Exercise guide · Back
Trap Bar Deadlift
The trap bar deadlift has you stand inside hex handles with a neutral grip, often allowing a more upright pull and less lower-back stress than a conventional barbell deadlift from the floor.
- Targets: Quads
- Equipment: Barbell
- Type: Compound
Step by step
How to do the Trap Bar Deadlift
- Center yourself inside the trap bar, feet hip-width, handles aligned with mid-foot. Hinge and grip the neutral handles firmly.
- Brace your core, pull shoulders down and back, and take slack out of the bar before you drive up.
- Push the floor away through your whole foot while standing tall—knees and hips extend together as the handles rise beside you.
- Finish by squeezing glutes at the top without hyperextending your lower back.
- Lower under control, hips back first, until the trap bar rests on the floor; reset your brace between reps.
- Step out of the bar carefully after your set if you use a fixed trap bar frame in a rack.
Form cues
- Stand in the center—handles stay even on both sides
- Neutral grip, shoulders packed before the pull
- Drive through mid-foot; torso can stay taller than conventional
- Control the descent—don't drop the bar
Common mistakes
- Leaning too far forward, treating it like a stiff-leg pull
- Letting one handle lead higher than the other
- Bouncing reps off the floor without re-bracing
- Stepping too far back and losing balance over the bar
Muscles worked
Primary
Quads
Secondary
Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower back and Forearms
Safety: Start light to learn balance inside the bar. Use high handles if mobility limits your start position. Stop if you feel sharp lower back pain. Secure plates with collars.
Alternatives
