Love the trap bar, I completely replaced squats and barbell deadlifts with it. Best of both worlds.

Got disc herniation year and half ago. Trap bar deadlift are only deadlifts I can perform. And It is absolutely perfect. My power has skyrocketed.

Awesome analysis! Much clearer than other videos on KZfaq. Keep up the good works!

This is an excellent discussion of the differences between the trap bar and barbell deadlifts.It’s probably the best explanation I’ve seen of the differences. Although, as you said, neither lift is inherently dangerous, I do think that for 95% of the population, it’s much easier to hurt yourself doing the straight bar dead lift. That 95% of the population is much more likely to have a heavily rounded back doing the straight bar dead lift. I am among that 95%. But I feel comfortable doing the track bar deadlift, starting out with a low weight and working my way up.

This video is awesome. No nonsense, no ego, not trying to be controversial or edgy. If only KZfaq fitness info was more like this then a lot more people would have much better, and much more attainable ideas about fitness, physique and programming specificity. I came hear looking for some tips on form and exercise selection, got both. Thank you

Love your channel !! Great videos, keep making more about different types of exercises and pros/cons

Mate! You are the first Tuber I've seen who uses overhand grip for "both" hands!!! On the barbell. Legend! Thank you & thank you for the vids 🙌👊

sup dude, great video. This was exactly what I was looking for and you presented the information so well! Thank you my guy

I rarely watch videos over 5 mins but this video had value in almost every second and is probably the best deadlift explanation video that I've seen. Awesome work man! Thank you!

I use trap bar deadlifts as a variation exercise for training the deadlift in general. Likewise I use decline bench as a variation on flat bench, front squat as a variation on back squat, etc.

Using a trap bar with the low handles in my opinion is the perfect deadlift variation. Erectors are more involved than the high handles due to the lower starting position. While posterior chain recruitment may not be as robust, the stimulus:fatigue ratio is much better than a barbell deadlift. To really put the hamstrings to work, I greatly prefer RDLs which can also be performed with the trap bar.

Very good explanation. Thanks 😊

Really great video! Subscribed!

Amazing video! Highly impressed

Only ever use trap bar. 52 with polymyalgia and this is perfect for my mobility.

When I hurt my lower back, I pretty much swapped my Squats and DLs with Hex Bar DLs and my legs were just fine, I only started squatting and deadlifting again because I enjoyed doing them

Very informative video! 👍👍 "Farmer's walk" is a favourite exercise for functional strength. Trap bar is perfect for this. 🔥

I'll do this more than deadlift barbell. thank you for this knowledge

Great Information Video

Holy shit, where have this guy been.... the detailed explantion is outrages. Well done.

Thank you ❤

Ok im a fan. Very easy to understand you know what you are talking about!

Underated channel

Hey Mate i have been doing powerlifting for 10 years now, barbell deadlift has always been my favorite exercise, however i am not competing anymore and i am trying a bodybuilding schedule because i feel that doing low reps high weight is more dangerous and it does tire my whole body a lot more... Plus, doing 8-12 reps gives you that well satisfying pump that low reps can't give you... Anyway, there is this belief that deadlift with the straight bar is the best ever... But i am now experiencing the trap bar and it is fun and i don't feel much the lower back fatigue that really pisses my off when living as a normal human being lol I wanted to say that i appreciated a lot your video and that you overshare a lot of knowledge, really rare to see! Good work

Mesmerizing video,apparently u got both knowledge and power, attachamp💪🏻 After over two decades of work out naturally , i just enjoy and prefer trap bar since its multipurpose and more suitable to heavier and least reps although i do the bar but lighter and more reps just to gain some sharper pains on posterior at the end i gotta say as the name itself implies it just traps u eventually by time lapsing and aging😉

Awesome vid thank you. I'm training legs for cycling and can't stand the barbell deadlift. But, I've probably been putting too much weight on the bar. Trap lift is much more comfortable for heavier weights.

It’s a common misconception that the lats are performing shoulder extension during the deadlift. You’re actually performing hip extension even at the very end. Your lats and traps are isometrically contracting to prevent the weight from swinging and your arms from falling off, respectively. But these are isometric contractions. This is primarily a posterior chain exercise. The trap bar deadlift is essentially a squat as you’re performing simultaneous knee extension and hip flexion, like a squat.

