The Deadlift is a strength training exercise where a loaded barbell, or just the bar, is lifted off of the ground up to hip level and lowered back down to the ground. It works a multitude of muscles; quads, hamstring, glutes, abdominals, lower back, traps and the forearms and is therefore awesome for building total-body strength, size and athleticism.
The Deadlift can be a daunting exercise. There are many cues to ensure you correctly execute a Deadlift and many people are fearful of injuring their lower back. But the truth is, if done correctly, there is no better exercise than the Deadlift to keep your back in great health.
A great regression of a Barbell Deadlift is the Trapbar Deadlift. Here is a Trapbar, also known as a Hexbar given it's six sides.
About 20 years ago a Powerlifter from North Carolina named Al Gerald found that deadlifting was constantly niggling in his lower back. He found when he deadlifted with a straight bar that it put a lot of stress on his lumbar spine {lower back}. This is due to the weight being far away from the axis of rotation {the hip} where the work is being undertaken. The lower back acts like a crowbar to move the weight from the floor and it is for this reason that people can hurt their back if they do not perform the Deadlift with accuracy.
Since the Trapbar configuration allows you to step inside it rather than behind it, the long lever is shortened along a horizontal axis, therefore significantly decreasing the amount of sheer force on the spine.
As a general rule, I ensure all my clients can perfectly perform a Trapbar Deadlift before progressing them to a Barbell Deadlift. In saying that, the Trapbar Deadlift shouldn't only be seen as a regression to the more tradition Barbell Deadlift. A recent study undertaken by Swinton et al, found that not only was the Trapbar Deadlift a safer exercise it was also a more effective exercise for building maximum power.
Here is my step-by-step guide to correctly perform a Trapbar Deadlift....
1. Step inside the Trapbar making sure your feet are evenly positioned between the front and the back bars. I aim for a stance approximately hip width but this will differ slightly person to person
2. Grip the handles tightly so that your middle finger is horizontally aligned with the front of your shin
3. Squat your hips down, maintaining a neutral spin {think arch in your lower back}, keeping arms nice and long with no flexing at the elbows. I also like to think about drawing my triceps towards my latissimus dorsi, this will aid in keeping your back muscles engaged whilst protecting your shoulders at their capsules.
4. Inhale, a big belly breath, not just filling your lungs with air but aiming to fill your diaphragm. I like to think about bracing my abdominals like someone is about to punch me in the tummy.
5. Holding that big breath in to ensure a great amount of intra-abdominal pressure, stand up by driving your feet in to the ground and straightening your legs. At the top of the movement drive your hips forward into extension and squeeze your glutes.
6. Continue to maintain neutral spine and lower the bar back to the ground. Exhale at the bottom, reset your position and inhale another big breath, moving on to your next repetition
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