Ten Barbell Exercises You Can't Do Without
Barbells are the iconic weight training equipment. From old comics and cartoons to Popeye and beyond, the barbell, in all it's shapes and changes, is what heavy lifting is all about -- even though round plates are more the norm these days.
Even if you train with little else, a program of barbell training using the ten exercises you see below will build fitness, strength, power and muscle bulk. Do two to five sets of six to twelve repetitions of varying weights to suit your current condition and goals and you can't go wrong.
The deadlift is performed with a bar and adjustable plates or with a fixed barbell. Several advanced variations are possible with alternative leg and grip positions, including Sumo, wide grip and Romanian style..
For the deadlift, as for all 'lifting from the floor' exercises, it is important to keep the back straight and not bent over. Bending at the hips and not the spine is good form and practice. As for all exercises, get the form correct and don't lift too heavy to begin with.
Muscles worked include quadriceps (front thighs), hamstrings (back of thigh), gluteals (butt), lower back, and core including the abdominals. The deadlift is an excellent all-round strength and muscle exercise.
The 'back squat' is the common squat with barbell on the shoulders (trapezius) -- to distinguish from the 'front squat' with barbell held at the chest.
The squat takes many forms including with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells and anything else you can rest on your shoulders. You can use a Smith machine, or even no equipment at all using your own body weight. A qualified coach or trainer is recommended to guide you through appropriate execution, particularly for more serious squatting with heavy weights. Again, maintaining a straight back is very important.
The squat develops the muscles of the buttocks (the gluteals) and the legs, particularly the front thigh muscles (quadriceps).
The Good Morning exercise gives your hamstrings a great stretch and workout.
Add the barbell hack squat to your program for variety and results.
The barbell hack squat is a squat with the bar held behind the legs. It could also be called a rear Romanian deadlift because it is more like that exercise than a true squat (see diagram).
The hack squat exercise was somewhat popular in earlier years before hack squat machines proliferated in gyms.
Hold a barbell at the hang position in front of you, dip to about thighs parallel while raising the bar to the chest, stand upright, then thrust the bar overhead. If you do it all in one motion it's often called a 'thruster.'
This is a great all-round muscle, strength and power exercise, utilizing muscles of the upper and lower body and beyond. Do this one regularly, start light and build up.
The bent-over row is a traditional bodybuilding exercise for the back and shoulders, but it also hits the abs if you do it right.
Keeping back straight but bending from the hips, you lift a hanging barbell into the upper abdominal region and repeat.
By supporting the back of the arms on a 'preacher bench' you get great work on the biceps as you curl the barbell. You can use the preacher bench that most gyms have, or you can use dumbbells and support an arm on your inner thigh as you curl. This is called a concentration curl but the effect is similar.
The Push Press is a variation of the cluster of training exercises for Olympic lifts and variations. It's great for practicing getting the bar overhead. With bar at the chest, dip at the knees slightly and as you straighten, push the bar overhead.
You can do this standing or on a bench. Extend the barbell over the head while bending at the elbows, and return. This hits the triceps at the back of the arms. On a bench it's often called a skullcrusher.
Finally, the traditional bench press where you push the barbell up from the chest while reclining on a bench, is one of the big three exercises along with the squat and deadlift. Fit it into your program somewhere, either traditional bench or Smith machine.
Even if you train with little else, a program of barbell training using the ten exercises you see below will build fitness, strength, power and muscle bulk. Do two to five sets of six to twelve repetitions of varying weights to suit your current condition and goals and you can't go wrong.
Deadlift
The deadlift is performed with a bar and adjustable plates or with a fixed barbell. Several advanced variations are possible with alternative leg and grip positions, including Sumo, wide grip and Romanian style..
For the deadlift, as for all 'lifting from the floor' exercises, it is important to keep the back straight and not bent over. Bending at the hips and not the spine is good form and practice. As for all exercises, get the form correct and don't lift too heavy to begin with.
Muscles worked include quadriceps (front thighs), hamstrings (back of thigh), gluteals (butt), lower back, and core including the abdominals. The deadlift is an excellent all-round strength and muscle exercise.
Back Squat
The 'back squat' is the common squat with barbell on the shoulders (trapezius) -- to distinguish from the 'front squat' with barbell held at the chest.
The squat takes many forms including with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells and anything else you can rest on your shoulders. You can use a Smith machine, or even no equipment at all using your own body weight. A qualified coach or trainer is recommended to guide you through appropriate execution, particularly for more serious squatting with heavy weights. Again, maintaining a straight back is very important.
The squat develops the muscles of the buttocks (the gluteals) and the legs, particularly the front thigh muscles (quadriceps).
Good Morning
The Good Morning exercise gives your hamstrings a great stretch and workout.
- The barbell should rest on the trapezius muscles of the upper back in the shoulder area. Start with a light weight until you get form right.
- Feet should be placed shoulder width apart. Brace the abdominals and remember to breathe normally -- out with exertion and in on recovery.
- Keep the back straight and the legs as straight as possible as you bend forward at the hips. (Depending on your anatomy and flexibility, you may not get over much until you are pulled up.)
- Bend at the hips until the hamstring muscles at the rear of the thigh start to limit your movement. Bend a little further to give them a stretch, but not so that you feel pain or discomfort.
Hack Squat
Add the barbell hack squat to your program for variety and results.
The barbell hack squat is a squat with the bar held behind the legs. It could also be called a rear Romanian deadlift because it is more like that exercise than a true squat (see diagram).
The hack squat exercise was somewhat popular in earlier years before hack squat machines proliferated in gyms.
Hang Power Clean and Press
Hold a barbell at the hang position in front of you, dip to about thighs parallel while raising the bar to the chest, stand upright, then thrust the bar overhead. If you do it all in one motion it's often called a 'thruster.'
This is a great all-round muscle, strength and power exercise, utilizing muscles of the upper and lower body and beyond. Do this one regularly, start light and build up.
Bent Over Row
The bent-over row is a traditional bodybuilding exercise for the back and shoulders, but it also hits the abs if you do it right.
Keeping back straight but bending from the hips, you lift a hanging barbell into the upper abdominal region and repeat.
Preacher Curl
By supporting the back of the arms on a 'preacher bench' you get great work on the biceps as you curl the barbell. You can use the preacher bench that most gyms have, or you can use dumbbells and support an arm on your inner thigh as you curl. This is called a concentration curl but the effect is similar.
Push Press
The Push Press is a variation of the cluster of training exercises for Olympic lifts and variations. It's great for practicing getting the bar overhead. With bar at the chest, dip at the knees slightly and as you straighten, push the bar overhead.
Barbell Tricep Extension
You can do this standing or on a bench. Extend the barbell over the head while bending at the elbows, and return. This hits the triceps at the back of the arms. On a bench it's often called a skullcrusher.
Bench Press
Finally, the traditional bench press where you push the barbell up from the chest while reclining on a bench, is one of the big three exercises along with the squat and deadlift. Fit it into your program somewhere, either traditional bench or Smith machine.