The problem I see with hex bar is how it works shoulders, like working on bench does more for my DL than working on squat at the moment.

Good vid. I just thought I'd remind you that there is more than one way to pull the trap bar. You can keep your upper body more upright and make it more of a squat. You can bend your knees a lot less and put more emphasis on lower back - or you can keep your stance more in between. You can do all that with a straight bar as well but to a lesser degree. The straight bar is always going to be in front of you which forces the lower back to do more of the work. Personally, I love them both and have included both in my workouts for many years.

Iv started using this as i have back issues L5S1. Could never squat. This feels good but im taking it slow.

If you're not going to squat and deadlift then do trap only IMO. Definitely pull from low handles if you can.

I love trap bar deadlifts ❤️

Trap bar is the better one for lets say MMA fighters or boxers because you can also do trap bar jumps which will benifit in fight training

Hey Jake. I always find myself coming back to this video all the time because I love both movements and it’s a great reminder on how and when to incorporate both. I’ve noticed a lot of people say they avoid deadlifting with a barbell because they have bad backs. Given you understand it’s not inherently a dangerous movement (and that you’re not a doctor), if you were training someone and he said that, what would you say in response?

Thanks for all the information. The discussion was very informative but a bit too long and technical in my opinion. For example, as a beginner, I didn't know what you meant by "posterior" here - a word you used several times. I wish you would have explained that in the beginning. Just some constructive criticism :) Saved the video and going to try the trap bar for my next leg day!

I liken the trap bar deadlift to a squat that can shift due instability on the sagittal plane . It is hard to know really from rep to rep where the load is going to hit . It’s more of a squat than a hinging pattern though. I personally would t bother and just choose a high, low or front barbell squat .

I think Trap bar gets my lats more than conventional. Bringing the arms close to the side is a fuller squeeze then with arms in front, as the lats are stretched every so slightly more than if arms are at side. Part of the lats job is to adduct the arm. Conventional allows the shoulder to protract thertefore the lats arent in the tightest position. This is anecdotal of course but its how it feels as i sit here squeezing from both positions. Awrsome video. I LOVE THE TRAP BAR!!!

I get lower back pain when doing deadlifts is this a better and safer alternative

Love the trap bar.

Just the question I wanted to ask!

So I run a 3 day A/B full body split where one day I’m doing deadlifts and one day I’m doing squats. One week I’ll squat twice, the other I’ll deadlift twice. Up until now I’ve only been doing trap bar because it’s been easier for me to get back into training the deadlifting motion after 5 years and 100lbs gained. Now though I think I’m going to introduce doing barbell deadlifts every other B session while I’m running this 3 day split. I want to build a balanced but strong lower body and I think incorporating both into my routine best suits my overall goal of restoring general athletic ability. I don’t compete anymore and I don’t plan to. I just want to be strong and physically capable since I work a physical trade. Eventually I’ll bump up to a 4 day push/pull split and I’ll be training each movement 1x a week. I’m still working myself up to it.

Being tall and older I use trap bar plus I use the the lower handle not the high it just feels safer for me at this stage in my life, I can do a barbell but trap is my personal choice. BTW new subscriber today me!!

I really only trap bar deadlifts. But I’m gonna incorporate both.

Good balanced points on both barbell and trapbar. I use both. I like the trapbar because I have less cues to focus on. The downside is that it makes me lazy and I find myself doing less and less barbell. The barbell lift is much more satisfying to me probably because it requires more skill and mental focus.

Great video Jake, quick question, would you say hex bar is a LOT easier than deadlifting with the bar? I have always struggled to pull over 300 pounds on conventional but today I tried hex bar for the first time and pulled 315 for 1. Also I don’t compete in powerlifting events but do you think I’d be able to apply a hex bar deadlift max towards my total or should that strictly be for what you pull on the bar

I love the trap bar. I find it hard to get into the proper form with the BBDL plus I can load heavier with the trap bar.

