The body bar is a versatile piece of equipment used for strength training. It is a long, weighted straight bar, approximately two inches in diameter. With its slightly padded, rubbery surface, it is easy to grip and comfortable to use, and often preferred to the cold, hard metal bars used more commonly for strength training. In most gyms you will find the body bar in weights of 9, 12, 15, and 18 pounds. Using this bar, you will be able to work all muscle groups effectively for a total-body workout.
Upper Body Exercises
Using the body bar, you want to strength-train for the major muscle groups of the upper body: chest, back, biceps and triceps. Perform the following exercises for 15 repetitions each, then repeat each exercise a second time.
Chest Press: Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground, grip the body bar in a grip width that is slightly wider than your shoulders. Hold the bar two inches over your chest, then press straight up until your arms are straight, still keeping the bar aligned with your chest.
Back Row: In a standing position with feet wide, grip the bar with a wide, overhand grip. Bend your knees and hips into a squat position, with the bar held out just in front of your knees. This is your starting position. To execute the exercise, pull - or row - the bar up to your chest and then release back to the start position. Keep abdominals engaged to support your lower back.
Bicep Curl: Standing upright, grip the bar with an underhand grip with your hands just slightly wider than your shoulders. Bend your elbows and bring the bar up to the front of your shoulders, then release back down as you straighten your arms.
Tricep Overhead Extension: Grip the bar in a narrow, overhand position and lift it straight up over your head. Bending both elbows, slowly lower the bar behind your head, then straighten your arms to come back to the starting position.
Lower Body Exercises
The body bar is very versatile for lower-body training. Since it is nicely padded, it can be comfortably held on your upper back and shoulder area for dynamic movement or can be used as a tool to help you balance. Try some of these lower-body exercises:
Moving Squat: Start in a standing position with the body bar held on your upper back and shoulders (be careful to avoid the neck). With your right foot, take a big step out to your right and as you are stepping out move your hips back and go into a squat. Push back to your beginning standing position, then step out to the left and go into a squat. Continue to alternate sides, making sure your hips move back with each squat as if you were about to sit down on a chair.
Heel Raises: With one end of the body bar on the floor, hold the body bar with both hands near the top end of the bar. With feet four to six inches apart, lift your heels and focus on coming up as high on your toes as you can. Pause at the top of the heel lift, and then lower back down. In this exercise, the body bar helps you maintain balance. When you no longer need help with balance, put the body bar on your upper back and perform your heel raises; now the body bar will add resistance to the exercise.
Additional Tips
Since the body bar comes in many weights, you may find as you are performing different exercises that your bar is just the right amount of resistance for one exercise but too light for another. Here are a few tips for keeping your exercises challenging and effective for building strength:
Change your body position. If you are lying flat on your back for a chest press for example, but the bar seems very light and easy to you, you can make the exercise more challenging by changing your body position. Sit upright, then lean back from your hips, keeping your back straight. This is called a 'v-sit' and will use your core muscles to keep you in position. Now as you perform your chest press you will feel more challenge because this body position uses the upper chest muscles and shoulder muscles, plus the core will be working harder as well.
Try one arm versus two. In an exercise that uses both arms to move the bar, such as the bicep curl, try using one arm at a time so that each arm gets more challenge from the body bar.
Perform more repetitions: If your muscles are not fatigued after the recommended amount of repetitions, perform 10 additional repetitions. Another way to achieve this is to add an additional set of each exercise for more muscular challenge.
References
- "Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Human Movement"; Lawrence A. Golding, Ph.D. and Scott M. Golding, MS; 2003
- "The Personal Trainer's Handbook"; Teri S. O'Brien; 1997
Member Comments