Most personal trainers would probably agree that the hex bar is an essential piece of gym equipment. This is mainly because it’s the best regression exercise for the traditional barbell deadlift. Based on comfort and favourable execution, some may even make the argument that the hex bar is preferred. Not only because long legs, as well as short arms, are taken away as obstacles however the unique design of the bar facilitates an upright body position that limits the potential for injury.
The hex bar is much better (as opposed to barbells) for going heavier on deadlifts as well as for lowering stress on your lower back. If your gym has a hex bar, stop just using it for shrugs and think about doing some deadlifts with it.
This is because the hex bar can allow you to go heavier as opposed to standard deadlifts (which place more overload on the leg muscles) so leading to greater muscle growth in the long run. Even if you compete in the deadlift, making use of the hex bar occasionally can help you go heavier in order to get stronger in your lower-body muscles. And if you needed to give up deadlifts owing to lower-back issues, the hex bar may be your key to doing them again.
Hex Bars Offer Similar Load Distribution
Although hex bars come in many shapes and sizes, in general, they’re exactly the same weight as traditional barbells are. They set you up to lift from exactly the same height and the hex bar lets you hold them with both hands. They’re just sculpted very differently from barbells. However, they still have us doing a lift that’s hip dominant (which is focused on our hips, glutes as well as hamstrings. They check very similar boxes as the standard barbell deadlift.
Centre of Mass and Why It Matters
The deadlift is very hip-dominant pattern when it is done correctly. The barbell weight is a bit in front of your body and you need to extend the hips first in order to pull the weight off the ground so challenging your glutes, hamstrings, and, often, your lower back. The torque of the barbell deadlift results in high stress on the joint systems supporting the movement, especially the lower back.
This varies from person to person, based on such things as limb length and the weight you’re moving. However what’s true is that the hip extension pattern, which is one thing we’re really working to attack on a deadlift from a training standpoint, is altered because the weight is in front of you and is always, at least a little bit, pulling you forward.
From Crossfitters to powerlifters to bodybuilders to athletes in general, the very best gym-goers learn to combat that, and that process has its strengths. Battling the barbell deadlift teaches you to activate your lat muscles to keep the bar close to you, and forces you to engage your hamstrings at the start of a deadlift rep.
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