Barbell Deadlifting is hard work. The added discomfort of dragging the weight up your shins and against your body doesn’t make it any more pleasant. Fortunately, we have a deadlift variation that overcomes that problem, allowing you to focus on using this compound home gym exercise to get bigger and stronger without the pain points. It’s called the Trap Bar workout and in this article we reveal the 3 best trap deadlift bars for your home gym.
Our Top Picks (#ad)
Best Overall Trap Bar: CAP BARBELL OLYMPIC TRAP BAR
Why it’s ideal for deadlifting . . .
- 25 inches between handle grips
- Non slip
- Zinc Finish
- Raised neutral grips
- 9 inch sleeve length
- 750 lb max weight
Best Trap Bar for Tall Users: PAPABABE HEX BAR
Why it’s ideal for taller deadlifters. . .
- 33 x 24 inch inside space
- 5 inch sleeve length
- 1000 lb max weight
- Heavy duty stainless steel frame
Best Budget Trap Bar: Sunny Health & Fitness Olympic Hex Bar
Why it’s ideal for budget minded deadlifts . . .
- Great price
- 750 lb max weight
- Chrome plated
- Diamond knurling
- 5 inch sleeve length
3 Best Trap Bars for Deadlifting
Best Overall Trap Bar: CAP BARBELL OLYMPIC TRAP BAR
The Cap Barbell Olympic Trap Bar tops our list as a result of its combination of value for money and performance. This is a full frame olympic bar that provides you with the option of both flat and raised grips. It also features a generous amount of mid level diamond knurling to secure your grip and prevent sweat slippage.
The Cap Olympic hex bar is zinc plated to provide a stylish finish that is rust, scratch and sweat resistant. The width inside the frame is 25 inches, providing plenty of space to do your thing. It all adds up to a rugged, dependable deadlift bar on the market that will do the business for years to come.
Pros:
- 25 inch inside frame width
- 9 inch sleeves
- Zinc coated
- Diamond knurling
- Well priced
Cons:
- Some users report that the sleeves need sanding down to fit olympic plates
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Best Trap Bar for Tall Users: PAPABABE HEX BAR
If you are a taller deadlifer (over 6’2”), you will struggle to perform with most models on the market. The Papababe hex bar is specifically designed for taller users. It provides a large 33 x 24 inch in frame area so that larger guys don’t feel constricted while deadlifting. Assuming that bigger guys are stronger, it also maxes out at 1000 pounds user weight!
The Papababe Hex Bar is made from heavy duty stainless steel to support its massive weight capacity. It is coated in black powder and is rust, scratch and sweat resistant. This bar also provides raised and flat handle options.
Pros:
- Designed for tall deadlifts
- 1000 pound max user weight
- Stainless steel
- Black powder finish
Cons:
- Some users report damage in transit
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Best Budget Trap Bar: Sunny Health & Fitness Olympic Hex Bar
Sunny Health & Fitness have established a reputation for bringing to market high quality home equipment at a very sharp price point. Their Olympic Hex Bar is yet another example of this. The bar is finished in chrome to make it rust, sweat and scratch resistant and has an impressive 750 lb maximum user weight. The 9.5 inch sleeve length will provide plenty of room for the majority of users to load plates up.
The Sunny Health & Fitness Trap Bar features both flat and raised handle options, with both featuring diamond knurling to prevent sweat slippage and secure your grip. The inner frame distance between the handles is 22.5 inches, making this trap hex bar a good option for shorter people.
Pros:
- Well priced
- 750 lb max user weight
- Chrome frame
- 5 inch sleeve length
- 5 inches between handles
Cons:
- Several users mentioned shipping delays
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Other Notable Mentions
In addition to the 3 top trap bars we have featured, here are some other notable mentions:
- Rogue Tb1 Trap Bar
- Vulcan Pro
- Hulkfit Olympic
- Eleiko Oppen
- Rep Fitness
- Titan Fitness
- Valor Fitness Obhex
- Mega Olympic
- Rogue Fitness Tb2
- Kabuki Strength
- Titan Fitness Hex Bar
Trap Bar Benefits
The trap bar overcomes the problem of having the bar positioned in front of your body that you get with a straight barbell deadlift. As well as being uncomfortable when the bar drags up your legs and groin area, standard bar deadlifts cause an unnatural forward spinal curvature which can lead to lower back complications. Trap bar deadlifts allow you to do the exercise without these problems.
