Trap Bar Deadlift
Also known as: hex bar deadlift
- Primary muscleGlutes
- EquipmentTrap Bar
- DifficultyIntermediate
- TypeCompound · Hip-dominant
- Secondary muscles
- Hamstrings, Quads, Spine
- Body part
- Upper Legs
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Standing inside the hexagonal frame with neutral handles at your sides centers the load with your body rather than in front of it, so the torso stays more upright and the quads share more of the work. Most lifters learn it faster than the barbell pull and can move more weight sooner.
How to do the Trap Bar Deadlift
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the trap bar on the ground in front of you.
- Bend at the hips and knees to lower yourself down and grip the handles of the trap bar with an overhand grip.
- Keep your back straight and chest up as you begin to lift the trap bar off the ground by extending your hips and knees.
- As you lift, focus on driving through your heels and squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
- Lower the trap bar back down to the ground by bending at the hips and knees, keeping your back straight throughout the movement.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Take a big breath, brace the belly against your belt or hands and pull the slack out of the bar before it leaves the floor.
Muscles worked
Primary
Glutes · Legs
The glutes finish the lift by driving the hips forward to lockout and should be squeezed hard at the top of every rep.
Secondary
- Hamstrings — The hamstrings extend the hip from the bottom and are the main mover on straight leg and Romanian variations, where you should feel a strong stretch on the way down.
- Quads — The quads push the floor away in the first few inches off the ground on conventional and sumo pulls.
- Spine — The spinal erectors work isometrically to keep the back flat under load and will be sore the day after a heavy session.
Common mistakes
- Rounding off the floor — set the back flat before the pull by pulling the chest up and the hips down, and keep it that way until lockout.
- Hips shooting up first — if the hips rise before the bar leaves the floor, the legs are not driving; think of pushing the floor away rather than pulling the bar.
- Bar drifting forward — the bar should stay in contact with the legs the whole way, so pull it into you with the lats.
- Hyperextending at the top — finish tall by squeezing the glutes, not by leaning back and arching the lower back.
Where it fits in a workout
Deadlifts go first in a pull or lower body session while you are fresh, or after squats if both are on the same day. Pair Romanian deadlifts with a leg press or hip thrust for a hamstring and glute block.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without trap bar
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.