Strength, Stability and Freedom of Movement: Discover Why the Hex Bar Is an Interesting Alternative to the Traditional Barbell and How to Make the Most of It

The deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for developing strength, power and muscle mass. At the same time, it is also one of the movements that raises the most questions, especially among those who are new to weight training.

How should you position your back? How much should you bend your knees? How can you keep the barbell close to your body throughout the lift?

Sometimes, making an exercise more accessible does not require changing the movement itself, but simply changing how the load is distributed in relation to the body.

This is precisely the principle behind the use of the Hex Bar, also known as the Trap Bar: a piece of equipment that allows you to train strength through a different configuration from that of a traditional Olympic barbell.

But what are its real advantages? Which exercises can you perform with it? And, above all, which model should you choose to suit your needs?

Let’s find out together.

What Is a Hex Bar and How Does It Work?

The Hex Bar is a special type of barbell featuring a generally hexagonal frame, inside which the athlete stands while performing the exercise.

Unlike a traditional barbell, where the load is held in front of the body, the Hex Bar allows you to stand in the centre of the frame, with the weights distributed on either side.

This difference changes the relationship between the athlete and the load, offering new possibilities for performing and controlling movements.

The side handles also allow for a neutral grip, with the palms facing the body. This position is often more comfortable for the wrists, elbows and shoulders.

The result is a particularly versatile piece of equipment used in fitness, athletic performance training and strength training programmes.

Hex Bar or Traditional Barbell: Why Can the Deadlift Feel Easier?

The Hex Bar does not automatically make an exercise safe or technically correct. However, its particular design can make learning and controlling certain movements easier.

Let’s take a closer look at why.

The Load Is Distributed on Either Side of the Body

During a traditional barbell deadlift, the athlete must keep the bar close to the legs, carefully controlling its path throughout the lift.

With the Hex Bar, on the other hand, the body is positioned inside the frame, allowing the load to be managed with a distribution closer to the body’s central axis.

This often makes it possible to adopt a more upright torso position and may reduce the mechanical moment acting on the lower back compared with certain conventional deadlift techniques.

This does not mean that the back stops working, but rather that the conditions under which it must stabilise the movement change.

The Neutral Grip Promotes a Natural Arm Position

The hands grip the side handles with the palms facing the thighs.

This configuration can feel more intuitive than the overhand or mixed grip used in the traditional deadlift.

It is a particularly interesting advantage for beginners who are new to weight training or for those looking to vary their training stimulus.

It Is Practical and Can Make Loading Plates Easier

Another interesting feature of the Hex Bar is its practicality, particularly when loading and unloading weight plates.

Anyone who regularly trains with heavy loads knows this challenge well: when a barbell rests on the floor, inserting or removing plates may require lifting the bar slightly or using dedicated supports.

Some Hex Bar models are specifically designed to simplify these operations through different construction features.

The Sidea range includes three particularly interesting examples:

• 9012/3 Low Hex Bar: its specific horizontal plate arrangement allows plates to be loaded and removed from above, without having to lift the frame.
• 9012/1 Super Hex Bar: the raised loading sleeves keep the plates off the floor, making them easier to insert and remove.
• 9012/4 Open Hex Bar: thanks to its design, it can be positioned vertically on its dedicated support points, keeping the loading sleeves raised and making loading and unloading particularly convenient.

These features offer a practical advantage, especially in gyms and athletic performance centres, where equipment is used frequently and loads need to be changed several times during a training session.

5 Hex Bar Exercises to Build Strength and Power

Thinking of the Hex Bar exclusively as a tool for deadlifts means significantly limiting its potential.

Depending on the design of the model, it can be used to train strength, stability, grip strength and lower-body power.

Hex Bar Deadlift: The Deadlift

This is the best-known exercise and an excellent starting point for becoming familiar with the equipment.

How to perform it:

1. Stand in the centre of the bar, with your feet approximately hip-width apart.
2. Bend your hips and knees until you can reach the handles.
3. Keep your spine stable and maintain control throughout the movement.
4. Push your feet into the floor, extending your hips and knees.
5. Return to the starting position without losing control of the movement.

The deadlift is a compound exercise that significantly engages the posterior kinetic chain, particularly the glutes, hamstrings and spinal erector muscles, with contributions from the quadriceps and core stabilisers.

Compared with a traditional barbell deadlift, the Hex Bar’s distinctive load distribution often allows you to maintain a more upright torso and increase quadriceps involvement during the lifting phase.

These characteristics make the Hex Bar an interesting alternative for developing lower-body strength, providing a different muscular stimulus while maintaining substantial engagement of the posterior chain.

Hex Bar Squat: A Different Approach to the Squat

By adjusting your starting position and increasing knee flexion, you can perform a movement that places greater emphasis on the squat pattern.

The load remains at the sides of the body rather than resting on the shoulders, as it does in the Back Squat.

This allows you to train the lower body in a different way, with significant quadriceps involvement.

The depth of the movement depends on individual mobility, technique and the geometry of the bar.

Hex Bar Lunges: Strength and Single-Leg Control

Lunges are essential in athletic performance training because they help develop lower-body strength and stability, including under asymmetrical loading conditions.

With a suitable Hex Bar, particularly an open-frame model, you can perform reverse lunges and other variations without placing the load on your shoulders.

This allows you to explore different movement patterns while progressively introducing balance and coordination challenges.

It is important to choose a model that provides sufficient freedom of movement and to ensure that the bar does not interfere with your legs.

Farmer’s Walk: Training Grip, Core Strength and Endurance

The Farmer’s Walk involves lifting a load and carrying it over a specified distance.

