Trap Bar Jump
A loaded jump — peak power output with no barbell skill to learn first
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Stand in a trap bar loaded light, feet hip width. The app prescribes it light and fast, so the bar should leave the floor with you. Hinge down and grip the centre of the handles, chest up, back flat.
The rep
Dip into a quarter squat with a flat back, then jump as high as you can, driving the floor away and extending the hips, knees and ankles fully. The bar travels with you. Land softly on the balls of the feet, letting the knees and hips bend to absorb it, and stand up before you reset for the next rep.
On the exercise card
- Move the bar fast, not heavy
- Full extension
- Land soft
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Too heavy to jump | If the feet barely leave the floor, it has become a deadlift. Take weight off until the jump is fast. |
| Rounding the back in the dip | Chest up, back flat. The dip is a quarter squat, not a bow. |
| Landing stiff | Absorb the landing with the hips and knees, and let the bar settle with you rather than crash down. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- A squat jump with no bar, or a lighter load.
- Harder
- Slightly more load, only while the jump height holds, or a pause at the bottom before each jump.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
It is in more of the sport programs than any other power exercise, eleven of them, because it gives loaded jumping power with no barbell skill to learn first. The load is light and the sets are three reps so every one stays fast. AFL also uses it in the game-day primer, as a few quick reps to wake the legs up.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFL | Lower Power | 4 × 3 | Light / fast |
| AFL | Game-Day Primer | 3 × 3 | Light/fast |
| Rugby League | Power & Collision | 4 × 3 | Light / fast |
| Soccer | Lower Strength + Plyo | 5 × 3 | Light/fast |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Region
- Lower body
- Classified as
- Power
- Prescribed in
- AFL · rugby league · soccer · basketball · netball · hockey · boxing · MMA · dance · gymnastics · bodyweight training
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| DB Jump Squat | Dumbbells at the sides, jump for height — light and fast |
| Barbell Jump Squat | Light bar on the back, maximum intent — the classic loaded jump |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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