How to Use a Trap Bar: Complete Guide

Do you want to work out hard while minimizing joint stress and ankle injury risks? The trap bar is an excellent barbell used worldwide as it builds your trap muscles and reduces injury risks. But the question is, how to use a trap bar?

The trap bar seems absolutely insane to the inexperienced. However, its neutral-grip ends and unique construct make it a perfect partner for a fitness fanatic. So, let’s dig in to learn how to use a trap bar in six ways for practical and thrilling exercises. First and foremost, let’s see what a trap bar is. 

What is a Trap Bar?

Al Gerard, a renowned powerlifter, developed a trap bar. It is popular among fitness freaks and bodybuilders for Deadlifts, Shrugs, and Squats. It is also famous as a Hex bar as its structure involves bending and welding bars in a hexagonal shape. 

Trap Bar Deadlift: How to Use a Trap Bar

In the trap bar deadlift, you stand in the bar’s center rather than having weight ahead of your body. Therefore, it is pretty simpler than the traditional Deadlift. Here are a few steps to start a simple and easy trap bar deadlift:

• Stand in the center of the trap bar with your feet open at hip-width.
• Bend down and grab the bar’s grips.
• Sit at your hip-back posture.
• Raise your shoulders and chest and look ahead.
• Maintain a flat back, and straighten your knees and hips.
• Stand up by lifting the trap bar to the level of your mid-thigh.
• Contract your glute muscles at the peak of exercise.
• Gradually lower the trap bar.

Trap Bar Squat

Trap bar squats are just like barbell squats. This workout engages all main muscular parts of the body. Those with restricted shoulder mobility can do it with high handles.

Moreover, you can roll a cloth around the bar to cushion your upper back to prevent injury. Following are the steps to learn how to use a trap bar squat:

• After mounting the trap bar in a squat rack, add weight plates to the bar.
• Pass your feet below the trap bar so the high handles point downward, then get a hold of those high handles with both hands.
• After taking a few steps away from the rack, position yourself so you can begin the squat.

Trap Bar Bent-Over Row

The trap bar for the bent-over row relieves stress on the lower back and increases movement range. It enables you to concentrate more on developing the upper back and latissimus dorsi (lats) muscles. Following are the steps for this exercise with a trap bar: 

• Set the trap bar and take a position in the center. Take hold of the high handles.
• Maintain a slight knee bend and engage your back, lats, and core.
• Straighten up your chest and push back your glute muscles.
• To do the row, raise the trap bar and lock your shoulder blades together for a second.
• Lower the bar to the ground to finish the rep.
• Perform three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. 

Trap Bar Shrugs

The trap bar shrug is an exercise that focuses mainly on the trapezius muscles. Hence, it keeps engaging the forearms and shoulders to a lesser extent. Here we pen down basic steps to perform the trap bar shrugs exercise:

• Maintain your position in the center of the trap bar.
• Lift the weight and keep it with your arms hanging down at this point.
• Shrug your shoulders while lifting the weight upwards using the muscles in your traps.
• Bring the weight back down to the level of your waist and complete three sets of repetitions. 

Watch this video

Trap Bar Floor Press

The trap bar is an excellent substitute for dumbbells or a barbell to perform the floor press. There is no danger of shoulder slip when performing this exercise. So, follow these steps to give your pecs, triceps, and shoulders a fantastic workout with this exercise:

• Put the trap bar on a low end in the squat rack.
• Put your back against the squat rack so you can pick up the weight while resting on your stomach.
• Take a position while lying on your back with your legs up. Also, keep your feet planted firmly on the ground.
• Use the low handles of the trap bar to start. Next, moving up to the high handles will improve the difficulty of the exercise.
• Take the bar off of the rack and begin to do a bar press-up. After completing one repetition, pause before lowering the bar to your chest and performing the exercise again.
• Six to eight repetitions throughout three sets are crucial for building muscles.

Trap Bar Push-Ups

The trap bar is perfect for maintaining a neutral grasp when performing push-ups. This posture is more comfortable for the wrists. 

• Place the trap bar with the handles pointing upward on the ground.
• Grab the handles and take the position of a push-up.
• Gradually drop in the push-up position while keeping your elbows open at 45 degrees. 
• Stop when you feel a chest expansion. Reset and complete three sets of repetitions, and then stop.

What’s better, a trap bar or a barbell?

The loads for both movements are almost the same. However, most people can deadlift a more significant weight using a trap bar, mainly when using the high handles.

Is it worth using a trap bar for fitness purposes? 

Using a trap bar makes it far simpler to maintain the appropriate structure of your spine. It dramatically minimizes the risk of injury associated with lifting. Therefore, people can accomplish lifts that they were previously unable to do. 

Final Thoughts

The trap bar is one of the market’s most popular and advanced equipment. Most of the top gyms worldwide use trap bars as there are numerous ways to get benefits from them. Also, it can be a great addition to your home gym as it is quite affordable. 

So, for now, that is all about how to use a trap bar to build a fit, healthy, and muscular body. Let us know in the comments how you can include these six essential trap bar workouts into your workout routine. Visit evepacifichealth to learn more.