Trap Bar Trash Talk

[Chiaki Nitya]

A trap bar pull is basically a quarter squat from the ground up, and just as useless.

[Jdcuth]

I love the trap bar, it’s like fly paper attracting all the gym pests away from the power rack

[Farmer]

I love the trap bar, it’s like fly paper attracting all the gym pests away from the power rack

uhhh.... not really.

In some cases if the squat rack (or 'cage') and the platform are an integral unit or whatever, fuckers will tie up a platform....when they could be doing that shit anywhere.

And, most trap bars are not full width like an Olympic barbell, so the plates will strike right at/around the transition line between the rubber landing strips and center-wood, thus fucking up the plates and wood.

[GioFerrante]

Not that it necessarily needs to be done with a trap bar, but I was wondering if anyone had any comment on heavy farmer carries as an assistance exercise for an intermediate lifter who's having grip issues?

[Bigredbull]

Not that it necessarily needs to be done with a trap bar, but I was wondering if anyone had any comment on heavy farmer carries as an assistance exercise for an intermediate lifter who's having grip issues?

I tried farmer’s walks for grip work. It got me better at farmer’s walks but gave me zero carry over for deadlift. Same deal with barbell static holds - zero carry over for deadlift and just added inflammation in elbow joints and polluted the Recovery part of the Stress Recovery Adaptation cycle.

1) try hook grip
2) try eating more
3) try resting more between sets
4) if above doesn’t work, use straps

And never do douche pulls ie. trap bar deadlifts.

[FatButWeak]

Not that it necessarily needs to be done with a trap bar, but I was wondering if anyone had any comment on heavy farmer carries as an assistance exercise for an intermediate lifter who's having grip issues?

As an assistance exercise for grip issues, I recommend doing all your warmups with double overhand grip, then switching to mixed ONLY when the DOH fails. I can double overhand 365 like this (legit double overhand, not thumb grip). I see so many twinks using the mixed grip for 135.

[CommanderFun]

Not that it necessarily needs to be done with a trap bar, but I was wondering if anyone had any comment on heavy farmer carries as an assistance exercise for an intermediate lifter who's having grip issues?

Grip issues in the deadlift? Are you hook gripping? If that doesn't work, have you tried the mixed grip? And above all, are you using chalk? I haven't found a need to do serious grip assistance work for my deadlift. I'd imagine a better solution would be to do strictly double overhand deadlifts for volume. I've seen Jim Wendler recommend that for anyone who wants to deadlift for volume. But I'm not entirely sure you need to complicate your programming to resolve this.

[Meshuggah]

All of this Trap Bar hatred is ridiculous. It's just another valid tool in the strength building toolbox.
I wonder if the guys that had nothing but rocks to lift made fun of the barbell when it was invented.

[Mark Rippetoe]

All of this Trap Bar hatred is ridiculous. It's just another valid tool in the strength building toolbox.
I wonder if the guys that had nothing but rocks to lift made fun of the barbell when it was invented.

Just like Nautilus machines, right?

[tiny&mighty]

Not that it necessarily needs to be done with a trap bar, but I was wondering if anyone had any comment on heavy farmer carries as an assistance exercise for an intermediate lifter who's having grip issues?

Grip has always been a struggle for me. Using smaller jumps has helped with that. If I use 5 lbs jumps, my grip cannot keep up for more than one, maybe two sessions. With 2.5 lbs jumps, I have yet to hit a hard wall.