The Hex Bar and Strength-Building Exercises: How to Use It
Find out the average weight of a hex bar and what the benefits are to adding this alternative barbell to your workout routine.
Ask any lifting newbie to name the most intimidating contraption in the gym, and the hex bar — with its massive proportions and multiple handle options — likely tops the list.
The hexbar is a great tool for beginners, regardless of its fear factor. And Both novice and experienced lifters can benefit from the hex bar. Find out what the key benefits are of using the hex bars at every stage of your fitness journey. Here are some tips for how to integrate the equipment into your strength training program.
What is a Hex Bar and How Does It Work?
Also known as a trap bar, a hex bar is a strength-training tool that’s essentially a hexagon-shaped barbell, says Christina Myers, M.S.NSCA-certified strength & conditioning specialist and NASM certified performance enhancement specialist. Instead of standing behind the bar, as you would with a straight bar, you’ll stand in the center of it. She also explains that the weight plates are placed directly at your sides and not in front of your body.
Most hex bars have two handle options (one level with the center of the weight plates, another raised slightly above them), though they’ll always require a neutral grip, with your palms facing one another, says Myers. Some models have an open back to make it easier for you to perform exercises like reverse lunges Or Bulgarian split squatsShe adds.
What Does a Hex Bar Weight?
The weight of a straight bar is pretty standardized; a women’s bar is typically 35 pounds, while a men’s is usually 45 pounds with a thicker circumference, the latter of which most gyms stock, says Myers. But it’s a different story for the hex bar.
“Hex bars can come in all kinds of sizes, and the most common are 45, 65, and 85 pounds,” she says. You can usually estimate a trap bar’s weight by looking at its sheer size, as a 45-pound version is physically much smaller than an 85-pound bar. But if you’ve never seen the equipment before, there’s no simple way to determine the hex bar weight. Instead, you’ll need to ask an employee at your gym or search for the brand’s specs online, says Myers.
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A Hex Bar Training Method: The Advantages
While it may be difficult to answer “how much does a hex bar weigh?” there are clear-cut benefits to using the tool in your strength-training routine. Here’s what the piece of lifting equipment has to offer.
Allows you to train with heavier loads
The trap bar is an ideal tool to heavily load exercises you’d traditionally perform with a dumbbell or kettlebellSuch as farmer’s carriesMyers suggests shrugs and bent-over rowing. Since the bar will evenly distribute the load around your body, “it’s a really good way to use more weight than you’re able to hold onto with just one hand,” says Myers. In other words, if you don’t have the grip strength You can hold two 40-pound kettlebells for 30 seconds. A hex bar with 35-pound weight plates will do the trick.
Myers says that trap bars are useful for loading jumpsquats because of their hexagonal shape. ICYDK, plyometric exercisesJump squats are usually performed only with bodyweight, however, adding weight can increase intensity. However, if you are advanced and healthy, you shouldn’t increase the load. Shape Previously reported.
Relieves stress on the back and shoulders
When performing, say, deadlifts with a straight bar, you’ll typically use either a pronated (aka overhand) grip Myers recommends a mixed grip. One hand can be pronated, and one hand can be supinated. She says that these hand positions activate your latissimus Dorsi, which is a muscle that lies below your shoulder blades and assists in extending and rotating the shoulder and arm. (P.S. The lat pulldown can help you build back strength. Here’s how to do it.)
While recruiting your lats can generally help you deadlift more weight, it could cause discomfort if you’re dealing with or recovering from a shoulder injury. Myers suggests that you use a hex bar with neutral grip to reduce any pain. This variation puts more strain on the quads, glutes, and lats. And since the weight itself is positioned directly out at your sides, your body won’t need to fight the forward gravitational pull throughout the movement, which can help reduce stress on the lower back, says Myers.
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Makes Deadlifts Easy to Use
“The trap bar deadlift is more a squat and deadlift. a normal deadlift,” says Myers. “It’s going to use less back muscle and more quad compared to your conventional deadlift.” And this mash-up of exercises can be particularly beneficial for lifting newbies who haven’t quite mastered the hip hinge, says Myers. “It’s the simpler way to learn a deadlift because it feels more natural to most people,” she explains. “People who haven’t done a lot of lifting with a bar can just bend down and pick it up the way they would pick up groceries off the ground.” Translation: Deadlifting with a hex bar mimics IRL movement patterns, helping make the exercise more accessible and achievable to beginners.
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The Drawbacks of Hex Bars
While a hex bar can be helpful for lifting rookies and folks with shoulder and back concerns, it’s not the most versatile piece of equipment, admits Myers. “If you were going to buy one piece of equipment, this is not the one you buy,” she says. “It’s a specialty piece that you would maybe see in your gym and use maybe once a week because you are definitely limited in what exercises you can do with it.” Many upper-body movements (think: shoulder and bench presses) are out of the cards with hex bars simply due to the injury risk that comes with lifting the chunky barbell above your head, she says. And performing back squats with a hex bar just isn’t practical, as you can’t rest the equipment against your upper back, she adds.
