Trap Bar Deadlift Form Check, Please?

[Michiganian]

https://www.linxnet.com/misc/Videos/Fit ... 240216.mp4

Thanking y'all in advance.

[mgil]

Not bad considering it looks heavy.

I’d lighten it up and think of the motion being a standing leg press up and down. You can do a slower eccentric with the trap bar since you can get your knees forward on the way down, unlike a barbell deadlift.

They are pulls from the floor, but you can get some extra ROM and hypertrophy benefits from trap bar.

Adding: I also struggle with controlling eccentric and trying to make both movements look the same. I do pretty well at lighter loads but it’s harder when heavier.

[Michiganian]

Thanks, @mgil!

It's not particularly heavy by most lifters' lights, I'd wager. Only 205 lbs. But it's heavy-ish for me.

If I'm interpreting what you wrote correctly: I'm fine (good setup, lift, lockout, hinge up & down, bar path up & down, etc.) except you'd like to see me control the bar all the way down to the ground more slowly, rather than a guided drop near the end?

I can probably do that with that weight. I suspect my dropping it like that at the end is habit, from BB DL'ing.

[Hardartery]

Your shoulders are a little too far forward IMO. You can sit back into a Trap Bar DL more which gets you closer to the upright leg press that @mgil l mentioned.

[Michiganian]

Your shoulders are a little too far forward IMO. You can sit back into a Trap Bar DL more which gets you closer to the upright leg press that @mgil l mentioned.

Thanks for the comment.

I'm trying to get as close to a BB DL as possible with a trap bar. The instructions I read suggested that, to do that, you start with your shins in-line with the sleeves, straight-leg hinge as far as you can with a neutral spine, then break your knees and squat to get the rest of the way down.

[Hardartery]

Your shoulders are a little too far forward IMO. You can sit back into a Trap Bar DL more which gets you closer to the upright leg press that @mgil l mentioned.

Thanks for the comment.

I'm trying to get as close to a BB DL as possible with a trap bar. The instructions I read suggested that, to do that, you start with your shins in-line with the sleeves, straight-leg hinge as far as you can with a neutral spine, then break your knees and squat to get the rest of the way down.

The centerline of the weight is well behind a conventional BB position in the video, which is part of why people do them. Really you just have to sit down, it will pull the shoulders back, your hip position is high at the start of the lift resulting i shoulders forward and a forward lean. Even with a straight bar I would tell you the shoulders are too far forward in that position, you want them as close to directly over the bar as possible to put the lower back in a mechanically advantaged position - meaning less likely to injure it.

[mgil]

Thanks, mgil!

It's not particularly heavy by most lifters' lights, I'd wager. Only 205 lbs. But it's heavy-ish for me.

If I'm interpreting what you wrote correctly: I'm fine (good setup, lift, lockout, hinge up & down, bar path up & down, etc.) except you'd like to see me control the bar all the way down to the ground more slowly, rather than a guided drop near the end?

I can probably do that with that weight. I suspect my dropping it like that at the end is habit, from BB DL'ing.

Your interpretation is correct, for the most part.

I would add that @Hardartery did pick up some of what I was looking for which is the notion that you can keep the trap bar over mid foot or close to it for the entire pull unlike the barbell. The quads get to contribute more that way.

I wouldn’t worry too much about mimicking the barbell pulls. Konstantin Konstantinovos did lots of trap bar work with a more upright setup and his deadlift was okay. Lemme dig up a video.

[mgil]

You can see KK’s trap bar pulls pretty early in this video. Take note of how far forward his knees are compared to his elbows. Then compare to the conventional barbell pulls.

[Michiganian]

Ok, guys, thanks again for the feedback

I'll try getting get my hips lower and my back more vertical when I do TBDLs later today.

[Michiganian]

Ok, here's yesterday's effort:

https://www.linxnet.com/misc/Videos/Fit ... 240223.mp4

Better?

[mgil]

@Michiganian, I think so. Looks like you’re getting more ROM/work out of the motion. How do things feel afterwards?

[Michiganian]

@Michiganian, I think so. Looks like you’re getting more ROM/work out of the motion. How do things feel afterwards?

Thanks! I feel like I got more activation in the quads. Not so much in my back.

It actually seemed more difficult than the set I did a week ago. The second, and especially the third, sets were kind of ugly

[asdf]

Better?

Those look good to me. That's how I'd do them, if I did them. More like a squat than a deadlift, in terms of angles, which explains the quad activation.

[Michiganian]

Those look good to me. That's how I'd do them, if I did them. More like a squat than a deadlift, in terms of angles, which explains the quad activation.

Thanks!

This is the way I'll do them, then. Once the third set doesn't look so bad I'll try switching to the low handles for more ROM. Probably remove the center mat to kind of split the difference, then add it back if that goes well.