Hex Trap Bar Exercises – Introduction
What are the best trap bar exercises you can do for full-body conditioning and strength?
Contrary to popular opinion, you can do more than deadlifts with a trap bar.
Yes, trap bar deadlifts ARE a great exercise, just ask NBA phenom Stephen Curry, but do you really want to buy a trap bar and then use it for just one exercise?
I didn’t think so.
The good news is that you can use a trap bar to train virtually every muscle in your body, and that’s a point we’re going to prove by giving you a full-body trap bar workout later in this article.
So, what exercises can you do with a trap bar?
Keep reading and find out!
What IS a Trap Bar Anyway?
Just in case you are unfamiliar with what a trap bar is, in this section, we’ll give you a brief overview of this very effective strength training tool.
A trap bar is a hexagonal barbell with parallel grips that you stand between.
This hexagonal shape puts the weights in line with your legs during deadlifts.
Also known as a hex bar, Gerard bar, shrug bar, and squat lift bar, the trap bar was invented by powerlifter Al Gerard.
Gerard suffered from back pain throughout his powerlifting career and designed his special barbell so he could deadlift with less back strain.
Hex trap bars come in all shapes and sizes, from heavy-duty bars made for strongman competitors to lighter, more compact models for home use.
Costing from less than $100 to $400 or more, there are trap bars to suit all budgets.
You can use a trap bar for a wide variety of exercises, with moves for each major muscle group.
The 8 Best Trap Bar Exercises List
You can do dozens of exercises with a trap bar, and more are constantly being invented.
That said, in our experience and opinion, these are the eight best exercises you can do with a trap bar:
- Deadlifts
- Romanian deadlifts
- Reverse lunges
- Floor presses
- Bent-over rows
- Overhead presses
- Push-ups and pull-ups
- Farmer walks
Build your trap bar workouts around these fundamental compound exercises, and you can’t go wrong!
Best Exercises With a Trap Bar Descriptions
#1. Deadlift
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core, trapezius, forearms.
This classic strength exercise is what trap bars are made for!
The trap bar deadlift looks like a deadlift but feels more like a squat.
It allows you to maintain an upright torso, so it’s more back-friendly than conventional deadlifts.
On the downside, the lats and upper back are less engaged in this exercise.
It’s fair to say that the trap bar deadlift is a leg exercise, while conventional deadlifts are more of a full-body movement.
How to do it:
- Place your trap bar on the floor and stand between the handles.
- Your feet should be roughly shoulder-width apart.
- Squat down and grab the handles.
- Straighten your arms, pull your shoulders down and back, lower your hips, and brace your core.
- Drive your feet into the floor and stand straight up.
- Make sure your hips do not rise faster than the bar.
- Take care not to round your lower back.
- Bend your legs and lower the weight back to the floor.
- Let the weight settle for 1-2 seconds (no bouncing!) and repeat.
Trap Bar Deadlifts
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#2. Romanian deadlift
Muscles worked: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core, trapezius, forearms.
Where trap bar deadlifts are a knee-dominant exercise you’ll mostly feel in your quads, the trap bar Romanian deadlift is more hip-dominant and hits your hamstrings and glutes.
As such, it’s the perfect partner to the trap bar deadlift.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold your trap bar down by your sides.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
- Bend your knees slightly.
- Without rounding your lower back, hinge forward from your hips and lower the bar down your legs as far as your flexibility allows.
- Drive your hips forward and stand back up.
- Do NOT lean back at the top of each rep.
- This adds nothing to the exercise and just increases your risk of lower back injury.
Trap Bar RDL (Romanian deadlift)
#3. Reverse lunge
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core, trapezius, forearms.
Reverse lunges are much more knee-friendly than forward lunges.
In addition, they emphasize your glutes and hamstrings more than regular lunges.
Unliteral exercises like lunges are ideal for identifying and fixing left-to-right strength imbalances and are good for balance and mobility.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold your trap bar down by your sides.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
- Bend your knees slightly.
- Step backward, bend your legs, and lower your rear knee down to about an inch above the floor.
- Step forward with your rear leg and return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
- Continue alternating legs for the duration of your set.
Trap Bar Reverse Lunge
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#4. Floor press
Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.
The neutral grip on a trap bar makes for a very shoulder-friendly bench press alternative.
The position of your hands makes tucking your elbows into your sides much easier, reducing the tendency to medially rotate your shoulders.
Also, lying on the floor means you can’t lower the bar too far and hyperextend your joints.
How to do it:
- Place your bar on blocks so that, when you lie beneath it, you can grip it with your elbows an inch or so above the ground.
- Position yourself beneath the bar and grab the handles.
- Push your upper back into the floor, pull your shoulders down and together, and brace your abs.
- Your legs can be bent or straight as required.
- Starting with the weight on the floor, drive the bar up to arms’ length above your chest.
- Lower the bar back down until your upper arms lightly touch the floor.
- Press back up and repeat.
Hex trap bar floor press
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#5. Trap bar bent-over row
Muscles worked: Latissimus dorsi, biceps, core.
