Trap Bar Jump
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Load the trap bar at 20-30% of your trap-bar deadlift 1RM. NOT heavier — it kills bar speed. Stand inside the bar, feet hip-width. Grip handles with arms straight. Set hips back into a 1/4 squat, chest tall, eyes forward. Drive feet through the floor explosively — bar should leave the ground 4-8 inches. Land softly with bent knees. Reset to start position before next rep. Bar speed is everything: if it feels slow, drop the load.
Why It Works
Trap bar jump is the single most effective off-ice exercise for skating power — a staple in NHL strength programs. The trap bar's neutral grip + center-of-mass loading lets you express max velocity safely with significant load. Loaded jumps in the 20-30% 1RM range produce the highest power output across the entire force-velocity curve.
Hockey Transfer
GOLD STANDARD for skating power — loaded triple extension mimics the exact mechanics of a skating stride. The #1 hockey lift. Pair with heavy trap-bar deadlifts for a complex. Heavy strength → max-velocity expression.
Coaching Cues
- "Light load (20-30% of trap bar deadlift 1RM). Quarter squat"
- "Explode UP and leave the floor 4-6 inches. Land soft."
Common Mistakes
Going too heavy — kills the speed adaptation. If reps are slow, drop the weight. Rounding the lower back at setup — same form rules as a deadlift. Trying to land softly on toes only — distribute through the whole foot. Doing more than 5 reps per set — power decays after rep 3-5.
Progression / Regression
Cluster sets: 5 sets × 3 reps with 15s between reps — combines power output with extra volume.
Kettlebell swing first — same hip-hinge explosion pattern, lower technical demand.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Alactic/ATP-PC
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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