Trap Bar Deadlifts vs Squats: Front & Back (Pros, Cons, Differences)

Trap bar deadlifts, back squats, and front squats are always in the mix when taking your leg training to the next level. But how do you know which one is best for your goals?

What are the differences between the trap bar deadlift vs. squat? Trap bar deadlifts are hip-dominant movements, allowing you to step inside the trap bar and deadlift using the glutes. Squats are knee-dominant and use a standard barbell, forcing you to keep the bar on the front of your shins targeting the quads.

The article below will give you the full run-down on these lower body exercises. Namely, I’ll explain how and why you should include trap bar deadlifts, back squats, and front squats in your program. 

Lastly, I’ll outline how to perform each movement correctly, so you can avoid injury and maximize your results.

Let’s dive in!

Trap Bar Deadlift vs. Squat (Front & Back): Main Differences

A common question is: can you replace the trap bar deadlift with the front or back squat and vice versa? 

No, you should not consider the trap bar deadlift and squats (front & back) to be interchangeable. In addition to the different movement patterns being trained (hip hinge vs. squat), the trap bar deadlift and squat use varying muscle groups, have different technical requirements and need distinct loading demands.

The 6 main differences between the trap bar deadlift and squat (front & back) are:

1. Implement type
2. Joint ranges of motion
3. Muscles worked 
4. Technical proficiency
5. Movement pattern 
6. Weight used

1.  Implement Type

Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar deadlift uses a trap bar, sometimes referred to as a “hex bar” due to its hexagonal shape. Usually, this specialty bar is enclosed (requiring the athlete to step inside to lift it) and shorter than a standard barbell but still weighing 45 pounds.

Trap bars typically have two sets of neutral-grip handles: a lower set even in height to the trap bar’s loadable sleeves and an upper set raised by a few inches.  

If you’re interested in exploring the different barbells available for deadlifts, go over our article and find one that fits your goals! However, if you’re only looking at the best trap bars, you can find more details in our article.

Front Squat

The front squat requires a standard barbell placed in a power rack or squat rack, so the lifter can easily get the bar into the correct position.

That said, a lifter can simply clean the bar up to their shoulders if they’d prefer to perform the exercise on a deadlift platform.

Back Squat

The back squat also uses a standard barbell placed in a squat rack where the lifter can easily pick it up. However, contrary to the front squat, the bar squat is way harder to lift from the floor to the back of your neck.

2.  Joint Ranges Of Motion

Trap Bar Deadlift

In the trap bar deadlift, the mobility demands on the lifter are quite minimal. Athletes often find it easier to achieve a neutral lumbar spine than the conventional barbell deadlift due to less hip flexion.

However, there will be a greater challenge to the lifter if required to pull from the lower handles — since it will force a lower starting position.

One study showed an increased knee flexion of 6 degrees compared to conventional deadlifts, which is one of the reasons why it targets the quads more. 

Front Squat

The front squat requires serious mobility in the upper body. In particular, the mobility of the wrists, arms, and upper back will be a top priority.

A study by Swinton et al. showed an average of 91 and 78 degrees of hip and knee flexion, respectively, during the trap bar (high handles), compared to the 104 and 120 degrees of hip and knee flexion on the squat, which makes the front squat a better movement for quad strength.

Lifters struggling with inflexibility in these areas will have difficulty pulling off the front squat with the Olympic grip. For many, gripping the bar with straps or performing the cross-grip might be a better choice right from the start — especially if the lifter is not interested in competing in Olympic weightlifting or CrossFit.

Want to use straps on the front squat, but not sure where to start? Check out my article Front Squat With Straps: How And Why You Should Do It

Back Squat

The back squat is the variation that requires more mobility compared to the trap bar deadlift and the front squat. During a single rep, it moves the ankle, knees, hips, thorax, and shoulder joints.

Individuals like beginners, elderly, and post-surgical patients (ankle, knee, hips, spine) will have trouble finding an ideal range of motion for muscle growth (hips paralleled to knee or lower). Although the benefits are worth it, it will differ from someone going through the complete range of motion on each rep.

3.  Muscles Worked

Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar deadlift primarily works the quads. Additionally, it provides a reasonable stimulus to the abdominals, calves, and entire back musculature. Some lifters who start trap bar deadlifting for the first time might experience added soreness in the quads.

Read my complete guide on the Muscles Used In The Deadlift, including different variations of the deadlift. 

