The trap bar deadlift is a weight lifting exercise that many people do not know about.
I wanted to bring this amazing exercise some attention today.
You will need a trap bar to do this exercise.
Many gyms will not have this weight lifting bar available but some will.
If you have a home gym, I highly recommend you purchase a trap bar because this exercise is amazing and will bring your body to new levels as you get stronger on this exercise.
The main purpose of the trap bar was to perform shrugs for the trapezius muscle in your upper back. The shrug is exactly what it sounds like: you stand upright with weights in your hands and shrug the weight upwards using your trap musculature in your upper back.
Well… today, you're going to learn how to use the trap bar for a much better exercise.
Another Name for the Trap Bar Deadlift
Many times, people will abbreviate the Trap Bar Deadlift as TBDL.
If you see this abbreviation anywhere, you'll now know what it means.
In my weight lifting log book, I always use abbreviations for all the weight lifting exercises I do and it's much easier and faster to write TBDL than it is to write Trap Bar Deadlift.
Some people may also put a space in between the Dead and the Lift and call it a Trap Bar Dead Lift.
Why Is This Weight Lifting Exercise So Good?
A general consensus in the weight lifting world is that the squat is the king of all exercises.
The squat is an amazing exercise and should be one of the core weight lifting exercises included in every weight lifting program.
But let's face it… the squat movement gives many people a lot of problems because it's not easy to learn how to do with proper form and technique. Many people (including yours truly) do the squat exercise wrong for many years when they believe they are doing it properly.
When you do the squat movement incorrectly, you can injure yourself. The injury might not happen immediately but it can build up over the years and lead to a bad injury.
The trap bar deadlift has a huge advantage over the squat when it comes to learning how to use proper form and technique.
You simply squat down into an athletic position (not even close to as deep as a squat), bend over, grab the bar, and lift the weight using your entire body.
You could even argue that the trap bar deadlift uses more musculature in your body than the squat or the traditional deadlift.
For me, I can lift much heavier weight with the TBDL than the squat. Some people are built (length of their arms, torso, legs, etc play a factor) to deadlift versus built to squat, and I am definitely one of those people.
So the trap bar dead lift works much better for me than the squat.
Any weight lifting exercise that allows you to safely lift very heavy weight is an exercise highly recommended for use with the WLC System.
Trap Bar Deadlifts Are An Amazing Alternative or Substitute to the Squat
If you have any knee issues or lower back issues when performing the squat, I highly recommend you get a trap bar and start doing the trap bar deadlift.
It's much easier on my knees than the squat, by far. If you have any knee issues and can't squat any more, this is the exercise that will compete with the squat for giving you the best results.
Many people have knee pain and lower back pain with the squat. I can almost guarantee (depending on your specific issue of course) that your pain will diminish with the TBDL.
If you have quit doing squats because they hurt, you can get very strong again by using this exercise. And all those amazing results you get by lifting very heavy weights will come back to you.
I've been there before and the trap bar dead lift brought me back.
Some Exercise Videos of People Using the Trap Bar to Perform Deadlifts
Another advantage the trap bar has over a barbell being placed on your upper back is the ability to drop the weight if needed.
This advantage over the squat makes the this deadlift variation much safer than the barbell back squat.
Here are some exercise videos so you know what this exercise looks like:
I recommend being a little easier when sitting the bar down. Let the bar rest on the ground for a second before making the next attempt. The guy in the video above is really jarring his body and this could lead to issues in the future.
You can always count on women to provide the best form on most exercises. Women always seem to have better technique than men.
The above exercise video discusses some of the advantages over the squat and traditional deadlift.
Hope you enjoy this weight lifting exercise. Give it a try.
