How to Do the Trap Bar Deadlift to Transform Your Workouts

The standard barrel deadlift is considered one of the
cornerstones of strength training. And with good reason: The compound exercise
engages your back, core, and quadriceps in addition to firing up your
hamstrings and glutes. For most guys, using an Olympic (or straight) barbell is
the start and finish of a deadlift day. The majority of strength sports, such
as powerlifting and strongman, employ this harsh instrument when doing the
deadlift, which is a good way to gain size and strength but may not be the most
efficient approach to train the exercise. That honor belongs to an additional
piece of equipment: the trap bar. 

Lifting a big object off the floor is much more natural when
you use the trap bar to move your grasp from the front of your body to the
sides. You definitely don’t wind up with the grocery bags in front of your
thighs while you’re hunching over to take up a hefty weight, but that’s how you
lift when performing a barbell deadlift. If you held those bags in that similar
posture, it would be difficult for you to walk them inside the house. Why not
train our deadlifts in the same manner that we train our side lifts? The load
is at your sides thanks to the trap bar’s hexagonal shape.

Still, it takes more than merely lifting the weight off the ground to do a trap
bar deadlift. The trap bar deadlift, like other variations, calls for good
mechanics; these are the fundamentals that will keep your heavyweight lifts
secure and productive.

Guidelines for the Trap Bar Deadlift

Put yourself inside the trap bar such that your shins are parallel to the bar’s
center, or slightly in front of it.
Bend your knees, push your butt back as far as you can, and reach down to grab
the handles. Hold on as firmly as you can.
Maintain a neutral head posture while maintaining a steady look on whatever in
front of you. To generate tension, tense your shoulder blades and turn your
elbows so that their pits face outward.
Before beginning the lift, make sure your hips are lower than your shoulders.
Squeeze your glutes at the top of the pose by pushing your feet through the
floor to stand straight up.

Push your butt back as far as you can to complete the rep,
then bend your knees to place the weight down.

To prevent typical mistakes and nail the form properly, pay
attention to these additional specific indications provided by Fitbulk.

Know Your Position

According to Fitbulk , the first step in a good trap-bar
deadlift is to line yourself with the bar: Ensure that your shins are in line
with the trap bar’s center. To get the best leverage, position yourself
slightly in front of the bar. You want to keep the weight in front of you, not
behind you. Fitbulk remarks, “You’ve got the weight out in front of you
instantly.” “And we want that weight center so that when we deadlift,
all we have to do is get back up.”

Pushing your glutes as far back as you can and bending your knees before you
reach the bar constitute the second stage in optimal positioning. It’s
imperative that you have a firm grip on the bar after that. Fitbulk advises,
“Be active; don’t let this hang in your fingers.” “Holding the
bar tightly is a significant component of this posture; you’re going to need
all your strength and steadiness.”

There are several choices for situating the head and neck.
Although gazing up on a lift isn’t always a bad thing, according to Fitbulk, it
could cause some neck pain. Strive to arrange your head in a more neutral
manner instead. To get the ideal deadlift position, Fitbulk suggests that you
have a buddy place a broomstick on top of you.

Create Tension

Now that your grip and glutes are in place, protect your
shoulders and biceps to build the right amount of tension. Fitbulk recommends
turning the pits of your elbows forward after firmly contracting your shoulder
blades. “You’ve immediately activated your lats and rotator cuff muscles.
You now wish to go into the deadlift with all of this stress.

Fitbulk also advises making sure your hips are lower than your shoulders before
you start that pull. When your hips are higher than your shoulders, your back
acts as a deadlift lever. “That is not what we want to happen.” Our
intention is for our glutes and hamstrings to propel this movement. And in
order to accomplish that, we must ensure that the hips remain lower than the
shoulders.

Fitbulk adds one more, crucial item to cross off your
checklist. Avoid ruining your setup by foolishly trying to add additional power
by “diving down” with your arms. Fitbulk says, “There’s no
purpose in doing that.” “You lose your hip position, your back
position, and all the tension you fought to establish as soon as you lower your
arms. Everything you accomplished up to the rep was a waste.

Don’t Neglect the Descent

The lift’s rear half is just as crucial as its front half.
Tension rolling into the low back increases the risk of injury if you lower the
bar back down incorrectly. But wherever you look, gym rats just slam down the
weight and don’t remember to keep appropriate form on the way down.

According to Fitbulk, begin this exercise by pushing your butt back. Continue
in a straight line through your spine until you feel as though you are unable
to push back any further. This is positioned to resemble the front of the lift.
After reaching the finish line, which should feel like a severe hamstring
strain, lower the bar to the floor by bending at the knee, which will cause
your hips to drop.

It’s okay to approach this as if it were a targeted,
eccentric movement. To become familiar with the motion, take your time getting
down there, advises Fitbulk.

There are two ways to figure out how fast to perform your reps. The “touch
and go” technique works precisely as it sounds: you rapidly push into the
next rep when the bar taps the floor. A more conventional method is to drop the
weight to the floor and reposition yourself before beginning the subsequent
rep.

Fitbulk argues that it’s critical to choose your strategy before starting your
lift because the touch and go method calls for more deliberate core
activation. 

Fitbulk recommends starting with the traditional method when
you’re first learning technique. This way, your body has time to get a feel for
proper mechanics before trying touch and go. Determine your strategy before you
begin; if you decide to touch and go at the last minute, your low back may get
tense.

Advantages of the Deadlift with Trap Bars

When you lift, the action will be more natural than it is
with a regular barbell. “You’re going to find it more simpler and more
intuitive to pick up in the trap bar,” states Fitbulk. “This will
allow you to use it for power, achieve explosive results, and still move some
heavy load.”
For those with anatomical problems that make them unsuitable for the regular
version of the exercise (e.g., long legs, low back troubles), this can be quite
helpful.

You should be able to lift more weight with the trap bar
deadlift than with any other exercise once you have mastered the form. This can
help you gain muscle and strength.

Typical Errors in Trap Bar Deadlifting

It doesn’t matter if you’ll be performing your deadlifts in a more natural
position; you still need to focus on good posture and basic hinge mechanics. By
maintaining your eyes locked on the ground a little distance in front of you,
you can ensure that your neck remains neutral when lifting.

Performing the lift with your hips above your shoulders is
another typical error. Then, you run the risk of hurting yourself because your
back becomes the movement’s lever.

Additionally, Fitbulk advises releasing stress from your posture by bending
your elbows and sinking your arms prior to commencing the lift. Additionally,
watch where your hips land in the exercise. If you land on your hips, you won’t
be using your hamstrings and glutes correctly.

Who Needs to Lift Trap Bar Deadlifts?

If you have trouble doing the normal straight bar deadlift,
you should try the trap bar deadlift. Additionally, this may be a preferable
option for lifters that prioritize muscle growth over sport-specific
performance (bodybuilders as opposed to powerlifters, Cross Fitters, or
strongman athletes who compete in barbell deadlifts). That being said, for
people who participate in strength sports, the trap bar can be an excellent
addition to traditional deadlifts.

How to Workout Using the Trap Bar Deadlift

Once more, the deadlift with a trap bar should be a heavyweight exercise. If
you want to push weight, specifically, you should program it as the first
exercise in your lower body or pull exercises to get you as fresh as possible.

However, you shouldn’t start piling on the dishes immediately. Fitbulk suggests
that novices begin with four sets of eight to ten repetitions. You can work in
configurations such as four sets of three to five reps or even single rep sets
after you’re comfortable with your pulls and can lift heavier weights.