Do conventional (straight-bar) and hex bar deadlifts work your muscles differently?

December 7th, 2016 by

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Do conventional (straight-bar) and hex bar deadlifts work your muscles differently? Well, to answer that, lets look at a recent 2016 study, which compared the two exercises:

In this study, presented in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers recruited 20 men with weight-training experience who could lift 1.5X their body weight when doing conventional deadlifts. The subjects performed both exercises for 3 reps using a load of either 65% or 85% of their one-rep max (1RM) on separate days. So on one day they lifted 65% of their 1RM and on another day they lifted 85% of their 1RM. This was after performing 10 reps at 50% of their 1RM, as well as following a 5/3/1 protocol. That is, 5 reps at 70%, 3 reps at 80% and 1 rep at 90% of their 1RM.

The researchers attached electrodes to one of the muscles in the quads (vastus lateralis), hamstrings (biceps femoris) and lower back (erector spinae) to measure muscle activity during the concentric and eccentric phase of the lifts. Basically, when you’re lifting or lowering the bar, respectively.

What they found was that the hex bar caused greater activation in the quads (vastus lateralis) on both phases of the lift. While the conventional deadlift displayed greater activation in the hamstrings (bicep femoris) and the lower back (erector spinae).
So if you’re looking to deadlift, but you want to give your lower back and hamstrings a bit of a break then you may want to try hex bar deadlifts. Conversely, if you’re looking to build/strengthen your lower back and hamstrings then you may want go with conventional deadlifts.

For more information:
Camara, KD et al. An Examination of Muscle Activation and Power Characteristics While Performing the Deadlift Exercise With Straight and Hexagonal Barbells. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2016. May. Vol 30. Issue 5. 1183–1188.