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Fitness: Learn a new and better way to do the deadlift
Summary
The conventional deadlift is a great way to build muscle and gain in strength. But there's a better way to do it that's easier for your back
It’s hexagonal. It’s almost too clunky to pull out of the bar holder in the gym. And it has a huge space in between which most people don’t know what to do with. Imagine standing inside a piece of gym equipment when we are used to usually standing ahead or behind one. Well, say hello to the trap bar. Or, as it is also known due to its shape, the hex bar. It is the most underrated among all the weight lifting bars available in a gym. In fact, it’s quite unfortunate that most gyms won’t have them, and if they do, they will have only one of them.
The trap bar came into existence due to weightlifter Al Gerard suffering a lower back injury and creating something that would change exercising forever. If one is to believeOldtimesstrongman.com, which is a website with stories of powerlifters from the past, then this happened in the mid 1980s and Gerard managed to deadlift 725lbs (454kg) using the trap bar.
The genius of the invention lies in how it forces a neutral grip where the palms face each other, the loading of weights on the exact sides of the body, and how both these factors allow the athlete to execute moves which simply cannot be executed using a conventional Olympic bar. The icing on the cake is that the trap bar is used mostly for the one exercise where learning form can be extremely difficult for beginners—the deadlift.
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Research has proved that the trap bar produces “significantly greater peak force, peak velocity, and peak power values" than the straight bar. A paper in the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research titled, A Biomechanical Analysis Of Straight And Hexagonal Barbell Deadlifts Using Submaximal Loads, adds that the trap bar deadlift “more evenly distributes the load between the joints of the body, practitioners may find deadlifts performed with the hexagonal barbell to be an effective alternative to the squat and an appropriate exercise to use in the final stages of low back rehabilitation."
The reduced spinal loading is what makes the trap bar easier on the spine, but more importantly, it is the physics of the lift that also matter. Loading the weights to the sides without worrying about the bar’s tracking up and down the anterior (front) chain is what makes learning this deadlift easier. The video below, from Men’s Health Muscle, sums it up simply: it is the more “natural way" to deadlift. It also helps in not hyperextending the spine like a lot of people might do at the top of a conventional deadlift.
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“A lot of people just simply can’t get enough hip flexion ROM (range of motion) to deadlift from the floor, no matter how much mobility work they do. These people have to compensate with spinal flexion, which increases their risk for spinal disc injuries," writes Greg Nuckols in his detailed post on Stronger By Science titled, Trap Bar Deadlifts Are Underrated.
Nuckols is not just another writer. With degrees in exercise and sports science, and in exercise physiology, he also has three all-time world records in powerlifting. He uses multiple research to prove that many beliefs about the trap bar deadlifts are gym myths. He starts the article by saying that he’s “a bit ashamed to admit that I used to be a barbell purist".
Even if one is not into learning deadlifts, the trap bar makes a lot of other exercises easier. The first which comes to mind is the farmer’s walk. Using plates to do this might work your grip more, but if you seriously want to load your farmer’s walk, then there is no better way to do that than use the trap bar. The bar is designed in a way you can walk without your legs hitting the iron on both ends. The number of trap bar exercises might need another article, but starting out with trying the farmer’s walk before the deadlift makes sense to get a feel of how the trap bar feels with weight.
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Unless one is a powerlifter, then the conventional deadlift is an absolute necessity because it is one of the competitive lifts. But for those training to maintain their health, get stronger, and gain muscle, the trap bar deadlift is a safer option. That is also because most regular people, due to the sitting lifestyle, have mobility issues, which are ruthlessly exposed while learning the deadlift. It’s not just the spine that needs to be safeguarded, but also the knees.
“The regular deadlift has a much smaller hip angle (hips are in deeper flexion at start) than the trap bar deadlift, which will place a greater demand on the hips, hamstrings, erectors, and back. Additionally, the increased knee flexion at the start of the trap bar deadlift will shift demand towards the glutes, quads, and middle to upper back," states a Barbend.com article comparing the two deadlifts.
For those who work in an office, at home, or sit most of the day, with occasional activity, the trap bar deadlift is the way forward. The added athletic benefits of speed, power, and velocity will also help runners. So, pick up that trap bar the next time you see it, it won’t be the last time you do so.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator, podcaster and writer.
