventable mishaps like pulled muscles and tears.

1. Place feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart inside the bar.
2. Bend down while keeping your back straight and knees bent just enough to grab the handles on the hex bar.
3. Keep your core tight and knees in line with your heels.
4. Make sure your chest is up while keeping the shoulders back and down to initiate scapular retraction.
5. Now, drive the weight up with your legs through your mid-foot while contracting your glutes to assist with the movement.
6. Engage your posterior chain of muscles from the calves all the way to the traps and thrust your pelvis/hips forward to finish the movement in an upright posture.
7. Keep everything tight for the negative portion.
8. Repeat!

Watch: How To Do Trap Bar Deadlifts Correctly:

Muscles Worked by Trap Bar Deadlift

So like mentioned previously, the trap bar deadlift (And any variation of the deadlift) works the entire posterior chain of muscles or the backside of the body. But it also works for some additional muscle groups as well. It’s a complete movement and although it’s pretty taxing on the body, the development you’ll gain from it is unmatched.

The muscles trained include:

1. Back Muscles (Teres Major/Minor, lats, and traps)
2. Legs (Glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves)
3. Core
4. Hips
5. Rear Deltoids
6. Biceps
7. Forearms

1. Back Muscles

Having a strong back is essential for many functions like walking, standing erect, bending over, lifting and not to mention, it’s an impressive group of muscles when fully developed. The back extends from just above the buttocks to the neck and is comprised of several muscles; which means it takes a lot of hard training and time to develop a powerful back.

The deadlift hits the back muscles like no other and besides leg involvement; the back is largely engaged to successfully erect the torso during the movement.

The back is a primary muscle targeted during the trap bar deadlift.

2. Legs

The legs are a primary muscle targeted during the trap bar deadlift. Quads supercharge the concentric motion, and hamstrings and calves stabilize the eccentric part of the motion.

Now, you can have a strong back, but without powerful legs, you’re not getting heavy weight off the ground, plain and simple. 

3. Core

The core is a secondary group of muscles targeted during the trap bar deadlift. Trap bar deadlifts do an amazing job at building a functional and strong core.

Crunches and sit-ups may be useful for some people but there’s no comparison to compound power movements for maximum core development.

4. Hips

Hip muscles are important for spinal support, stabilization, and flexion while performing a hip hinge movement. The trap bar deadlift is a hip-dominant movement and sets them in an advantageous position by bringing the center of gravity closer to the body.

The hips are a secondary muscle targeted during the trap bar deadlift.

5. Rear Deltoids

The rear delts aren’t particularly known for being a targeted muscle during a deadlift, but it makes sense due to the mechanics of the movement.

While deadlifting, the rear deltoids and rotator cuff muscle are isometrically contracted and do the major stabilization job to keep the scapula in place. The rear deltoids are a secondary muscle targeted during the trap bar deadlift.

6. Biceps

Dumbbell curls are the first exercise many people think of when it comes to developing big biceps. But the truth is heavy movements during back training hit the biceps muscles pretty hard. Biceps are heavily engaged during deadlifts so focus on these lifts to build the mass and strength of your bicep heads.

The biceps are a secondary muscle targeted during the trap bar deadlift.

7. Forearms

Forearms are a tricky and stubborn muscle to develop but you can’t do it with wrist curls alone. You need to perform static holds and/or regularly train with heavy weights to really build Popeye-like forearms and your grip strength will improve drastically as a result.

The forearms are a secondary muscle targeted during the trap bar deadlift.

If your grip is weak, then you can forget about heavy deadlifts or any similar movements.

Benefits of the Trap Bar Deadlift:

Any athlete seeking strength and function will benefit from performing trap bar deadlifts. When it comes to athletic competition, efficiency is the key to maximizing your results. [1]

So one movement that can do it all is a godsend to humanity… that is, the deadlift of course!

1- Strength Gains

The trap bar deadlift is incredibly effective for anyone looking for the most strength gains possible through a weight training routine. It’s a relatively simple exercise to perform as long as your form is good it’s one of few movements where you can max out on strength.

Now, because it’s a full-body movement, it can be very stressful on the body, but “you can’t have a blessing without a burden”. The nervous system plays a big part in adapting to physiological stresses but consistent training will stimulate the nervous system, which conditions you for an increased and progressive resistance load. [2]

The great thing is you can increase your resistance by a few pounds each week by using either 2.5 or 5-pound plates; which will improve your neural adaptation and therefore increase your strength on a consistent basis. The more advanced you are in training, the more you should be looking to get stronger to keep the gains coming!