Bent-over barbell rows are an excellent back builder that can also be a little hard on your lumbar spine.
With trap bar bent-over rows, you can keep the weight closer to your legs which takes stress off your lower back.
The parallel grip also means you can really squeeze your shoulders together to fully engage your upper back muscles.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold your trap bar down by your sides.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
- Bend your knees slightly.
- Without rounding your lower back, lean forward until your upper body is inclined to about 45 degrees.
- Bend your elbows and pull the bar up and in toward your midsection.
- Keep your wrists straight and your elbows back.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
- You can also do this exercise by starting each rep with the weight resting on the floor, which is called a trap bar Pendlay row.
Trap bar Pendlay row
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#6. Overhead press
Muscles worked: Deltoids, triceps, core.
If you want stronger, more muscular shoulders, you need to do overhead presses.
Barbell and dumbbell overhead presses are great, but you can also work your delts with a trap bar.
The neutral grip is very joint-friendly, and the shape of the frame means you can lower the weight a little more than usual, which increases the range of motion and the effectiveness of the exercise.
How to do it:
- Place your trap bar in a squat rack at just below shoulder height.
- Duck inside the bar, grip the handles, brace your core, and unrack the bar.
- Take 1-2 steps back.
- Without using your legs, press the bar straight up and over your head.
- Lower the bar back down until your hands are roughly level with your shoulders.
- Push back up and repeat, and then rerack the bar.
Hex trap bar overhead press
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#7. Push-up and pull-up
Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, triceps, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, biceps, forearms.
You can use a trap bar for parallel grip push-ups and pull-ups.
To do push-ups, load the bar with weight plates and put it on the floor.
Then, grab the handles, walk back into your usual push-up stance, and get to work.
Like floor presses, neutral grip push-ups are very shoulder friendly.
To do trap bar pull-ups, place your trap bar high in a squat or power rack.
You’ll need to work extra hard to keep the handles from tilting as you do your reps, forcing you to move more slowly and with more control.
The main advantage of trap bar push-ups and pull-ups is variety – just changing your exercises from time to time can be enough to maintain your progress and prevent training plateaus.
Trap bar push-ups
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Trap bar pull-ups
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#8. Farmer’s walk aka Farmers or Weighted Carries
Muscles worked: Full body.
Picking up and carrying heavy objects is one of the foundations of functional strength and fitness.
This type of exercise will strengthen your entire body, from your calves to your forearms and everything in between.
Trap bars are ideal for loaded carries, as they allow you to balance the weight evenly.
The parallel grip is also very shoulder and elbow-friendly.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold your trap bar down by your sides.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
- Bend your knees slightly.
- Maintaining good posture, go for a walk around your training area.
- Continue until you feel your grip is about to fail.
- Set the weight down on the floor, rest a moment, and then repeat.
- Experiment with heavy, short sets and lighter, longer sets to see which you prefer.
You Can Do This Exercise EVERY DAY – (Hint: Farmer Walks}
Full Body Trap Bar Workout
While there is nothing wrong with just adding a couple of trap bar exercises in your workouts, you may enjoy doing a full-body trap bar-only program for a few weeks or months.
After all, the best workouts are often the simplest, and using just one type of equipment is an effective way to simplify your training.
Of course, before you begin, make sure you spend a few minutes warming up and preparing your body for what you’re about to do.
Start with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio, followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for all your major joints.
|
# |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Recovery |
|
1 |
Trap bar deadlift |
2-4 |
6-8 |
2 minutes |
|
2 |
Trap bar floor press |
2-4 |
6-8 |
2 minutes |
|
3 |
Trap bar pull-up |
2-4 |
6-8 |
2 minutes |
|
4 |
Trap bar reverse lunge |
2-4 |
8-10 |
90 seconds |
|
5 |
Trap bar overhead press |
2-4 |
8-10 |
90 seconds |
|
6 |
Trap bar bent-over row |
2-4 |
8-10 |
90 seconds |
|
7a |
Trap bar farmer’s walk |
2-4 |
20-30 yards |
90 seconds |
|
7b |
Trap bar push-ups |
10-15 |
Exercises 7a and 7b are a superset.
Do one set of farmer’s walks and, on completion, do a set of trap bar push-ups.
Rest for 90 seconds and repeat the pairing.
Best Trap Bar Exercises – Wrapping Up
The thing that puts many people off buying a trap bar is that they think it’s only good for one thing – deadlifts.
And while that IS a great exercise, there are plenty of other uses for a trap bar.
You can replicate several standard barbell exercises with a trap bar.
Try using one for hammer curls or standing calf raises, for example.
However, the trap bar is just one of the training tools available, and it’s no better or worse than any other piece of equipment.
The truth is that your body doesn’t know (or care) what type of weight you are lifting.
So long as you train consistently and with sufficient intensity, your muscles will get stronger and bigger.
So, choose the bar you like best, and that fits your home gym.
For many, that will be a trap bar!
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer),