Trap Bar on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The trap bar (also referred to as the hex bar) is an implement used in 
The trap bar was invented, patented and trademarked by Al Gerard, a competitive
weight training
Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweight exercises ( ...
. It is an assemblage of bars bent into an angle, then welded into a shape which lies flat in a plane, consisting of:
# A barstock welded into a hexagonal or diamond shape, sized to allow a person to stand in the middle
# Two (almost always) coaxial stub bars, welded to opposing positions on the outside of the perimeter of the hollow portion to hold weight plates. The stubs are used for loading the trapbar with plates.
# A set of handles pointing forward and back are welded inside the hollow portion. The handles are used to hold the trapbar while an exercise is performed. Note that these handles are aligned at a 90-degree angle to the plate-loading bars.
The trap bar was invented, patented and trademarked by Al Gerard, a competitive powerlifter
Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...
. It is often thought to have been named after the (upper fibres of the) trapezius muscle
The trapezius is a large paired trapezoid-shaped surface muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae of the human spine, spine and laterally to the spine of the scapula. It moves the scapula and ...
s, the muscle it was designed to train, with shoulder shrugs. In addition to shrugs, the bar is also used for trapbar deadlift, trapbar jumps, overhead/ military presses, upright rows or "high pulls," and stiff leg deadlift
The deadlift is a strength training exercise in which a weight-loaded barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, with the torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting ...
s. Its design has since changed from various original designs into a hexagonal shape, and can be correctly referred to as a "hex bar".
Variants are produced by several vendors.
References
Weight training equipment {{weightlifting-stub