2- Muscle Hypertrophy

So, muscles grow when they are placed under stress stimulus due to progressively heavier resistance loads. The great thing about deadlifts is that they stress a large chain of muscles (Posterior chain) so all must adapt to this stress by growing larger in size to accommodate the stimulus. [3]

For bodybuilders and anyone looking to take their physique to the next level; heavy trap bar deadlifts will get you there, and more efficiently.

The goal of most lifters is to put on quality muscle mass and build a better physique. Well, you have to train consistently with lots of volume and utilize moderate to heavy resistance loads, and the trap bar deadlift is the perfect exercise to make these improvements.

Remember… the stronger you are, the bigger you can get!

3- Maximal Resistance Loads

As with any type of deadlift, you can lift a lot of weight on the bar. This is one exercise where you can safely load the bar at maximum poundages and pull until you’re blue in the face. Now, of course, you must have proper form and a strong base but you can generally test your maximum strength on this lift and still be fine afterward.

…There aren’t too many compound movements where this is possible.

So on your heavy days, make sure you’re creating a real challenge for the muscles and body. It will create the good stress you need to grow bigger muscles and allow you to keep pushing more weight.

4- Athletic Performance Carryover

The reason athletes weight train is so that they can perform better in their respective sport, and utilizing movements which place the body under the largest resistance loads will make you the strongest version of yourself.

Now, it doesn’t mean isolation exercises are bad but they generally work one muscle at a time and don’t stimulate the nervous system as efficiently as deadlifts for instance. Athletes must perform movements which increase strength, and as a result, performance drastically improves.

The eccentric (Negative) portion of the trap bar deadlift is an excellent simulation athletic type movements performed in sports because usually athletes are either jumping, running, or lifting with explosive power.

5- Decreased Lumbar Spine Stress

So this is possibly the greatest benefit of the trap bar deadlift. Conventional deadlifts require you to perform part of the movement away from your center of mass, which places extra stress on the lumbar spine.

But trap bar deadlifts allow you to perform the movement in a more upright position using your legs and core closer to your center of gravity. So the chances of injury or pain are significantly reduced due to less strain of placing the lumbar spine under heavy loads in compromised positions.

Trap Bar Deadlift Programming

Of course, your level of training experience will determine the number of sets, reps, and weights you can perform with the trap bar deadlift. So we’ll provide you with a few options for beginner, intermediate and advanced training. These sample workouts will build both strength and muscle mass for each experience level.

Of course, this is only a recommendation based on performing the deadlift safely and effectively.

Beginner

Lifters who are newer to lifting should start with around 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions of an exercise to practice good form and prevent injury. Your muscles, bones, and joints need to progressively adjust to this new stimulus; which means steady and slow wins the race.

So pick a weight that’s around 70% of your 1-rep max to train with for a few weeks until you get stronger. Then after a few weeks, you can increase the weight by 5-10 pounds per week and gauge your progress from there. Now, twice a week to start is sufficient since deadlifts are an intense movement but as you advance in your training, you can include more days.

Warm-up with a weight that’s around 40-50% of your one-rep max for two sets before jumping into your working sets.

Sets and Reps

• Perform three sets of 12 reps for the first two weeks

Do not go to failure for the first few weeks of training as to not place unnecessary stress on the body before you’ve adapted to initial resistance loads.

Intermediate

When it comes to intermediate lifters, more experimental training can be implemented. So, you can play around a little more with sets, reps, and weights.

Warm-up for a few sets and then get into your working sets at around 70-80% of your one-rep max. Now, as an intermediate lifter you can add an extra day in your routine but if it’s too much volume for you, add a few extra sets and/or more resistance instead.

Sets and Reps

• Perform four sets of 8-12 reps for the first few weeks.

Advanced

If you’re advanced, then you likely know your own strengths by now so no need for a full explanation. But make sure you’re not training really heavy more than once or twice per week. On heavy days you can train with 80-90% of your one-rep max and 70-80% for moderate resistance days.

Sets and Reps for Heavy Day

• Perform five sets of 5-8 reps.

Sets and Reps for Moderate Resistance Days

• Perform five sets of 8-12 reps

Who Can Benefit from Trap Bar Deadlifts?

Anyone who has a healthy physical structure can perform trap bar deadlifts, but any athlete or gym-goer looking to drastically improve their strength and performance will see the most benefit due to increased performance and muscle size.

Best Alternatives to the Trap Bar Deadlift

Yes, in fact, there are two simple yet extremely effective alternatives to the trap bar deadlift…

1- Dumbbell Deadlifts

The dumbbell deadlift is probably the closest you can get to a trap bar deadlift. It’s almost the same movement, except since the dumbbells are free weights; they require a little more stabilization to perform the movement. [4]

But they are still a fantastic alternative to the conventional deadlift. Now, you won’t be able to lift as much weight but due to the need to stabilize the dumbbells, the dumbbell deadlift has its own unique benefits.

