-Trap Bar Training Tips -

When I was a kid back in Cincinnati we used to go watch a local comedy troupe all the time. Think Saturday Night Live - only funnier.

So they had this one skit where a guy goes to a restaurant and trys to order all these crazy things - and one of those things was a steak that was rare on the outside but well-done on the inside...

Read that again... Yes, hilarity ensued from there... an absurd situation, maybe possible yet highly improbable and certainly not worth the effort to actually "do" -- and thats why its funny.

Here's another absurd situation: Trap Bars with Thick handles.

Now, I'm not talking about slightly thicker, Im talking 2 inches, 3 inches or greater - and that's what several people have asked us to make.

Ok, before I go any further, let me unequivably state that if you want something like a thick-handled Trap Bar or some other variation, our manufacturer can do it.

They can make Trap Bars with thick handles, they can make Trap Bars that are long enough to use in a power rack, they can even put tail-fins like a '59 Cadillac on them if you like - whatever you want, just say the word we can do it.

However, based on my professional opinion, the fact that I have been training with one for a long time and how the Trap Bar is used, many of these exotic variations just don't make any sense.

Lets use thick-handles as an example:

The only reason someone would want thick handles is for the added grip work, this is the purpose of thick handles in the first place -- and why thick handles barbells and dumbbells can be very effective when used for all "traditional" movements.

But the Trap Bar was designed to do one thing: and that is to make deadlifts more efficient and more effective. So adding thick handles to a Trap Bar to turn it into a "grip challenge" is compromising the effectiveness of both types of exercise.

The handles will be stationary and not rotate like a thick barbell etc, meaning they will not "work" as well as a grip exercise and since the ability to lift the weight is now dependent on the strength of the hands, the legs and back will not get
as good of a workout

So, if you want to train with thick bars, get a real thick bar, or wrap a towel around your bar, or get some plumbing pipe, anything else, but on a Trap Bar, it just doesn't make sense.

Otherwise, if you are in the market for a Trap Bar, a real Trap Bar, the one that everyone agrees is a must-have piece of equipment, and here's the fastest way to make it happen: Trap Bar Order Page.

Labels: Custom Trap Bar, Gerard Trap Bar, Thick Bar, Thick Handled Trap Bar, Trap Bar, Trap Bar Deadlift