Trap Bar Jump Squat
What Is the Trap Bar Jump Squat?
Trap Bar Jump Squat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps and also engages the glutes, hamstrings, calves and lower back. It is an advanced-level movement that turns the starting position of a Trap Bar Deadlift into a maximal vertical jump, so it asks for a solid hinge, a strong grip on the handles and clean landing mechanics before any real load goes on the bar.
The point of the exercise is lower-body power: producing force quickly rather than producing as much force as possible. Because the weight hangs at arm's length inside the frame instead of sitting on the spine, the trap bar is the loaded jump many strength coaches reach for first. It is quick to teach, easy to load in small steps, and the lifter can let go of the handles if a landing goes wrong. Rugby, football and other team-sport athletes, sprinters and jumpers use it to build explosiveness for sprint starts, jumping and contact, and it usually goes early in a session after the warm-up, or paired with heavy trap bar deadlifts in contrast training.
The quadriceps do most of the work straightening the knees out of the bottom position, while the glutes, hamstrings and adductors extend the hips from a deeper, more forward-leaning start than a Barbell Jump Squat uses. The calves finish the push off the floor and help absorb the landing, and the lower back, upper back and grip hold the torso and the bar steady. Starting each rep from a dead stop with the bar on the floor, as shown here, takes away the bounce of a quick dip and trains the ability to accelerate from a standstill. Starting from standing and dipping quickly into the jump uses that bounce and makes the movement faster and more jump-like.
The Trap Bar Jump Squat suits athletes and experienced lifters who already deadlift the trap bar with a flat back and can land bodyweight jumps quietly with the knees tracking over the toes. If that is not yet in place, build strength with the Trap Bar Deadlift and take-off and landing skill with the Jump Squat or Box Jump, then add a light load, or start with the Dumbbell Jump Squat. The load stays light on purpose: the aim is to leave the floor as fast and as high as possible, and a bar heavy enough to turn the jump into a slow pull has stopped training power.
Muscles Worked
- Rectus Femoris
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Biceps Femoris
- Medium
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- Soleus
- Medium
Instructions
- Load a trap bar with a light weight and step into the center of the frame with your feet about hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward or slightly out.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to reach down, and grip the middle of each handle with your palms facing in.
- Set your start position with your thighs close to parallel to the floor, your back flat, your chest up, your eyes forward and your arms straight.
- Brace your core and pull the slack out of the bar without lifting it, keeping your weight spread across your whole foot.
- Drive hard through the floor and extend your hips, knees and ankles explosively to jump straight up, taking the bar with you.
- Keep your arms straight and your torso tall in the air, without shrugging or pulling the bar up with your arms.
- Land softly on the balls of your feet, let your heels settle, and bend your hips and knees to absorb the landing with your knees tracking over your toes.
- Stand tall, then push your hips back and lower the bar to the floor under control.
- Reset your position and brace before each jump, and repeat for the prescribed reps.
Common Mistakes
Loading too heavy
A load heavy enough to turn the jump into a slow pull or a calf raise with barely any airtime trains slow strength instead of power and makes every landing harder.
Landing stiff-legged
Hitting the floor with straight knees sends the impact of the body and the bar through the knees and lower back instead of letting the hips and knees bend to absorb it.
Rounding the back
Letting the lower back round in the bottom position or fold forward on the landing shifts the load from the legs onto the spine.
Pulling with the arms
Bending the elbows or shrugging the bar up in the air turns the jump into an arm pull and overloads the upper traps, so keep the arms straight and let the legs move the bar.
Knees caving in
Letting the knees drift inward on the take-off or landing puts extra strain on the knee, so keep them tracking in line with the toes.
Rushing into the next rep
Dropping straight from a sloppy landing into the next jump stacks impact on impact, so land, settle and reset your position before each rep.
Injuries
Trap Bar Jump Squat is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Holding the load at arm's length keeps it off the spine and makes it easy to let go of in a bad landing, which is why it is the more forgiving loaded jump. The landing is still where most problems start, because the body and the bar come down together and the knees, ankles and lower back have to absorb that impact.
The knees and the patellar tendon take the most stress, especially on stiff-legged landings or when the knees cave inward. The lower back is at risk when it rounds in the bottom position or folds forward on the landing, and shrugging or pulling the bar up with the arms in the air loads the upper traps and neck. Keep the load light, start each rep with a flat back and straight arms, stand in the center of the frame so it clears your legs, land on the balls of the feet with the hips and knees bending together, and reset between reps rather than bouncing into the next one. Jump on a firm, shock-absorbing surface such as rubber gym flooring, and do the exercise early in a session, before fatigue sets in.
If the loaded jump is too much, regress to the Dumbbell Jump Squat, the unloaded Jump Squat, or the Box Jump, which cuts the landing height, and build hinge strength with the Trap Bar Deadlift. Progress by adding small amounts of weight only while jump height and landing quality hold up.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the knees, ankles or lower back, if your back starts rounding at the start or on landing, or if your landings get loud, stiff or wobbly. A clear drop in jump height is also a sign of fatigue, and pushing past it only adds hard landings without adding power.
- Primary Focus
- Quads
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Modality
- Plyometrics
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Trap Bar Jump Squat
The Trap Bar Jump Squat is also known as:
- Hex Bar Jump Squat
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Why use a trap bar instead of a barbell for jump squats?
Holding the load at your sides keeps it off your spine and lets you jump more freely. In a study of resistance-trained rugby union players, jumps holding a hexagonal bar at arm's length produced greater jump height, peak force and peak power than jumps with a straight bar across the shoulders, and the hexagonal bar loaded to 20% of squat one-rep max produced the highest peak power of every condition tested, including unloaded jumps.
- Q: How heavy should a Trap Bar Jump Squat be?
Light. In a study of professional rugby union players, peak power in the hexagonal bar jump squat was highest at 10 to 20% of box squat one-rep max, out of loads from 10 to 40% tested. Many coaches go up to about 30 to 60% of trap bar deadlift max for a more strength-focused block, but every rep should still leave the floor fast and clearly.
- Q: How many sets and reps of Trap Bar Jump Squats should I do?
Three to five sets of 3 to 5 reps with 2 to 3 minutes of rest is a common starting point. Every rep should be a maximal jump, so end the set as soon as jump height or landing quality drops.
- Q: Should I start each rep from the floor or from standing?
Both are common. Starting from the floor, as shown here, removes the quick dip and trains you to accelerate from a dead stop, while starting from standing and dipping straight into the jump uses that bounce to jump higher and faster, so pick the one that fits your goal and stick with it for the block.
- Q: Should I use the high or low handles?
Either works. The low handles give a deeper start with more hip and hamstring work, while the high handles shorten the starting position and suit taller lifters or anyone who cannot reach the low handles with a flat back.
- Q: Where do Trap Bar Jump Squats go in a workout?
Early, right after the warm-up and before heavy strength work or conditioning, because power work suffers when you are tired. Experienced athletes also pair them with heavy sets of the Trap Bar Deadlift in contrast training.