Front Squat

The front squat focuses mainly on the quads, gluteus maximus, and abductors (which fall under the “hamstring” family of muscles). That said, the upper back, abdominals, and biceps are also targeted as supporting muscle groups, which is optimal for increasing overall body strength and maintaining a healthy lumbar spine. 

Back Squat

The back squat focuses on the glutes and spinal erectors. They recruit many fibers from the quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, core, and traps. These last two are responsible for keeping a strong torso and neutral spine. The quadriceps extend the knee while the hamstrings aid in hip extension with the glutes.

Read my complete guide on the Muscles Used In The Squat, including different variations of the squat. And if you’re curious whether squats and deadlifts are enough to train legs, look at our article and make the most out of both exercises!

4. Technical Proficiency

Trap Bar Deadlift

Lifting the bar for the trap bar deadlift is fairly straightforward: step inside the bar, assume a half-squat position, stick out your chest, and lift the bar.

Because of this and the fact that most lifters will default to pulling from the upper handles with the trap bar deadlift, this movement tends to require less technical proficiency.

In other words, most novice lifters can do this exercise rather easily, and in fact, many strength coaches will get their athletes to learn the trap bar deadlift before teaching the conventional or sumo deadlift. 

Front Squat

For the front squat, the technical proficiency is quite high.

In addition to excellent mobility and upper back strength, the lifter must have significant kinesthetic awareness (awareness of their body in space). Without these qualities, the athlete won’t be able to front squat without falling over or having the bar roll off their shoulders.

Back Squat

The back squat requires more attention to technique than the trap bar deadlift but less than the front squat. Keeping a neutral spine and neck while stopping your knees from caving in and your heels coming off the floor requires a certain skill that some people don’t have. 

This doesn’t make it an advanced movement. However, it does take some time to fully master the technique and be able to lift heavy and safely. 

5.  Movement Pattern

Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar deadlift follows the “hip hinge” pattern, due mostly to the greater amount of hip extension that occurs during the movement when compared to knee extension.  

As a result, the trap bar deadlift can be a highly effective deadlift variation for lifters looking to target their glutes more effectively (compared with the front squat), and as we’ll read next, use more weight. 

Front Squat

The front squat demonstrates the “squat” pattern, where there is a similar amount of hip extension and knee extension.

Because of this and the emphasis on upper back strength development, the front squat can be an excellent squat accessory to build your quads’ strength and learn how to coordinate your body using a complex movement pattern.

Back Squat

The back squat has a combination of hip hinge and squat pattern. There is enough hip flexion to recruit important fibers from the spinal erectors, glutes, and hamstrings.

To counterbalance the hip flexion, the knees, and ankle flex, allowing for the full squat movement pattern. To lift you from the bottom of the squat, the quads, hamstrings, and glutes extend the knees and hips (respectively) until the full lock-out at the top occurs.

If you want to learn more about how the deadlifts can carry over to the squats, give our article a read!

6.  Weight Used

Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar deadlift will allow for much heavier weights to be lifted than the front squat.

This is primarily due to the shorter range of motion and more advantageous joint angles that allow the lifter to leverage muscle activation on its posterior chain.

Front Squat

The front squat will require much lighter weights to be used when compared to the trap bar deadlift.

This is mostly because the lifter’s upper back strength and ability to maintain the front rack position act as the limiting factor — not the lifter’s actual quad strength.

Back Squat

The back squat allows for heavier weights compared to the front squat due to not having the upper body’s strength and mobility limitations. 

However, it carries less weight than the trap bar deadlift. The reason is that the trap bar deadlift has a shorter range of motion and requires less mobility concerning the back and front squat.

Trap Bar Deadlift: How To, Tips, Common Mistakes, Muscles Worked, Benefits, & Drawbacks

The trap bar deadlift is a deadlift variation that places the lifter in a more upright torso position and allows them to lift using a neutral grip.

Despite the slightly shorter range of motion (compared to a conventional deadlift), the trap bar deadlift still works the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and trunk musculature to a high degree.

How To Do A Trap Bar Deadlift

Here’s how to perform a trap bar deadlift:

1. Find a trap bar and ensure the handles you’ll be using are face-up
2. Step inside the barbell
3. Set your stance in the same way as you would normally deadlift 
4. Bend forward and grab the handles, ensuring your hands are centered
5. Squat down until you’re in a half-squat position
6. Stick your chest out hard
7. Push the floor away to stand up
8. Descend with control by bending simultaneously at your knees and hips
9. Stop once the bar as returned to the floor

Check out my article that discusses Are Trap Bar Deadlifts Harder Than Traditional Deadlifts?