Blake Myers says
Great article Josh!! At 52 years old, My lower back and knees were killing me doing squats and traditional dead-lifts…Not to mention bloodying up my shins dragging the Olympic bar up them!! Three months ago I bought a hex trapbar and my gym reimbursed me for it…What a huge difference!! Being able to pull straight up vertical is awesome!! No more pulling and lowering around and in front of the knees, WAY less stress on the lower back and spine! I am lifting way more weight with way less pain now!! TBDL’s are the single best compound lift you can do in my opinion, I feel as though I am working every muscle in my body with them, and the results are really showing!!! (get you some lifting straps as well…they really do help with grip when using heavy weights)…Blake
Joshua says
You are exactly right. The trap bar deadlift movement just feels more natural for many people. Squats are an awesome exercise but there’s just something about the trap bar deadlift that makes it the king of all exercises. I am glad you found it and glad you are having success with it. Hope others give it a shot because the TBDL really does work wonders for your body. Great suggestion on the weight lifting wrist straps as your entire body might outgrow your grip strength. Always work on grip strength as well but don’t let your grip strength hold you back on other exercises. That’s why I recommend wrist straps on many exercises. Shouldn’t limit yourself by grip strength, but should work on grip strength at the same time. Thanks Blake! Hope you like the new website.
Blake Myers says
Josh, I have had some discussion recently about the Trapbar, and I do have a couple of questions concerning its use. First, in your opinion can or should you do Squats with a Trapbar? And what is the difference between Deadlifts and Squats using this bar? In some of my programs I have used heavy Dumbbells at my sides to perform my squats…..realizing the Squat starts in the upright or standing position, then you lower and squat down, then push back up. It seems like this can be done with the Trapbar as well, but without dragging the dumbbells along the sides of you legs or risk dropping them on your feet. When Deadlifting, the movement starts from the floor and a “Pull” is made straight up to a standing position, then the weight is lowered back to the floor….in other words these two movements look very similar to each other when doing reps other than the starting position…..However, to do a Squat with the Trapbar, you would essentially need to do a Deadlift first to be in the Squat start position. The question then becomes, is it necessary to do both Deadlifts and Squats? Also, what is your take on which handle position to use? My Trapbar has both lower and higher handles, about 2 inches apart. The traditional Olympic Bar Deadlift starting position would be to use the lower set of handles on the Trapbar, being much deeper and at the center of the plates…..Same thing if doing Squats, the lower handles get you much deeper if lowered to the floor, and the range of motion is increased and also possible injury…Also I love doing Stiff-legged Deadlifts with my Trapbar, this thing is Awesome! Blake
Joshua says
Hey Blake,
I would recommend using the lower set of handles for any of the trap bar exercises you decide to do if your legs are the priority… whether it be the trap bar squat or the trap bar deadlift.
If you want to work on your back more than your hips, thighs, and legs… then you can go with the higher set of handles. My trap bar only has the lower set of handles so I can only use them anyway. The higher set of handles will allow you to use even heavier weight and shorten the range of motion. This will really hit your back even more. And will also do a good job on your quadriceps.
As far as doing a squat or deadlift, I would go with the one that needs more work. If your hamstrings and glutes need more strength and size, I would do the squat version. If your back and quads need more size and strength, I would do the trap bar version.
The squat style with the trap bar is much harder on my knees, so I stick with the deadlift version with the trap bar. I can also lift much heavier weight with the trap bar deadlift because I don’t have the worry of my knees bothering me. I always stay on the side of caution with the squat movement due to my knees.
Both styles of the deadlift and the squat using the trap bar are amazing exercises. Go with the one you enjoy doing the most for now. Then you can switch next weight lifting cycle to the other version. Both will give amazing results.
And yes, stiff legged deadlifts with the trap bar are amazing as well. Another weight lifting exercise for the hamstrings you should try is cable kickbacks. Many people shy away from them because they think of them as a “weak” exercise. I can tell you right now… they are a very tough exercise and will wear you out if you do them right. They are one of my favorite hamstring exercises. Highly recommended.
kim says
How much should a 145lbs women squat with a shrug bar?
President of WLC says
Kim, I actually call the exercise the trap bar deadlift as it’s more of a deadlift than a squat. Every person has different levels of strength. You should start out with very light weights and slowly increase the weight as you learn proper form and technique on the exercise. You might end up lifting hundreds of pounds, but it might take you a while. It all depends on how quickly you gain strength. Start with really light weights and increase each workout as you achieve the target number of reps in your weight lifting program. I have weight lifting programs available that show you what to do. Let me know if you need help.
kim says
Want to work hip thighs and upper legs
President of WLC says
Kim, the trap bar deadlift will 100% without a doubt work the hips, thighs, and upper legs very hard. You could say it might be one of the best exercises to work all of those muscle groups. Squats are very good at working those muscles too. The trap bar deadlift in my opinion is one of THE best overall exercises in existence.
george says
Josh
New trap bar arrived, Upper handles with 5×5 adding weight ,
Lower grips as same 5×5 adding weight . Question: will this work and benefit other than the regular barbell I also have?