Using a hex bar may also feel a tad uncomfortable if you’re on the petite side and have shorter arms or narrow shoulders, says Myers. Since your hand placement is largely fixed in one location, you may feel like you have to stretch to reach the grips at your sides, but there generally isn’t additional injury risk, she adds.
How to Use a Hex Bar, Plus 4 Exercises to Try
Loading a hex bar is the same as a straight bar; you’ll add weight plates to the two sleeves at your sides, says Myers. But before you get into your workout, you’ll need to decide which handle you’ll be using.
“If you’re going to do a loaded carry or a loaded jump, then choose the higher handle — it’s going to be more comfortable to get off the ground,” suggests Myers. “If you’re learning deadlifts, it can be easier to start from the higher handles and learn the top part of the movement, then work your way down to being able to use the lower handles [which increases the range of motion].” You’ll also want to use the lower handles if your goal is to focus on the hip hinge and more heavily target your hamstrings, says Myers. Ultimately, there’s no “right” handle to choose, so use whichever option feels most comfortable for you.
When you’re ready to kickstart your lifting session, step into the center, grab onto both handles with that signature neutral grip, and try any of the following exercises. If you’re planning to use the lower handle during your deadlift, simply “flip” the trap bar over before adding plates so the higher handle is pointing toward the ground. If you’re feeling lost, reach out to a certified trainer or strength coach to score personalized guidance that will help you get the most out of the hex bar.
Hex Bar Deadlift
A squat-deadlift combo, the trap bar deadlift recruits the quads more than the standard deadlift and activates the upper back more than a back squat, says Myers.
A. Stand in the center of the hex bar with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides. Hinge at hips and bend knees slightly to lower arms and grasp each handle, palms facing in.
B. Engage core and pull shoulder blades down and back. Keeping chest up, push through feet to return to standing, squeezing glutes at the top.
C. Then, keeping arms straight, send hips back and bend knees to lower the hex bar to the floor. Continue lowering until hips are fully pushed back and the weight plates touch the floor.
D. Push through feet to return to standing.
Hex Bar Farmer’s Carry
This upper-body trap bar exercise builds up core stability and grip strength, trains your coordination, and targets your upper back and traps, says Myers. “Start this movement just like the deadlift, [then] once you’re standing upright, take controlled steps and focus on walking in a straight line while holding the bar as still as possible,” she says.
A. Stand in the center of the hex bar with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides. Hinge at hips and bend knees slightly to lower arms and grasp each handle, palms facing in.
B. Engage core and pull shoulder blades down and back. Keeping chest up, push through feet to return to standing, squeezing glutes at the top. This is the starting position.
C. Keeping core braced, take small, controlled steps forward, walking in a straight line and moving weights as little as possible.
Hex Bar Loaded Jump
“Loaded jumps train the whole body, but rather than focusing solely on strength building, this option can increase power by improving the rate at which muscles can fireMyers says, Just know that this move is more advanced, and you’ll want to start off with a light weight (or no weight at all) and build up from there.
A. Standing with your feet together, arms extended at sides, and your feet hip-width apart, place the hex bar in the middle. To lower your arms, bend your knees and incline your hips. Next, grab the handles with your palms in.
B. Engage your core and pull the shoulder blades back and down. Keeping chest up And core braced, quickly push through feet and hop into the air.
C. Land softly with knees slightly bent, then hinge at hips to tap the hex bar to the ground before starting next rep, keeping back flat and shoulders engaged.
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Hex Bar Bent-Over Row
“This is one of my favorite row variations, as it allows you to target the upper back as well as the lats while also being gentler on the shoulders, thanks to the neutral grip,” says Myers. “The barbell will stop on the floor between each rep, eliminating the use of momentum and swinging that can sometimes stress the low back with bent-over row movements.” Since you’ll need to maintain a hip hinge throughout the movement, the trap bar exercise also strengthens the core and lower back, she adds.
A. Standing with your feet together, arms at your sides, and feet hip-width apart, place the hex bar in the middle. To lower your arms, bend your knees slightly at the hips. Grab each handle with your palms in and hinge at the hips. Lower your shoulders and keep them away from your ears. This is the starting point, with the hexbar resting on a flat surface and your arms fully extended.
B. Keep core engaged and your back flat. Slowly bend your elbows to pull back the hex bar toward your hips. When elbows align with the ribcage and are tightened, keep them close to your body.
C. Slowly extend your elbows and lower the hexbar to the ground, tapping the weights on the floor and returning back to the original position.