How to do the Trap Bar Deadlift
- Stand inside the trap bar, feet hip-width apart, handles centered between your legs.
- Bend your knees and push your hips back to grip the handles comfortably.
- Keeping your back straight, drive upwards, extending your legs and hips together.
- Stand fully, then lower the bar back to the floor, bending at the hips first.
Full technique — 7 steps
- Stand inside the trap bar with feet about hip to shoulder width and handles centered.
- Push your hips back, bend your knees, and reach down to grip the handles.
- Pull your shoulders down and keep your spine neutral.
- Take a breath, tighten your stomach hard, and load your legs until you feel pressure through your whole foot.
- Push through your whole foot, extending knees and hips together as the bar rises straight up.
- Stand tall with hips and knees fully extended, keeping ribs down and shoulders directly over your hips.
- Lower the bar by hinging back and bending the knees until the plates return to the floor.
Common mistakes
- Hips shooting up first
- Rounding the upper or lower back
- Yanking the bar off floor
- Leaning back at the top
- Weight shifting onto toes
Form cues
- Push through whole foot
- Keep handles close
- Tighten stomach, then pull
- Stand tall, not back