When your arms are at your sides rather than in front of your body, you are also able to better engage your traps and shoulders. The trap bar deadlift bar also allows you to use it for a wide range of other exercises, including the farmer’s walk, squats and overhead presses.
One of main trap bar benefits is that it is much better for your spine than the straight bar with conventional deadlifts. When you deadlift with a trap bar, the weight is actually centered with the body. The fact that your arms are by your sides rather than in front of your body means that there is greatly reduced shear force on the spine. This reduces your chance of injury when you are deadlifting because your body is in afar more biomechanically idealized position.
The trap bar also prevents you from over extending your spine. When you perform the traditional deadlift it is quite easy to bend your back too far on the lift. However, because of your arm positioning at the sides of your body, you are unable to make this mistake when deadlifting with a trap bar.
The trap bar provides you with a neutral hand grip. This means that your hands are going to be positioned perpendicular to the weight plates. This is a much safer position for your biceps that when you are grabbing hold of a straight bar on the conventional deadlift. Many straight-bar deadlifters use a mixed grip, with ne hand pronated nd the other supinated. This buts the arms of the supinated hand in a compromising position. It has led to many torn biceps over the years. Deadlifting with the trap bar saves your biceps from potential tears.
When you do the deadlift with a trap bar your shoulders are also externally rotated. The same thing occurs when you do the overhead press with the trap bar. This is much better for the health of shoulder joint than the internal rotation that occurs with the straight bar overhead shoulder press. The trap bar also allows you to press overhead with a neutral grip which, again. Is better for the health of your biceps.
Doing your deadlifts na trap bar will help you to get stronger fast. In fact, some research suggests that the trap bar version will develop your strength quicker than doing the exercise with a straight bar.
A final benefit of the trap bar is that it is extremely versatile. Here are nine exercises you can do with the trap bar apart from the deadlift:
- Split Squats
- Farmer’s Walk
- Step Ups
- Shrugs
- Shoulder Press
- Bent Over Row
- Push Press
- Isometric Hold
- Sumo Deadlift
What to Look For In A Deadlift Trap Bar
When shopping for a trap bar, there are 4 key considerations to take into account:
- Bar Design – some hex trap bars have an open end frame design whereas others require you to step inside the bar. There is no particular advantage to either design but some people prefer the freedom of movement of the open design.
- Olympic or Standard – An Olympic hex bar will fit olympic size weight plates with a 2 inch diameter center hole, whereas a standard trap bar will accommodate a 1 inch hole diameter weight plates. You are able to use Olympic plates on a standard bar but it will require that you securely attach them with collars.
- The knurling on the hand grips allows you to get a secure grip on the bar and prevents sweat slippage. Look for a bar that has medium depth diamond knurling as this will be less likely to cause skin tears.
- Anti Scratch Coating – Your trap bar is likely to be dropped, thrown around and otherwise abused. To keep it looking sharp, make sure that it has an anti scratch, anti-rust and anti-sweat coating.
The Trap Bar Farmer’s Walk
It can be used for more than barbell deadlifting. In fact, it is a versatile piece of equipment. An excellent exercise that is ideal for the trap bar is the farmer’s walk. With this exercise, you stand inside the weighted trap bat and grab it with a neutral grip. You then walk up and down the length of your home gym equipment.
The Farmer’s Walk exercise is a good strengthener of your trapezius, deltoids, and forearms. As well as strengthening and developing these muscles you can also use the farmer’s walk to strengthen your grip for the deadlift.
The Trap bar also makes for avery functional safety squat bar. It allows you to lift heavy weights without putting undue pressure on your lumbar spine.
Conclusion
A good hex trap bar is an excellent piece of equipment that will allow you to get all of the benefit from deadlifting without the drawbacks incumbent with the standard deadlift weight bar. In this article, we’ve uncovered the three best hex bars on the current market, across all budgets.
Best Overall CAP BARBELL OLYMPIC TRAP BAR: Click Here to buy from Amazon
Best Trap Bar for Tall Users PAPABABE HEX BAR: Click Here to buy from Amazon
Best Budget Trap Bar Sunny Health & Fitness Olympic Hex Bar: Click Here to buy from Amazon
We endorse each of these products and recommend them without hesitation!