Great information! Thanks! I would add one more difference and that is that the barbell DL is going to translate more readily to other barbell movements, which do provide more sport related benefits like the clean and snatch, both of which involve the barbell DL movement (with the snatch having a wider grip obviously). Thanks again and keep up the great work!

im tall and very glute and lowerback dominant to the detriment of quad and less so ham. hex bar feel much better because i dont need very heavy focus on lower back, plus the grip feel more natural and usefull. irl you really only pick up things like a zercher or like farmers walk, so deadlift is a weird movement that does not really have any rl application. why not just get much stronger in hex than deadlift?

I do both. Why not :D

Great vid. Do you think trap bar weight carries over to conventional? For ex, does a 450 low handle trap bar translate to 450 conventional, or a little less?

How would you rank these for quads? Trap bar, leg press, squat, front squat and hack squat and bulgarian split squat? Really good video! :)

Great video. Honestly one of the most informative I’ve seen. Just a question tho Idk if I missed it or not. For trap bar what is the difference between holding it from the low and high position? Like do they work different muscles or?

Love that you didn't call either of them dangerous

Hey Jake is it normal that my legs aren’t sore the next day after doing trap bar deadlifts or any deadlifts for that matter, even if the movements are done correctly and the bar is heavy enough for me ? Is it working even if I’m not sore?

Hey Jake I will like to ask you, can I do both trap bar deadlift and barbell squats on the same day or should I seperate those workouts in different days?

@Jake | That Fit Friend What is the difference in the amount of weight between the two workouts? I’ve never maxed out deadlift but on the trap I’ve gotten 410 with some extra energy.

I herniated 2 discs in my back and with the pre-existing fatigue from training my sport (bjj) I switched to trap bar and feel much much better

It's much more secure than the classic barbell deadlifts. Yes barbell deadlifts is secure if you do them right, but there is so much you can do wrong with this exercise and than it can really harm. Trap bar helps you to lower these risks. I combine trap bar deadlifts and walking dumbbell lunges (instead of squats).

Great breakdown, Jake. I love how you approached this with simplicity but still providing enough of the necessary details. Quick question. Would you say the strength/hypertrophy gains from using a trap bar for deadlift and safety squat bar for squats are similar to only using straight bars for the same exercises? I ask because it seems like trap bar deadlifts give some benefits of squats like you said in the video and SSB squats give some benefits of deadlifts.

I greatly prefer trap bar deadlifts for general athletic ability. I don’t see a reason to even do regular deadlifts unless you compete. The risk / benefit / reward is so much better on the trap bar that even the army switched to it in their fitness tests

Hey, i'm a lifter with long femurs and i've been struggling with squats. I've been thinking, if i replace squats with trap bar deadlift do you think i can get similar quad growth as long as i progress on it? I think that i will still do posterior chain dominant lifts like SLDLs and on squat days i might do trap bar deadlifts and barbell hack squats for quads instead. I really got frustrated with squatting and i'm now wondering of ways to work around them. What are your thoughts on that approach?

What is hinge? Also what do we do with our knees? Do we keep them absolutley straight the whole time?

Trap bar is essential for every gym!!!

I noticed for myself that my adductor and hamstring are less prone to injury when I use deadlift and squats instead of trapbar.

Do you pull more weight using the trap bar? Like if I can do 415 on dead lift bar, can you pull more on trap more?

Trap bar for the win. You can do farmer carries with your deadlift.

So would you say that using the lower handles and having the hips a bit lower, is essentially a barbell squat, and using the higher handles with higher hips (or lower handles but making your hips higher anyway), is essentially a barbell deadlift? (though a bit more chill with the hip hinge force required). Then in the middle is a bit of both. I'm 99% sure this is the case, but it would be cool to hear your thoughts on someone using the trap bar for both squats and deadlifts (then one could Romanian Deadlift with it, etc. but yea). The context would be like, your average person looking to get the general benefits of doing squats and deadlifts. No strength sport competing, no other sports, doesn't care about barbells, no injuries. One can do squats and deadlifts with dumbbells, so I imagine its essentially that. I do full body workouts 3 times a week, so I think I would just pick one movement per day, and alternate them. I don't like having to warmup for multiple quite similar-ish exercises per workout, because that takes a while. Rather just warm up one movement and then do that for all my sets for that body part. What do you think of that? Wait I like to alternate with my push and pull exercises in the workout to save time (1 minute between sets). With the squat movement pattern, I can then go into hamstring curls (or maybe a hip hinge movement). But with the deadlift movement pattern with a trap bar, that's like, both quad and hams... and it seems pretty even between the 2? so I guess that's just both sides done already? with barbell deadlift, that's posterior focused, and so one can then do squats if they wanted. I think in both cases the quads might get more focus, (unless it's a RDL). Might be doing some hamstring curls either way, then it's just alternating extra quad work & hip hinge. That got kind of long. I was organising my thoughts. Really awesome video by the way!

