Trap bars are cool....

[Suntzu]

.... i think thats what they are called...... it's the one u stand in the middle of right?..... well i'm at the Y working out with my lil cousin...... she has me doing crazy things on the balance ball and what not......deceptively tuff stuff.... and there is no looking cool on that thing.......... than we go to the free weight room....... there in the corner all by its lonesome... be side the squat rack already loaded with a bar ready to be curled..... a most glorious trap bar........ i figured now would be a good time to test for a 1RM.... even tho i was a lil worn out.... got up to 305 for 1... i could have doubled that(the rep NOT the weight) and added more... not much more but more.... but my cuz started looking REALLY bored..... not sure how imoressive that was but i was impressed with myself...... Trap bars are cool i must get one.. and if its not called a trap bar i feel really stupid right now.... u think i'm gonna test my squat tomorrow....

[Vash]

I only deadlift with a trap bar. Seriously love those things.

Hella hard to use for clean and press, though.

[IronFist]

Yeah it's called a trap bar.

Wait.

Do you mean the straight kind or the diamond kind. Look at my pic. Cuz I've seen both of these kinds of bars before. The first one is as long as a regular 7ft barbell.

[Vash]

I've always used the diamond. Never seen the top one.

[Suntzu]

love the art work.......... the diamond one is the one i used......

[IronFist]

In that case, lol @ Vash when he said they're hard to clean and press with

[Vash]

They really are. Verytime I'd drop down to catch it, I'd rack myself in the jimmy.

[Suntzu]

squat ended up kinda sucking...... 230 for 1.....

[Pork Chop]

We got one at Gold's except it's more square than diamond and methinks it's a lot lighter than the olympic size bar, because it looks a heckuva lot smaller.

Old, Frank Zane lookin dude uses it all the time for deadlifts.
You'll know his wrath by the ungodly sounds that eminate forth.
In other words, he grunts a lot and drops the dang thing after each rep.

I've been thinking of using it for deads coz conventional and sumo style deads have been bangin the cr@p outta my shins; sumo not as bad as the other of course. Seeing as how I'm doing Zercher squats as well, I don't think there'd be too much lost with the weight being more in line with my center of gravity versus further in front of it.

[KarmaFire]

I use a trap bar exclusively for lower body work. I injured my lower back when I was younger stocking groceries. Squats, Regular deadlifts and even over head presses kill my back. But the trap bar lets me continue pain free. I use a 5X5 set. 2 days a week. Nothing builds the seat of power like deadlifts. Usually do pushups and chins for my upperbody. Sometimes pyramiding and sometimes for straight sets of 25 or 50 for the pushups, 8 and 12 for the chins.