Since I am starting over after my accident I am doing full body work outs three times per week all using the 5×5 routine. I am excited about this and look forward to rebuilding what I lost.
Ideas welcome
George
President of WLC says
George, in the email I just sent you I recommend that you use trap bar deadlifts in place of squats on one of your workout days and on the other use squats. So for one workout, you’ll be doing squats first and the other workout you’ll be doing trap bar deadlifts first. Hope this helps! Squats and trap bar deadlifts alternated will really build you overall strength and power. You will build muscle all over your body with just these 2 exercises. Remember not to add too many exercises to the base 5×5 weight lifting program. Good luck and let me know how everything goes!
Jaime says
Josh,
Trap Bar is one of my dreams to have but the problem here in our city there is no for sale. I roam around to all the sports center but they don”t have it. Even in the gyms they are not using it and I seldom see people doing deadlift, it is not popular here .I wanted to order in the website but I am afraid it will not reach me because it will be lost. Our custom office here, the
employees are very corrupt , I always have a sad experience. For the meantime can we use two dumbbells at the sides of our body doing the squat.
Thank you again..
Josh, President of WLC says
Sure, you can definitely use 2 dumbbells at your side as well. As the dumbbells get larger, though, it will get more difficult. A trap bar is much easier to load but you can definitely do a very good job with the dumbbells at your side. Simply work on increasing the dumbbell size and reps to make progress.
JB says
I notice the terms trap bar squats and trap bar deadlifts seem to be used interchangeably. Is there actually a difference in the technique and form of each or are we talking about basically the same movement and exercise.
Josh, President of WLC says
Hello JB,
That’s a very good question.
I believe they are exactly the same exercise, but you can sit back into the movement as much as possible (more like a squat but not to that range of motion). For instance, I can make the movement more like a stiff legged deadlift. This is not a trap bar deadlift. A trap bar deadlift is when you sit back more like a squat. I personally don’t refer to this as a trap bar squat but some others might and yes, we would be talking about the same exact exercise.
In my opinion, the movement is much more like a deadlift than a squat so that is why I refer to it as so. I understand the confusion there as this is just different names for the same exercise.
Each person is built differently with different limb lengths, joint locations, muscle attachments, different flexibility, etc so the trap bar deadlift might look a little different between people. For some it might look more like a squat and for most it probably looks more like a deadlift.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
Alex says
Hi!
Firstly, a very interesting article with in-depth explanations and expertise. Thank you!
I am thinking of running a 5×5 because I really like the format and its simplicity. I do not have a lot of experience to weightlifting so I would like an expert’s opinion on the program I have designed, just to make sure it is going to give me some good results given my nutrition & sleep are also on point. So I will do a full body 5×5 3 days a week. There will be workout A and workout B which I will alternate each time (all sets below are working sets):
Workout A:
Barbell Back Squats 5×5
Bench press 5×5
Seated cable row 3x 8-10
Tricep extensions 2×10
Workout B:
Trap bar deadlifts 5×5
Overhead press 5×5
Pullups 3x 8-10
Bicep curls 2×10
Your insight would be extremely helpful! Thank you!
Josh, President of WLC says
Hello Alex, thanks for stopping by and posting! Yes, I agree that a 5×5 will work great for you. Your program design looks great. I think this one will work very well for you, and I can see you’ve done your research and understand the importance of diet, nutrition, sleep, recovery, etc. Please let me know how this goes for you.
Bill says
Hello,
Enjoyed the article. I have a trapbar and a barbell, but no rack. Right now I do 5 x 5 overhead presses with the barbell after deadlift and cleaning from the floor. I also do trapbar rows and trap bar deadlifts. I do this twice a week. I sometimes replace the overhead presses with pushups. Any suggestions on routines with limited equipment and space? Also any suggestions for knee pain? My right knee bothers me at times when I do the routine. I am also 6 foot 6 inches and in my 50s