Technique Tips For a Trap Bar Deadlift

Here are some tips to help you with your technique: 

• Incorporate lower and higher reps. As with any compound exercise where you can load up the weight, the appeal of doing a maximal heavy set of 5 reps or less is tempting. As much as you might want to, don’t neglect to do sets of >5 reps. If you purposefully avoid the higher rep range, you’ll likely miss out on impactful hypertrophy benefits.

• Use the lower handles, too. When you try the trap bar deadlift for the first time, it’s common to get used to the higher handles and only use that height until the end. While it’s not unforgivable to only use the higher handles, the bottom set will help increase the range of motion by lowering your starting position by a few inches. Yes, this will make the lift harder — and it might just be exactly what you need to drive up your standard deadlift.

• Start with your normal deadlift stance. Since you’ll use a different bar for the trap bar deadlift, it’s common to want to reinvent the wheel and forgo your regular deadlift stance. However, you’ll likely find your ordinary deadlift stance width and toe-angle work quite well for this deadlift variation. You’re welcome to experiment down the line, but at least start with what you’re used to.

Want to make your deadlift strength skyrocket? Here are 12 Deadlift Accessories To Increase Strength & Technique

Common Mistakes When Doing a Trap Bar Deadlift

The most common faults in the trap bar deadlift are:

• Taking too wide of a stance. Due to the shape of the barbell, you’ll have to take a standard (conventional) deadlift stance. Sumo deadlift stance widths are incompatible with this specialty bar, so stick to a hip-width stance or slightly wider only.

• Not staying on your knees. The cue of “staying in your knees” is commonly used with the standard deadlift or squat, especially when a lifter has a habit of allowing their knees to kick backward on the way up. This action shifts the work of the quads onto the posterior chain. The quads are a strong muscle group — avoid taking them out of the lift by keeping your knees forward on the way up. 

Muscles Used: Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar muscles worked are the: 

• Glutes,
• Hamstrings,
• Quadriceps,
• Calves,
• Abdominals,
• Back Muscles (erector spinae, rhomboids, traps).

Throughout the trap bar deadlift, the lifter predominantly performs hip and knee extensions. Respectively, these actions are carried out by the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps muscle group. 

If you want to strengthen your glutes and hamstring, pick the trap bar deadlift instead of squat. On the contrary, some people go to the trap bar deadlift for quads, which is acceptable but subpar compared to the front squat.

The remaining muscle groups (calves) assist in knee extension or help to keep the lifter upright throughout the movement (abdominals, back muscles).

Benefits of The Trap Bar Deadlift

Some of the benefits of the trap bar deadlift are 

• It’s a natural movement. The half-squat position you adopt when performing the trap bar deadlift is often referred to as the “athletic stance” in most sports (bent knees, hips back, and chest out). Whether you have an athletic background or not, this powerful position will likely come naturally to you and make it easier to become skilled with this exercise and increase muscle growth.

• It’s able to be loaded heavier. Within a couple of weeks of dedicated training, you’ll almost certainly be able to lift significantly more weight with the trap bar deadlift when compared to your standard deadlift. The decreased range of motion when using the higher handles tends to be the main reason here.

• It’s (a little) easier on your back. Compared to the standard deadlift, the trap bar deadlift elicits greater activation in the quads (increased knee flexion) but less in the hamstrings and erector spinae (lower back muscles). For this reason, the trap bar deadlift is often chosen for those performing “back rehab” who still want to do some type of deadlift variation.

• Improves power, velocity, and force. Trap bar deadlifts increase peak power, peak velocity, peak force, and mean force compared to conventional deadlifts. These training variables are crucial for speed sports like football, soccer, basketball, and tennis.

Can’t hold onto the bar due to lagging grip strength? Before you go buy a new set of straps, check out my article Best Lifting Straps in 2023 to find out what the top lifters are using!

Cons of The Trap Bar Deadlift

Some of the cons of the trap bar deadlift are: 

• Less specific for powerlifting. You compete with a standard (straight) barbell with the conventional or sumo deadlift in powerlifting. Unfortunately, you won’t compete with the trap bar deadlift as an exercise. For this reason, the trap bar is probably not the best choice when seeking a highly specific deadlift variation.

• Balance issues from the grip. When you first try the trap bar deadlift, it’s common to have the barbell tipping forward or backward during your set. As you get more practice, you’ll start to notice when the bar feels off-center. When this happens, simply place the bar on the floor and reposition your hands accordingly before continuing with your set.