Since you’re holding the dumbbells close to your center of gravity, you also reduce the risk of injury or pain just like the positioning of the trap bar deadlift. [5]

You’ll want to choose lighter dumbbells at first because the balance required to hold the weights and do the deadlift at the same time requires a brief learning period for proper performance. You can perform the same amount of sets and reps as described above. Dumbells are a very effective alternative to the hex bar for performing deadlifts.

2- The Sumo Deadlift

The Sumo deadlift is another movement where you keep the weight close to your center of gravity. You’re simply taking a Sumo wrestler position and deadlifting the barbell, and it’s also very effective for taller guys because of the wide stance.

The Sumo deadlift also takes a lot of pressure off the lumbar spine compared to the conventional deadlift, and this is why it’s become so much more popular as of recently. In fact, many fitness gurus advocate replacing the standard deadlift with the Sumo version, and you should definitely give it a try.

 

 

 

 

Trap Bar Deadlift Variations

There are in fact some pretty awesome trap bar deadlift variations…. It’s a true blessing for us to have so many variations for the deadlift because we can make gains and never become bored. Plus, some lifts are created as a safer alternative, and they are amazing for decreasing the number of injuries we see so frequently. Now, you can experiment with different variations if you really know what you’re doing but for now, just stick with the known ones for safety reasons.

1- Trap Bar Deadlift Jump

The trap bar deadlift jump sounds interesting and fun… because it is! And it’s a great functional exercise for athletes especially. It’s actually like a deadlift version of the squat jump but with a trap bar.

Now, the trap bar deadlift jump is more effective for sports performance than building strength or muscle mass since you’re only using about 25-35% of your one-rep max to perform the movement. Anything heavier, and you’re asking for pain and injuries.

How to perform the movement:

Choose a really lightweight and warm-up with trap bar deadlifts (No jumping). Then perform another set with 20% of your one-rep max weight of trap bar jumps. You should then be ok to perform your working sets with a little more weight on the bar.

Proper form is still important for the jump version of the trap bar deadlift, which means your back should also stay straight while the core is tight and knees slightly bent.

1. Start off in the same position you would for a normal trap bar deadlift.
2. Dip down slightly to get momentum and drive through your mid-foot and tiptoes to jump up off the ground.
3. Absorb the impact on the way down by bending your knees and getting back into the starting position.
4. Repeat until reps are complete.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

This is a perfect set/rep range for a beginner because it’s not too much volume but it’s enough to allow you to make progress. Once you’re more advanced you can increase the sets and resistance, but you don’t want to place too much stress on your joints too quickly.

2-Eccentric Isometric Trap Bar Deadlifts

Many lifters neglect the eccentric (Negative) portion of an exercise, but they could possibly be leaving gains on the table by rushing through their repetitions. The eccentric isometric trap bar deadlift is the perfect opportunity to start focusing on the controlled negative and isometric strength. [6]

How to perform the movement:

You’ll need to lighten up on the weight if you want to make it through a set of eccentric isometric trap bar deadlifts because you’ll be performing a static hold at the bottom portion of the movement. So, experiment with a weight that you can hold at the bottom of the controlled negative repetition.

1. Perform the concentric (Positive) portion of the movement like normal.
2. Then slowly lower your body down for the eccentric (Negative) portion (About 3 seconds).
3. Hold the bar off just above the ground for 3 seconds.
4. Repeat

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Legs respond well to moderate rep ranges so this set and rep range is an ideal starting point. The isometric portion of the movement will add extra time under tension which is necessary for muscle growth and strength.

3-Band/Chain (Accommodating resistance) Trap Bar Deadlifts

Naturally, we’re our weakest during the bottom third portion (The hole) of a deadlift type movement. Our strength curve is just designed this way but using bands/chains actually improves strength in this area due to the challenging resistance at the bottom of the deadlift.

When bands are attached to the hex bar, they are applying more force against the direction we are pulling than the plates on the bar alone. This provides constant tension through the bottom phase of the deadlift because the band has to stretch mostly during this portion.

Therefore the top portion of the eccentric phase becomes easier after the band has loosened and stretched.

The trap bar deadlift with bands and chains are performed the same way as you would a regular trap bar deadlift, but the resistance will be less challenging at the bottom part of the movement while providing plenty of added resistance at the top portion as well.

Trap Bar vs Straight Bar Deadlift, What’s the Difference?

