The trap bar: neutral grip for the win

Barbells are the most versatile of training tools. Almost any specialist bar will do less than what a barbell does. But specialist bars have a few pros that make them better suited to perform a particular move than the barbell. Let’s take a look at the trap bar. The trap bar is a specialist bar built for deadlifting. It can also be used to row, split squat, lunge, farmers carry and press — if you like to live dangerously.

A barbell can be held with the palms facing away from you, towards you, or something in the middle (a mixed grip). The trap bar allows for a neutral grip: the palms face each other. This is a friendlier position for the upper back and shoulders. On the deadlift, squeezing your upper back is important to maintain tension all the way down to your lower back during the lift.

The barbell deadlift setup might be one of the hardest things to learn and coach. For a barbell deadlift, your back needs to be closer to parallel to the floor than upright, with little knee bend. That’s a challenging position to get into. The trap bar reduces this entry barrier significantly. With a trap bar you can adjust how horizontal or vertical the back is, and you can use varying degrees of knee bend, which changes how involved the quadriceps are in the lift. That’s advantageous for a newbie looking to learn to pick a weight off the floor.

Barbell purists argue, rightly, that the trap bar involves the quadriceps more than a barbell would. This is true. The trap bar makes it easier to stay upright and bend your knees to pick up the weight. But you can also perform a trap bar deadlift with a hip-dominant hinge position.

Between the neutral grip, the weight being in line with your mid-foot, and being able to bend your knees more, the trap bar deadlift is quite distinct from a barbell deadlift. Athletes can use either or both in their programs. The trap bar allows for a more vertical line of travel. As far as the science goes, both moves are terrific at improving strength and power in the lower limbs.

For a newbie with no interest in competitions, whose only priority is stronger legs, is the trap bar deadlift — with its easier setup and malleable start position — that much of a problem? We think not.

There are three types of trap bars: a regular closed trap bar, an open-back trap bar, and a vertically loaded trap bar (open-back or not). You can use an open-back trap bar to lunge and split squat more comfortably. Trap bars can also come with high handles, which let you pull from a higher-than-standard (9-inch) position — the rack pull.

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