Back Squat: How To, Tips, Common Mistakes, Muscles Worked, Benefits, & Drawbacks

The back squat is the most common squat variation. It has a lifter with the bar over its back (trapezius) throughout the entire range of motion. Because the bar is placed in the back, it requires more ankle mobility than the front squat and the trap bar deadlift, which could be a limitation for some. 

However, you’ll feel more stable doing back squats allowing you to lift heavier and build more strength and muscle. The weight you can lift with a front squat is often limited by your upper body strength while holding the bar in front. 

The back squat will target your quads, adductors, glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, and core musculature. That is one of the reasons why this movement is so effective for building a solid strength foundation.

How To Do A Back Squat

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to perform a back squat:

1. Find a power rack or squat stand
2. Ensure the hooks are slightly lower than the shoulder height for the barbell
3. Approach the bar in the center and step under it while using your arms to keep it in place. 
4. Ensure the bar is resting in the upper part of your traps (not your neck)
5. Stand up fully to unrack the bar
6. Step back a couple of paces to clear the hooks and set your stance width
7. When ready, take a deep breath in and brace your core
8. Bend at your knees to descend, trying to sit between your thighs
9. Once the tops of your thighs are at or slightly below parallel to the floor, you’ve reached an adequate depth
10. Drive the floor away with your feet to stand back up.

Don’t forget to check my warm-up mobility for squats to help you make the most out of your back squat session: How To Warm-Up For Squats.

Technique Tips For a Back Squat

Here are some back squat tips to help you with your technique: 

• Try different foot stances. How wide or narrow your stance is can determine the quality of your barbell squat. Some people feel more comfortable with a wide stance because their hips are mobile enough. Others might feel better squatting with a narrower stance because they have enough ankle mobility. Play around with it and find the one that suits you the most.

• Experiment with low-bar and high-bar back squats. A high-bar squat (HBBS) has the bar resting on the upper traps, while the low-bar squat (LBBS) places the barbell on the mid-back. The HBBS requires more ankle mobility and an upright torso and targets more quads. While the LBBS requires more hip mobility, and the torso leans forward, focusing more on the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors.

• Elevate your heels if you have poor ankle mobility. A common limitation of people trying back squats is poor ankle mobility. That prevents them from going through a full range of motion, limiting their muscle growth and causing knee pain. Raising your heels with disc plates, wedges, slant boards, or even dumbbells can help you improve your technique and posture.

Common Mistakes When Doing a Back Squat

The most common mistakes when doing a back squat are:

• Knees caving in. Collapsing the knees on your way up is a common fault seen around many lifters. Although this isn’t inherently bad, it could mean a power leak coming from weak glute activation or a poor mind-muscle connection. To limit this, you can use a mirror in front of you or think of driving your knees slightly outwards while going up.

• Heels coming off the ground. Lifting your heels off the ground when going down could lead to poor stability and knee pain. To prevent this, focus on increasing ankle mobility during your warm-up, use weightlifting shoes (higher heels), or put some disc plates, wedges, slant boards, or dumbbells underneath.

• Not controlling the way down. Controlling the trajectory down can help you stabilize your spine and minimize injury risks. Before going down, brace your core and keep a steady pace until your hips parallel your knees, then drive up.  

Muscles Used: Back Squat

The main muscles used in the back squat are the following: 

• Gluteus maximus,
• Hamstrings,
• Quadriceps,
• Spinal erectors,
• Traps,
• Core musculature.

The bar behind the back pushes the torso forward, creating more hip flexion than the front squat and trap bar deadlift. During the hip flexion, the traps, spinal erectors, and core muscles stabilize the spine and keep the torso rigid. 

From the bottom of the movement to the lock-out position, the quadriceps extend the knee at the same time that the hamstrings and glutes extend the hips securing the rep with a full extension on your hips and knees. 

Contrary to the front squat, the back squat emphasizes the posterior chain muscles instead of the anterior chain (shoulders, forearms, calves) seen on the front squat. And if you try the LBBS, you’ll feel your back muscles firing even more.

Benefits of The Back Squat

Some of the benefits of the back squat are: 

• Builds overall strength. The back squat works most of the body’s largest muscles which increases muscle recruitment pushing the body to synthesize more growth hormone, testosterone, and insulin growth-like factor-1 (IGF-1). That process translates to more muscle mass and strength.