First, let’s acknowledge the fact that there are more similarities than differences. Both movements let you pull heavy weights and build strength.

Whether you should be choosing a trap bar or a straight bar for the deadlift should depend on your fitness goals. Let’s have a look at the key differences:

• Muscle activation: Trap bar deadlift is a quad-dominant movement, and straight bar deadlifts are more hamstring-dominant. WHY? Because a straight bar requires you to shift the weight a little forward to allow yourself space to lower the bar. On the other hand, a trap bar allows you to squat down while keeping the torso upright.
• Grip: Mixed grip is not a cup of tea for many lifters, especially beginners. Trap bar deadlifts allow a neutral grip which makes the lifter feel strong and more confident.
• Stress on lower back: Trap bar deadlifts are definitely easier on the back as it allows you to maintain an upright posture, sweeping away excess stress from the lower back.

Many people feel more confident lifting heavy weights on a trap bar because of the sturdy grip and low stress on the spine. However, if you are allured towards powerlifting then you should include a straight bar deadlift in the strength training routine.

Pre-Deadlift Warm-Up Exercises

Deadlifting is king when it comes to training and strengthening the whole posterior chain. But deadlifting with heavy weights can prove to be fatal if the primary muscles are not prepared for the heavy load. A good warmup should activate the muscle fibers and mobilize the joints.

If you do these four exercises, we promise, you are going to feel a stronger mind-muscle connection.

1. Deep Goblet Squats

A deep goblet squat is a true powerhouse that will open up the hips for better mobility, activates the quads, and promotes upright posture.

Do two sets of 10-15 reps with moderate weights. 

2. Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Your hip stability and strength plays a crucial role in the quality of your trap bar deadlift. Single-leg glute bridge is an advanced glute bridge exercise that improves pelvic stability, activates the gluteus muscles, and stabilizes the spine and core.

Do two sets of 10-12 reps.

3. Bird Dog

Bird dog is a simple yet very effective exercise that encourages core stability and a neutral spine. It works on the erector spinae, rectus abdominis, and glutes. Those who find it difficult to keep their core braced and maintain a neutral spine should definitely master this exercise.

Tip: Make sure you maintain a stable pelvis.

4. Band Pull Apart

Scapula retraction is an important part of the deadlift. Doing a few reps of band pull-apart will activate the muscle fibers located around the scapular blades.

Tip: for better results, imagine squeezing a pencil between your shoulder blades. 

FAQs

1. Why can I deadlift more with a trap bar?

Yes, most people will be able to lift heavier weights with trap bars. Comfortable grip, superior center of gravity, and increased quads activation are the responsible factors.

2. Does trap bar deadlift work back?

Yes, back muscle engagement is quite high in trap bar deadlifts. Being easy on the lower back doesnt mean it’s not working on your back.

3. Does trap bar deadlift help conventional deadlift?

Yes, trap bar deadlifts can assist in improving your conventional deadlift performance. But how? deadlifting with a trap bar is usually easier than the conventional option. Meaning you can lift heavier weights, adapting your grip, back, and glutes for heavier loads.

Wrapping Up

We hope you’ve learned everything you need to know about the trap bar deadlift! It’s a variation of the conventional deadlift which has just as much to offer with additional benefits; like being easier on the spine and protecting the lower back from pain and injuries.

The trap bar deadlift is a very effective movement which most people neglect but hey… if you want to leave gains on the table then that’s your call!

For many lifters, it’s just not worth the potential for injury with a conventional deadlift, and sometimes making a change is a good thing (Especially in this case). Now, before you protest, no one said you have to give up standard deadlifts, but these trap bar deadlifts are one heck of a compound movement which you should be incorporating into your workout routine if you want to make some impressive gains!

References

1. Paoli, A., Gentil, P., Moro, T., Marcolin, G., & Bianco, A. (2017, December 22). Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume: Effects on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength. PubMed Central (PMC). Retrieved November 21, 2022
2. Nuzzo, J. (2017, September 7). Strength training improves the nervous system’s ability to drive muscles – Motor Impairment. Motor Impairment. Retrieved November 21, 2022
3. Phillips, S. M. (2014, January 1). [PDF] The science of muscle hypertrophy: making dietary protein count | Semantic Scholar. [PDF] the Science of Muscle Hypertrophy: Making Dietary Protein Count | Semantic Scholar. Retrieved November 21, 2022
4. Free weights or machines? Choose what’s right for you. (2020, November 19). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved November 21, 2022
5. Biomechanics of Safe Lifting. ergo.human.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
6. Eccentric Exercise: A Comprehensive Review of a Distinctive Training Method. By – Aaron Bubbico, B.S. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D. unm.edu

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