Here is an awesome trap bar exercise I’m guessing you haven’t tried. While this exercise does strengthen the hamstrings and glutes, I mostly consider this an exercise for the posterior core muscles.
Coaching Tips:
- Kneel on a thick pad, or yoga blocks. Make sure the surface is extremely stable.
- Your body should be centered inside the bar, and your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Grab onto the trap bar. Pull your body down to the bar, and take the slack out of the bar.
- Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits. For the duration of the exercise, your arms/weight should not travel ahead or behind your body.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now using your posterior chain and posterior core muscles, press your body away from the surface, and to the top position.
- Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings, and extend your hips.
- Return to the starting position by hinging/pushing your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the surface and are approaching the top position.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.