• It improves your mobility. During a full-range back squat, you work multiple joints like the ankle, knee, hips, thorax, and shoulders. Over time, this increases their ability to move at wider ranges, improving their mobility. 

• Increases bone density. Resistance and aerobic training have proved to increase bone mineral density by creating internal forces that cause the body to defend, adapt, and strengthen bone density.   

Cons of The Back Squat

Some of the cons of the back squat are: 

• Requires more ankle mobility. Ankle mobility is a limitation for many people; most don’t even know they have it. The back squat creates a body position with more knee and hip flexion compared to the hex bar deadlift vs. the squat. To help with this, work on your ankle mobility, wear weightlifting shoes, or place weight plates, dumbbells, or slant board under your heels.

• Puts more tension on your back. Because there’s more hip flexion forces your lower back muscles (spinal erectors) to work extra hard to maintain a neutral spine. Although this isn’t inherently bad, it could represent a risk for some people (undertrained, elderly, back surgery, etc.)

Front Squat: How To, Tips, Common Mistakes, Muscles Worked, Benefits, & Drawbacks

The front squat is a squat variation that places the bar on the front of the lifter’s shoulders throughout the entire exercise.

In the front squat, the barbell’s position on the front of the shoulders requires that the lifter keep their knees farther forward than other squat variations.

This requirement is to stay balanced in their midfoot and avoid having the bar slide off the shoulders. While the front squat will focus mostly on the quads and glutes, it will also put a large amount of work on the trunk musculature to avoid tipping forward.

How To Do A Front Squat

Here’s how to perform a front squat:

1. Find a power rack or squat stand
2. Ensure the hooks are slightly lower than shoulder height for the barbell
3. Approach the bar and put the tips of your fingers just outside shoulder-width apart
4. Step directly to the bar as you rotate your elbows forward and up, so your upper arms are parallel to the floor
5. Ensure the bar is resting in the nooks behind your front delts
6. Stand up fully to unrack the bar
7. Step back a couple paces to clear the hooks and set your stance width
8. When ready, take a deep breath in and brace your core
9. Bend at your knees to descend, trying to sit between your thighs
10. Once the tops of your thighs are at or slightly below parallel to the floor, you’ve reached an adequate depth
11. Drive the floor away with your feet to stand back up

Need a warm-up mobility routine prior to squatting? Check out my article on How To Warm Up For Squats.

Technique Tips For a Front Squat

Here are some front squat tips to help you with your technique: 

• Vary your rep range. While your front squat strength will respond better to <6 rep sets because you can use heavier weights, don’t neglect the 6-12 rep range. Incorporating higher reps is an excellent method to accumulate enough volume to result in leg growth.

• Experiment with your grip. If you constantly get sore wrists from the Olympic grip, feel free to put straps on the bar and hold them instead of the barbell itself. On the other hand, you can also perform the cross-arm grip if you’d prefer.

• Stretch in between sets. Performing forearms, tricep, and lat stretches will facilitate your front rack positioning. Add light stretches between sets as you warm up with the empty bar. Check out my squat warm-up if you want a full mobility routine.

Ready to level up your front squat skills? Check out my complete guide to the front squat here.

Common Mistakes When Doing a Front Squat

The most common faults in the front squat are:

• Not having a quality standard. As you fatigue during the front squat, you’ll start to undergo some tipping forward on the ascent. Even for experienced lifters with impressive upper back strength, your torso will tend to collapse forward no matter what you do. Instead of trying to banish it altogether, have a “quality standard” for your reps to know when to end the set due to technical limitations.

• Stubbornly using the Olympic grip. Unless you’re an Olympic weightlifter or CrossFit athlete, you’re under no obligation to use the Olympic grip. Forcing yourself to do so might cause more harm than good. As a bare minimum, try to get 2 fingers (usually your index and middle fingers) around the bar to hold it in position on your shoulders instead of attempting to get all 4 fingers around the bar.

Related Articles: Is The Front Squat Choking You? Try These 5 Tips and Is The Front Squat Bar Slipping? Try These 8 Tips.

Muscles Used: Front Squat

The muscles used in the front squat are the following: 

• Quadriceps,
• Hamstrings,
• Gluteus maximus,
• Calves,
• Abdominals,
• Erector Spinae (lower back muscles),
• Traps (lower, middle, and upper).

As the lifter ascends from the bottom position of the front squat, two main actions occur knee extension and hip extension.

Knee extension is primarily handled by the quadriceps, with the calves playing a small supporting role. As a result, the quads are the main mover during the front squat.