Can you simulate a squat with the Trap Bar Deadlift? I have mobility issues with my shoulders and it is hard to get a straight bar into position for a conventional low bar squat. I am not fond of the SSB it feels unbalanced and clunky. Thanks.

As much as I love the trap bar deadlift, the main reason I love it is in general it is much easier to do then the barbell deadlift. However, if we’re just talking about muscle growth overall, the barbell deadlift is much superior

Is the trap bar good for weight loss.

No wonder i always hated normal barbell deadlift. It's not normal!

My femur is longer than my tibia, barbell DL makes my back more unstable than if I do it in trapbar

Which one in your opinion is easier to lift more weight?

Need help with technique. Can’t squat or straight bar deadlift without injuring my back

Get a pump on my lower back really early when doing barbell deadlift.

I'm struggling to get my head round hip positioning when squatting and deadlifts ie hips up or down when either using the trap bar or barbell Can anyone help thanks

What is the best way to make progress with the overhead press? High reps low reps?

What about a trap bar squat (on raised platform) vs back squats? 🙂

Trap bar is less dangerous because if our form break down, the risk is lesser thanks for the more upright stance

What's the difference between posterior and glutes?

But do trap bar dead lift build overall functional strength for like everyday lifting, wrestling or even lifting a person or objects? 🤔

Will trap bar deadlift be more benefit for sumo deadlift than conventional? If so high handle or low ?

So is there any definitive answer as to which one makes u stronger???? Like let's say one guy pulls 500 on straight bar and that's his ORM and another guy pulls the same thing on hex bar for ORM who would be considered stronger????

Fucked my knee so here i am. No rows/dl for me without trap bar.

I'm going to switch from barbell conventional to Trap/Hex bar.

Trap bars for me are more safer and more comfortable and less stress on back

I used the trap bar deadlift (high gripp) two times a week for one year . I was expecting some grow on the leg muscles. Unfortunately it didn't. I didn't do other leg exercises besides 4 times a month leg extension and curls. I lifted up to 130 kg (286 lbs). What went wrong?

Trap bar leg drive Barbell extension

Nice video but disagree with one pint you made. For me the trap bar is nothing like a squat?

So if I trap bar deadlift, I can replace barbell deadlift and squat?

outstanding explanation, without all the cutesy bro-attempts to be funny or cute.

Trap bar is much better for novices with no knowledge and technique

You were actually using the wrong form for the trap bar deadlift.The way u used it looked more like a squat.I bend my knees a whole lot less and just bend over to pick the weight up,focusing the movement more on my back and hamstrings,and yes,it works.Even better for ppl who have had back injuries and are not as comfortable pulling the weight up in front of their bodies.

So if I want bigger quads and ass then the trap bar is better?

Whoa. You are NOT doing a Trap Bar Dealift. That’s a Trap Bar Hack Squat. You’re doing a Trap Bar Hack Squat because you initiating movement upright posture with butt tucked and driving through the heels like you do with a squat. The focus your legs, mostly quads. You do not hinge at the hips but drive with your heels. I prefer it to the Barbell Hack Squat, we’re you load the bar behind your knees and stand. since you don’t hang up on your hammies because since youre in the opening. An actual Trap Bar Deadlift uses the same position as a Deadlift, with butt out and chest high. The form includes a high chest. This forces you to initiate movement by lifting your hips before hinging, making it glute and hammie dominant. It’s a DL alternative for people with lower back issues since you don’t have to drag the bar along your shins which can aggravate some lifter’s lower backs. It targets. the same muscles as the standard (or Russian) DL, though I fing more glute dominant with less hamstring activation.

I can't believe Americans put a microwave above their hob.

As he squats with the trap bar. 😂 come on man.

trap bar dl is closer to a dl than a sumo based on hip mechanics. yw.