TRAP BAR & BARBELL DEADLIFTS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Deadlifts are a foundational movement that many people will encounter in a gym setting. Whether it is in a class setting or doing it on your own, deadlifts can be a very helpful total body movement that everyone should become familiar with. The movement transfers to our daily lives as often as squatting or walking. When you bend over to pick up a heavy box or object you are using the same movement pattern as a deadlift. There’s many variations of the exercise but today we will be talking about two: the trap bar deadlift and the barbell deadlift. How are they fundamentally different and what crossover do they share?

The Barbell Deadlift

The barbell deadlift is performed using a straight barbell. When plates are loaded on the barbell the barbell sits at about mid shin height off the ground. The lifter walks over and stands so that the laces of their shoes are directly under the barbell when they look down. This is important because this positions the bar over the centerline of gravity of the lifter. To get into the start position for this movement, the lifter will squat down and grip the bar with an even width of their hands. The body position includes the hips being above the knees while both are flexed. The back is flat, with the head in a neutral position and the chin slightly up. Once the lifter is ready, they will take a deep breath and tighten their core muscles by pushing their stomach out in all directions. This will be followed by them pushing down into the ground intently. While maintaining the position of the back, they will continue until the bar reaches their hip before reversing the movement. They will keep the bar close to their body, push the hips back, and once it passes the knees they will lower their hips and shoulders at the same rate until the bar reaches the floor again.

The Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar is a hexagonal-shaped bar with handles that run vertically in relation to the lifter's body, unlike the one horizontal line of a barbell. With plates on the bar, it is at a similar height that a barbell would be. The handles are now positioned at the sides of the lifter’s body. The goal is to position the hands so that they are in line with the midfoot of the lifter, much like the barbell being over the laces of the shoes in a barbell deadlift. From here, the goal is the same as the barbell deadlift: push down hard and maintain a back position until the bar reaches the hip or the lifter's lower body joints are extended. Reversing the movement is the same as the barbell deadlift, although since there’s no bar directly in front of you, the lifter should feel for the balanced feeling on their feet. Even pressure across the whole foot is the goal for this. Return the bar to the floor to complete the lift.

So, what are the main differences between these two deadlift variations?

While the barbell deadlift is positioned over the same place as the trap bar deadlift it is positionally different once it comes off the floor. The barbell must maintain proximity to the body the entire time. In order for this to occur the lifter must push down and move the bent knees out of the way of the barbell’s path as it is coming up. This creates a point where the hips are fair behind the barbell and the bar feels in front of the lifter's body. This forces the low back to remain rigid as the bar passes the knees until it reaches the hip; this also occurs on the way back down.

For the trap bar the vertical handle design allows for the bar to start at a similar height but now there's no barbell to move around the knees, rather the centerline of gravity is almost directly in line with the center of mass of the trap bar. Without a horizontal bar in front of the lifter they can position their body in such a way that shifts the use of certain muscles. Where a conventional barbell predominantly uses the posterior chain muscles like the hamstrings glutes and back, the trap bar uses similar muscles but the ability to shift the knees forward in the trap bar deadlift allows for more quadricep muscles to be used. Now it's not to say each movement only uses the muscles specified. Every muscle is used during each lift but each lift can favor some over the others.

Getting Started

Trap bar deadlifts may be an easier starting point for some people deadlifting for the first time especially if they have some experience squatting. The trap bar allows for more room to have technical error since the lifter can shift their body position a little more freely. Now it's not to say a newer lifter cannot barbell deadlift right away. With a proper coach and attention to proper technique either variation is well within a beginners scope of skill. They’re nothing to fear and they can be really fun!