That said, the posterior chain also plays a role in the front squat — specifically with hip extension. For this action to occur, the glutes and hamstrings must contract to open the hip joint so the lifter can stand up fully.

The abdominals, erector spinae, and traps assist mostly with keeping the lifter’s trunk rigid against the weight of the barbell. By contracting throughout the exercise, these muscle groups prevent the lifter from caving forward and losing the barbell off the shoulders.

Related article: Back Extension vs Deadlift: Differences, Pros, Cons

Benefits of The Front Squat

Some of the benefits of the front squat are: 

• It builds your quads. A study by Gullet et al. (2008) showed that the front squat was comparable to the back squat for recruiting muscle mass in the legs. Neither appears to stimulate hypertrophy better than the other, even though you can lift much more with other barbell squat variations.

• It improves your mobility. After weeks of front squatting, the small act of holding the bar in the front rack position will increase the mobility of your upper body. Although this is most relevant to Olympic weightlifters and CrossFit athletes, almost all lifters could benefit from more flexibility gains.

Want the benefits of the front squat, but also desire more variety? Open my article on 10 Highly Effective Front Squat Alternatives (With Pictures) in a new tab to read it next!

Cons of The Front Squat

Some of the cons of the front squat are: 

• Shoulder discomfort. Whether you’re new to front squats or a seasoned veteran, you’ll find that the bar's weight might cause some discomfort on your shoulders. Luckily, you’ll get more accustomed to the front rack position, and the nerves by the front of your shoulders will get used to the pressure of the barbell in just a couple of weeks.

• Difficulty getting a full breath. Since the barbell is wedged behind your front delts, this will likely put it close to your throat. The bar might press into your throat for some lifters despite having a correctly established front rack position. Don’t stress too much; you can alleviate most of the pressure against your windpipe by pushing your head backward, creating more space between your throat and the bar.

Final Thoughts

When comparing deadlifts with a hex bar vs. squat (front & back), your decision to do one over the other will largely depend on what you’re trying to achieve with your training.

Use trap bar deadlifts if you’re looking for a new deadlift variation or want to focus on developing your posterior chain. Team sport (soccer, football, hockey) athletes might want to prioritize trap bar deadlifts because they closely mimic the “athletic stance” used in these sports.

Use front squats if you’re on the hunt for a squat variation or want to build your quads and body strength (although the trap bar deadlifts quads. Also, Olympic weightlifters and CrossFit athletes should probably get used to front squatting regularly.

And if you want to focus on increasing your overall strength, or are interested in powerlifting meets, you should prioritize back squats. They require a little less mobility than the front squat, you can go heavier too which is also important for more muscle recruitment. 

When comparing the trap bar deadlift vs. squat (front & back), the front squat is the hardest and more technical of the three, although the back squat requires more mobility. Despite that, all three movements are fantastic for building strength, muscle mass, and a healthier body.

Comparing the squat vs. trap bar deadlift will always be a matter of priorities and equipment availability. Each has its pros and cons. 

Find out which exercise reigns supreme in our expert comparison of squat vs deadlift for overall strength and conditioning.

Check out my other exercise comparisons featuring the front squat:

• Front Squat vs Zercher Squat
• Front Squat vs Safety Bar Squat
• Front Squat vs Goblet Squat
• Front Squat Mobility: 17 Must-Do Exercises

FAQs

Are Trap Bar Deadlifts Better Than Squats?

Trap bar deadlifts are not better than squats for building quad strength and hypertrophy. Although trap bar deadlifts activate more quads than conventional deadlifts, it doesn't make them superior to front and back squats. However, when it comes to safety, trap bar deadlifts are better than squats.

Can Trap Bar Deadlifts Replace Squats?

Yes, trap bar deadlifts can replace squats if you don’t have access to a barbell or a power rack. Although it won’t target the quads as much as the squats, it will create enough tension to fatigue your quads after a few sets.

Can a Trap Bar Be Used for Squats?

Yes, you could use a trap bar for squats if it’s the only equipment available. Although, you’d rather want a straight barbell, kettlebell, or dumbbell because they allow a greater range of motion. If you only have access to a trap bar, step on a few plates to increase the range of motion, grip the bar and lift. That way, you biased the quadriceps more.

About The Author

Kent Nilson is an online strength coach, residing in Calgary (AB). When he’s not training, coaching, or volunteering on the platform at powerlifting meets, you’ll likely find Kent drinking coffee or enjoying his next Eggs Benedict. Connect with him on Facebook or Instagram.