With a suitable Hex Bar, the athlete can keep the load at the sides of the body while focusing on posture, core stabilisation and grip strength.

It is a simple exercise in concept, but it becomes extremely demanding as the load and duration increase.

Before starting, it is essential to ensure that the route is clear of obstacles and that there is enough space to move safely.

Hex Bar Jump Squat: Developing Explosive Power

The Jump Squat introduces a dynamic component: the athlete performs a squat followed by a vertical jump.

Using a suitable Hex Bar, this movement can be incorporated into advanced athletic performance training programmes, using light loads and paying particular attention to the quality of execution.

In this case, securing the weight plates correctly is essential. Safety collars, such as the Sidea 9016/1 models on compatible bars, prevent the plates from shifting during dynamic movements.

This is an exercise that requires careful programming and should preferably be performed under the supervision of a qualified strength and conditioning coach.

Not All Hex Bars Are the Same: Discover the 5 Sidea Models

The geometry of the bar has a significant impact on training possibilities.

Dimensions, handle positioning, plate arrangement, and an open or closed frame can make one model more suitable than another for specific training needs.

That is why Sidea has developed a range of five Hex Bars, each with its own distinctive features.

9012 Olympic Hex Bar: The Classic Choice

The 9012 Olympic Hex Bar represents the traditional design of the hexagonal barbell.

Its closed frame allows you to stand in the centre of the equipment and perform lifting exercises using a neutral grip.

The 400 mm-long loading sleeves also accommodate weight plates with particularly wide hubs.

With an unloaded weight of 31 kg, it is a suitable choice for gyms, well-equipped home gyms and strength training programmes primarily focused on deadlifts.

Discover the 9012 Olympic Hex Bar

9012/1 Super Hex Bar: Greater Convenience When Loading Plates

When equipment is used frequently, making loading and unloading easier becomes an important consideration.

The 9012/1 Super Hex Bar features raised loading sleeves designed to make inserting and removing weight plates easier.

Another distinctive feature is its rotating handles, available in three different diameters: 25, 38 and 50 mm.

This design allows you to vary the demands placed on your grip and adapt the exercise to different training goals.

It is particularly well suited to professional training environments, where the same piece of equipment is used by people with different needs.

Discover the 9012/1 Super Hex Bar

9012/2 Compact Olympic Hex Bar: Less Space, Same Design Philosophy

The 9012/2 Compact Olympic Hex Bar retains the design of the classic model while reducing its overall dimensions.

With a length of 1,590 mm and 330 mm-long loading sleeves, it is an interesting option when space is limited.

It is ideal for those looking for a traditional hexagonal barbell with a more compact footprint.

Discover the 9012/2 Compact Olympic Hex Bar

9012/3 Low Hex Bar: Putting Movement at the Centre of Training

With the 9012/3 Low Hex Bar, Sidea has reimagined the very concept of the hexagonal barbell.

The most noticeable difference lies in the arrangement of the weight plates: rather than being positioned vertically, they are arranged horizontally, allowing the handles to sit approximately 13 cm above the floor, compared with around 33 cm for a traditional Hex Bar.

This configuration expands the range of movement, allowing for deeper squats, lunges and single-leg exercises.

However, the Low Hex Bar’s defining feature is not simply the greater depth it allows.

The design originated from the study of functional movement and athletic performance training, with the aim of bringing together three fundamental abilities: strength, mobility and stability.

Its open frame and anatomical rubber-coated handles allow exercises to be performed across different planes of movement, introducing additional demands on motor control and coordination.

One example is the Rotational Back Lunge, which combines lower-body training with the control of rotational forces.

The Low Hex Bar can also be used as a support for specific bodyweight exercises, including Push-Up variations, always ensuring that the equipment remains stable.

With the Hamstring Bar 9012/3B attachment, its versatility can be expanded even further, offering new possibilities for training the muscles of the lower limbs.

It is therefore a particularly interesting tool for strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers and functional training professionals.

Discover the 9012/3 Low Hex Bar

Which Hex Bar Should You Choose?

There is no single best Hex Bar: the right choice depends on the exercises you want to perform, the space available and your training goals.

When choosing a model, it is also important to consider the unloaded weight of the equipment, as this already represents the starting load for the exercise.

For complete beginners, a bar weighing more than 20 kg may require preliminary progression using lighter equipment.

When Is a Traditional Barbell the Better Choice?

Despite its many advantages, the Hex Bar does not completely replace the Olympic barbell.

Powerlifters, for example, must train the deadlift with a straight barbell, as this is the bar used in competition.

Similarly, exercises such as the Bench Press, Military Press and Olympic lifts require specific equipment and movement patterns.

The Hex Bar should therefore be considered a complementary training tool that expands your training options, rather than a universal replacement for the traditional barbell.

Conclusion: Change Your Equipment to Discover New Movement Possibilities

The Hex Bar demonstrates how changes in equipment geometry can significantly transform the training experience.

From deadlifts to lunges, from Farmer’s Walks to explosive exercises, it offers numerous opportunities to develop strength, stability and motor control.

Choosing the right model allows you to make the most of these features in line with your individual goals.

With the new 9012/4 Open Hex Bar, Sidea further expands the possibilities offered by hexagonal barbells, introducing a solution that combines an open-frame design, multiple handle heights and practical loading features.

Want to discover which Hex Bar best suits your training needs?

Explore the 9012/4 Open Hex Bar and discover all its features.

SIDEA — Move Smarter, Get Stronger, Live Better.