Strength Training · Functional Fitness · Conditioning · Walking
Trap Bar Carry
The trap bar carry is a loaded walk with the weight held at your sides inside a hexagonal bar. It trains your grip, trunk stability, and ability to move steadily under load.
- Beginner
- Compound
- Moderate injury risk
- Rest 1 min 30 sec
How to do it
- Stand inside the trap bar with your feet hip-width apart, centered between the handles.
- Bend at your hips and knees to reach the handles.
- Grip the middle of each handle with your palms facing inward.
- Stand upright with the bar hanging at your sides.
- Walk forward at a controlled pace for the prescribed time.
- Come to a complete stop.
- Lower the bar to the floor by bending your hips and knees.
Form cues
- Take short, even steps
- Keep your ribs over your pelvis
- Let your arms hang long
- Breathe behind a firm brace
Common mistakes
- Shrugging the loadKeep your shoulders away from your ears rather than actively lifting them.
- Looking down throughout the walkLook ahead along your route instead of watching your feet.
- Pivoting inside the frameSet the bar down before changing direction if you cannot make a wide, controlled turn.
Safety
Excessive load or fatigue can pull your trunk out of position and strain your back. Contact with the frame or a slipping grip can cause a trip or drop the loaded bar onto your feet.
- Use a level, unobstructed lane with enough room for the full width of the loaded bar.
- Secure plates evenly on both sides with compatible collars.
- Practice with an empty or lightly loaded bar to check clearance around your heels.
- End the set as soon as your grip starts opening or your posture becomes difficult to maintain.
If you have back pain, balance problems, or hand or wrist symptoms that affect your grip, use a lighter version or seek advice from a physiotherapist first.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Trap Barbell
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–4
- Target
- 20–40 seconds
- Rest
- 1 min 30 sec
Choose a load you could carry for another 5–10 seconds beyond your target.