The Trap Bar Deadlift is one of my favorite exercises to implement with my athletes to improve lower body strength and power! It’s also one of the most common exercises that’s performed WRONG! Today I put together a quick video to help you out with the technique!
Trap Bar Deadlift Checklist
1. Set-Up with your feet just under your hips
2. Load into the bar by performing a hip hinge with neutral posture. This will establish a good starting position
3. Setup in a good position off the floor with your torso locked straight with your chin tucked. (You should be able to see the logo on your shirt)
4. Grab the bar using a “death grip” – this is where you want to squeeze the bar as hard as possible
5. Brace the core properly by taking a big diaphragmatic breath expanding your torso outward 3-dimensionally. At the peak of your inhalation you want to hold the breath and isometrically contract your core
6. Create torque/tension at the hips by driving your knees outward into your elbows
7. Create torque/tension at the shoulders and lats by performing an initial pull off the ground
8. Perform a POWERFUL leg drive once full body tension is accumulated. – My coaching cue I use with the guys is to have them “leg press the floor away from them”
9. Perform a hard lockout at the top of the lift. You shouldn’t hyperextend your low back and rock your body back. You should be straight like a rod at the top.
