What Is A Good Trap Bar Deadlift? Strength Standards Explained

Whether you have just started out or are an experienced lifter, the question always arises: What is a good or even great trap bar deadlift? The truth is that the answer can vary a lot by gender, weight, and age. In this guide, we will break down all these strength standards and give you some useful training tips.

What Is A Good Trap Bar Deadlift? All Strength Standards

Male Trap Bar Deadlift Standards (lbs)

General Standards

Strength Level	Weight
Beginner	200 lb
Novice	276 lb
Intermediate	368 lb
Advanced	473 lb
Elite	586 lb

Bodyweight Ratio

Strength Level	Bodyweight Ratio
Beginner	1.00x
Novice	1.50x
Intermediate	2.00x
Advanced	2.75x
Elite	3.25x

By Bodyweight

Bodyweight (lbs)	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
110	120	172	236	311	392
120	135	190	258	335	419
130	150	208	278	359	445
140	165	225	298	381	470
150	179	241	316	402	494
160	192	257	335	423	516
170	206	272	352	442	538
180	219	287	369	461	559
190	231	302	385	479	579
200	244	316	401	497	598
210	256	329	417	514	617
220	267	343	432	531	635
230	279	356	446	547	653
240	290	368	460	562	670
250	301	380	474	578	686
260	312	392	487	592	702
270	322	404	500	607	718
280	332	416	513	621	733
290	342	427	526	635	748
300	352	438	538	648	763
310	362	449	550	661	777

By Age

Age (years)	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
15	170	235	313	403	499
20	195	269	358	461	571
25	200	276	368	473	586
30	200	276	368	473	586
35	200	276	368	473	586
40	200	276	368	473	586
45	190	261	349	449	556
50	178	245	327	421	522
55	165	227	303	390	483
60	150	207	276	356	441
65	136	187	250	321	398
70	122	168	224	288	357
75	109	150	200	258	320
80	97	134	179	231	286
85	87	120	161	207	256
90	79	108	145	186	231

Female Trap Bar Deadlift Standards (lbs)

General Standards

Strength Level	Weight
Beginner	103 lb
Novice	152 lb
Intermediate	213 lb
Advanced	285 lb
Elite	364 lb

Bodyweight Ratio

Strength Level	Bodyweight Ratio
Beginner	0.75x
Novice	1.00x
Intermediate	1.50x
Advanced	2.00x
Elite	2.50x

By Bodyweight

Bodyweight (lbs)	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
90	68	107	156	214	279
100	76	116	167	228	294
110	83	125	178	240	308
120	90	134	188	252	322
130	97	142	198	263	334
140	104	150	207	274	346
150	110	157	216	284	357
160	116	164	224	293	368
170	121	171	232	302	378
180	127	178	240	311	388
190	132	184	247	319	397
200	137	190	254	327	406
210	142	196	261	335	414
220	147	201	267	342	423
230	152	207	274	350	431
240	157	212	280	356	438
250	161	217	286	363	446
260	165	222	291	370	453

By Age

Age (years)	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
15	88	129	182	243	310
20	100	148	208	278	354
25	103	152	213	285	364
30	103	152	213	285	364
35	103	152	213	285	364
40	103	152	213	285	364
45	98	144	202	271	345
50	92	135	190	254	324
55	85	125	176	235	300
60	77	114	160	214	273
65	70	103	145	194	247
70	63	93	130	174	222
75	56	83	116	155	198
80	50	74	104	139	177
85	45	66	93	125	159
90	41	60	84	112	143

What Muscles Does The Trap Bar Deadlift Work?

Here are all the muscles worked by the trap bar deadlift:

1. Quadriceps

Compared to the traditional barbell deadlift, your quadriceps are going to be more heavily engaged. Your quads have to work hard to extend your legs as you pull the bar up. For this reason, many people say that the trap bar deadlift is more leg focused than the conventional deadlift. Out of all the hex bar deadlift muscles worked, your quads are going to be doing the most work.

2. Hamstrings

Your hamstrings are still going to be heavily taxed during a trap bar deadlift, just not as much as they would be by straight bar deadlifts. The hamstrings will most be called up during the eccentric portion of trap bar deadlifts to slow the bar on the way down.

3. Lower Back Muscles

The main muscles in your lower back work deadlifts are the spinal erectors or erector spinae. Similar to the hamstrings and the other muscles in the posterior chain, the trap bar deadlift put less strain on these muscles compared to the traditional barbell deadlift. Studies have found that compared to the traditional deadlift, the trap bar deadlift places have about 50% less posterior chain activation. The rest of the load is mainly being passed on to the quads.

For people that are already doing movements that heavily tax their lower back like barbell rows or squats, the reduced lower back strain that comes with the hex bar deadlift is a positive.

4. Glutes

The glutes are the largest muscles in your body and will be heavily worked to drive your hips forward during a trap bar deadlift. However, it is the same story as the hamstrings and lower back. You can expect strength and muscle gain in your glutes but not to the same extent as barbell deadlifts.

5. Lats

Your lats or latissimius dorsi will have to work set your back and help pull bar up during the trap bar deadlift.

6. Traps

Your traps or trapezius or more heavily taxed during a trap bar deadlift. Thanks to the neutral grip, your traps will feel more engaged at the lockout position.

