Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
Do you use the trap bar squat? There's a good chance you don't, so check this article out. The trap bar has been getting a lot of attention lately due to a minor fallout with the barbell deadlift.
It's hard to pinpoint when people started questioning the barbell deadlift, but one of the earliest prime examples is when Strongman athlete Robert Oberst went on The Joe Rogan Podcast in 2019. On it, he stated that unless you need to do the deadlift (i.e., you're a powerlifter, Crossfitter, Strongman athlete, etc), you shouldn't do it. We don't agree with that, but that's for an entire article of its own!
Regardless, this is just one example of when people started to look for other alternatives for the deadlift. One positive outcome of this "anti-deadlift" movement was the surge in popularity of the trap bar. While the trap bar is generally associated with the trap bar deadlift, there are many other excellent movements that lifters are missing out on.
This article is going to look at one of them, the trap bar squat, and how it differs from the trap bar deadlift.
The Trap Bar
The trap bar, also known as a hex bar, consists of a large hexagonal piece of metal fixed with two weight collars. Further, there are two handles, generally raised, that are then located in the middle of the bar.
Cool. So what's that do?
If you think of a barbell deadlift, the barbell is always in front of the body. Even if you're scraping your shins as you pull up to keep the barbell close to the body, it's still in front of the body. It's literally impossible for it not to be!
As a result, it will always pull you forward slightly. At the same time, it will always be pulling your shoulders forward slightly. While you can easily counter this with proper form, it still exists and can be challenging for newer lifters or even novices if they get lazy.
We take a deeper look at the differences between a trap bar and barbell deadlift here.
The primary benefit of the trap bar is it allows a person to stand in the middle of the bar while holding the load to their sides. This results in the center of gravity running straight down the middle of the body. Even if a person's setup is a bit wonky, as soon as they lift, the load will come in the middle of the body and pull straight down.
At the same time, the handles are usually heightened, as mentioned. Or, they will have two sets of handles: one lower and one higher. This gives lifters more options for how low they want to hold the bar and their desired range of motion. Ultimately, this decreases the requirement for mobility if that is an issue.
Finally, as there is no bar located right in front of the legs, an individual has more freedom to move. They can adjust their leg position and even walk if they so choose.
Interested in having your own trap bar? Check out our favorite picks for all budgets.
The Trap Bar Squat Vs. Trap Bar Deadlift
We think this piece of equipment is highly underutilized. Perhaps one of the best exercises you can do with it, apart from the deadlift, is the trap bar squat. What's awesome is performing it, rather than the deadlift, only requires one tiny adjustment.
The Trap Bar Deadlift
When most people think of the "trap bar", "they automatically think of the trap bar deadlift. It has gained the most notoriety partly due to it being the chosen exercise to replace the barbell deadlift
The reason it's the go-to alternative is due to what was mentioned above, mainly that the force of the weight is pulled down on the center of gravity and higher handles. Together, these make it easier for a lifter to get in a better position while taking strain off the back.
When you set up for the trap bar deadlift, step in the middle of the bar so that the front of your shins cut right down the middle. You then push your hips back so that your shoulders drop.
Do this until you can grab the handles in the middle. At this point, your arms should be in line with your shins which should be vertical.
From here, pull your chest up and keep your shoulders pulled back. Pull up tightly on the bar to stiffen the body and then come up. Drive your feet into the ground and push your hips forward.
A key point to this is your knee. Again, the shins should be vertical, and there should be minimal or no movement in the knee. The majority of the action is happening with your hips.
The Trap Bar Squat
Now, let's look at the trap bar squat.
The initial setup is exactly the same as the deadlift as you step in the middle of the bar and grab the handles. However, instead of keeping your shins vertical, you let your knees track forward as you sit back to grab the handles. As you push your knees forward, your torso becomes more upright as well.
As you pull the load up, you drive your feet into the ground and must perform knee extension and hip extension.
The Difference
Part of what makes the trap bar so versatile is standing in the middle of the trap bar gives your legs freedom of movement. Since your legs can move forward, you can simply alter your stance to change the biomechanics of the exercise.
One of the primary differences in the biomechanics between a squat and a hip-hinge, such as a deadlift, is knee flexion and movement. During a hip-hinge, the shin stays vertical, and the knee stays relatively in the same spot for the whole movement. The motion is performed by pushing the hips back, as the hips are the primary mover.
To come up, you then must perform hip extension. While there will be some knee flexion, it is to a lesser extent. This means the primary movers are going to be your posterior muscles as they are the body's primary hip extensors; your glutes and hamstrings.
In a squat, the knees come forward during the movement, increasing the knee's range of motion (ROM) with flexion. Most squats will still have some hip extension, but it can vary greatly. Regardless, this increased ROM at the knee places more stress on the quadriceps, making squats a more "quad-centric" exercise (the quotation marks are because there's plenty of nuance to that statement!)
Therefore, if you want to target your posterior muscles, use the trap bar deadlift and keep your shins vertical when performing the movement.
However, to hit the quads more with the trap bar, let your knees come forward as you set up to perform the trap bar squat. To further increase ROM, you can grab the lower handles instead, assuming your trap bar has them.
One other difference of the trap bar squat is your torso will become even more vertical. This makes it a great choice for those with any back issues.
How To Apply The Trap Bar Squat
Unfortunately, to our knowledge, there are no studies on the trap bar squat. This makes it difficult to say with certainty how its muscle activation compares with the trap bar deadlift or even the barbell back squat. This means we can't say if it's a perfect alternative for either or.
However, speaking from personal use, what we know about biomechanics and anecdotal evidence, we would take a very good guess you get better activation in the quads; at least we know you can definitely feel a difference, especially when using the low handles!
The primary benefit of the trap bar squat is probably the fact it takes a lot of stress off the lower back. Therefore, this likely makes it a better substitute for something like a belt squat or Hatfield squat.
Both of these allow you to increase the volume on your legs while minimizing force on your spine. Rather than completely replacing the barbell back squat, use the trap bar squat as an accessory to increase volume on the legs. For example, it could be used as a secondary exercise after a barbell deadlift or a barbell back squat.
One other awesome benefit is it prioritizes the concentric contraction, or "going up". This makes it a possible choice for those with knee issues. Generally speaking, it's the eccentric contraction that aggravates the knee. However, many people find that they can perform the concentric with no problem.
Therefore, you could lift the load up and then perform a "controlled drop" instead of a slow eccentric. You would need to try this yourself and see if it helps, but it is an option to explore.
Either way, there are many ways to use the trap bar squat in your program, which is just another reason that it is such an amazing exercise to add to your program!
Garett Reid
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