I heard some Army Cadets chatting in the airport last month about the new Army Combat Fitness Test and as a Vet (15 years out) I was stoked to find out that the Army is going to test DL strength as part of its forthcoming fitness requirements.
And I was also pleased to find that the Army specifically prohibits using the “D-handle” that reduces the range of motion.
Although I DL > 2x my body weight, I’ve never trained the Trap Bar DL, and since I don’t strength train for completion but for self fulfillment, I thought I might add this variant to my routine.
So I thought I’d initiate a discussion on this. Things I’m curious about: 1. What do hex bars typically weigh? The Navy MWR gym at my work has 3 that have the “D-handle” but can be flipped so that it faces down. They are also much shorter than a straight olly bar.
2. If I stick with the standard DL as the movement I’m primarily training, would hex bar DL be considered an overload variant like a rack pull?
3. I’ll probably just warm up and pull, but if there are any form pointers I should know about please share! A quick google search shows most resources on this using the shorter RoM so I’m not sure if I will get anything out of youtube videos I couldn’t figure out on my own within a session or 2.