Trap Bar Deadlift: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The trap bar deadlift works your quads as the prime mover, bending and straightening your knees more than a standard deadlift does. Your glutes and hamstrings extend your hips alongside them, and the more upright torso position shifts some of the load off your lower back and onto your legs.
- Primary muscle:
- Quadriceps
- Secondary muscles:
- Glutes, Hamstrings
Muscles worked
Your quads take on more of the work in a trap bar deadlift than in a standard barbell deadlift, because standing inside the frame lets your torso stay more upright, which turns the lift into more of a knee-dominant movement, closer to a squat pattern.
Your glutes and hamstrings still extend your hips through the lift and remain major contributors to the total force you produce, especially as the bar clears your knees. Because your torso stays more vertical, this variation asks less of your lower back than a conventional deadlift, which is one reason it's often used as a beginner-friendly deadlift pattern.
Log Trap Bar Deadlift in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- For this exercise load a trap bar, also known as a hex bar, to an appropriate weight resting on the ground. Stand in the center of the apparatus and grasp both handles.
- Lower your hips, look forward with your head and keep your chest up.
- Begin the movement by driving through the heels and extend your hips and knees. Avoid rounding your back at all times.
- At the completion of the movement, lower the weight back to the ground under control.
Form tips
- Stand centered inside the frame with the handles roughly level with your hips.
- Push your knees out and drive through the middle of your foot to stand.
- Keep your chest up and your torso more vertical than in a barbell deadlift.
- Keep the bar path close, brushing your legs on the way up.
- Lock out by squeezing your glutes rather than leaning back.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Other |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Compound |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a trap bar deadlift easier than a regular deadlift?
Most lifters find it more approachable because the upright torso position asks less of the lower back and grip, and the knee-dominant pattern feels closer to a squat. It still trains the same hip-extension strength as a regular deadlift, just with a different muscle balance.
How many reps should I do for trap bar deadlifts?
For strength, work in the 6-rep range or fewer at 85% of your one-rep max or more. For muscle size in your legs and glutes, 6-12 reps at 67-85% works well. Because it's more knee-dominant, it also pairs naturally with squat-focused training blocks.
More quadriceps exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