7. Gripping Muscles

There are lots of muscles that make up your strength in your forearm including the flexor digitorum profundis and flexor pollicis longus. However, thanks to the neutral grip of the trap bar, you will likely be able to handle more weight than you could with a regular barbell. Therefore, you are overloading these muscles more.

Trap Bar Deadlift vs. Barbell Deadlift Muscles Worked

While people commonly debate and obsess over the minor differences between the trap bar and barbell deadlift. the reality is that both work the same muscles. As long as you train either one with dedication and get stronger, you can expect to make serious gains in your quads and posterior chain.

At the end of the day, it is up to you to decide which fits your training better.

Other Trap Bar Deadlift Variations

There are tons of other useful variations that you can incorporate into your trap bar deadlift work. Here are some of our favorites:

Trap Bar Romanian Deadlift

Trap bar RDLs are a great way to strengthen your posterior chain. In comparison to the straight bar RDL, you will be able to move more weight while lowering your risk of a lower back injury.

Trap Bar Deadlift Jumps

Sometimes simply referred to as trap bar jumps, this variation is basically just a deadlift followed by a jump at the top of the rep. These are very popular for athletes as they can help you build serious explosive power and do not require much technique.

Deficit Trap Bar Deadlift

The deficit trap bar deadlift can be very useful if you are trying to increase the range of motion or working on your explosiveness from the floor. This version of deadlift variation is done by standing on a platform to make the lift harder.

Benefits of Hex Bars

Many gym purists will argue that the standard straight barbell is the pinnacle of all exercise equipment. While the barbell may be an immensely useful tool, the hex bar has some unique benefits to take into consideration

It is Easier On Your Lower Back

In terms of trap bar deadlift benefits, the primary one is injury prevention for your lower back, When you are doing a deadlift with a hex bar, the weights are situated directly at your sides as opposed to in front of you during straight bar deadlifts. This means that the trap bar allows the weight to be more in line with your own center of gravity.

In practice, this means that there will be less sheer force on your lumbar spine when you are moving the weight. Also, trap bars tend to offer a higher starting position so you do not have to bend down as much.

I am a large proponent of the straight bar deadlift but will be the first to admit that lower back injuries are common especially if proper form is not used. The trap bar relieves some of the risks by putting you in a much safer position.

Neutral Grip Position

Unlike traditional barbells where you either have to be pronated or supinated, the trap bar has a neutral grip.

This will make the biggest diffrence in injury prevention when it comes to your shoulders and biceps:

Shoulders Are Externally Rotated

Many people have extremely limited shoulder mobility due to a sedentary lifestyle. This lack of mobility can lead to pain during pressing movements.

Comparatively, a trap bar allows you to take a neutral grip which externally rotates your shoulders. This externally rotated position removes lots of strain from the shoulder joint and is more comfortable.

No More Bicep Tears

When you are doing a barbell deadlift, you can either take an overhand grip or a mixed grip.

The overhand grip is fairly safe for your biceps. The problem is that the overhand grip often becomes the weakest link in someone’s deadlift. Meaning that their grip strength caps their deadlift.

Advanced lifters find that a mixed grip allows them to lift more weight. However, if you use a mixed grip, you are putting your bicep in a very vulnerable position. Bicep tears are not uncommon using this grip and should be a cause for concern.

There is no need to use a mixed grip with a trap bar. In a neutral position, your biceps are much safer.

Less Technique To Learn

If you are a serious lifter, you will know that lifting is NOT as easy as it looks. To master a lift you need to spend time learning the movement and acquiring the needed mobility.

And while the same could be said for a trap bar, it is much easier to learn. You do not really need a whole lot of mobility to technique.

For the most part, you can really just get inside it and lift it up. This makes it a great choice for beginners or anyone who does not want to worry too much about their form.

You Can Lift More Weight

Due to the weight being at your sides during a hex bar deadlift, you will find that you easily lift more weight than you with a regular bar.

Simply put, trap bars allow you to put more total weight on your muscles. This can lead to more muscle growth and stimulus.

Furthermore, the gains you see on trap bar lifts will almost certainly translate to your other lifts as well. I know for a fact that when my trap bar deadlift goes up, my conventional deadlift and squat have gone up as well.

Build Explosivity

There is a reason that hex bars are used a lot by professional sports teams and that is because they build explosiveness and power like nothing else.

A study conducted at Robert Gordon University concluded that the use of a trap bar resulted in significantly greater peak force, velocity, and power during deadlifts compared to a regular straight bar.

Versatility

Most people look at trap bars and just see deadlifts. But the truth is that trap bars are very versatile pieces of equipment that can be used for a number of exercises. Here are just a few:

• Farmers Walks

• Shrugs

• Iso Holds

• Back Rows

• Walking Lunges

• Jump Deadlifts

• Single Leg Deadlifts

• Trap Bar Deadlifts

Grip Strength

This benefit is not as clear as the other ones but I’ve found that many people especially have found that the trap bar does wonders for your grip strength.

Simply put the neutral grip allows you to focus much more on the way you hold the bar and grip it.

Not to mention that the trap bar makes it very easy to do. grip strength-based exercises like farmers’ walks or shrugs that are also heavily worth the forearms.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this guide gave you some meaningful standards that you can chase after in your training. But remember that as long as you are making progress, you are on the path to reaching longer-term goals.

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