Barbells offer the best exercises for developing strength and adding muscle mass. Barbells consist of a long bar, typically weighing 45 lbs., with weight plates at each end. You can add and remove plates of various weights to change the amount of resistance. The individual plates range from 2 1/2 to 45 lbs., although sometimes you will find 100 lb. plates as well. While exercises with dumbbells and weight machines are worth including in your program, barbell exercises can be the core of any workout.
Chest Workout
The bench press is the primary upper-body exercise for most weight trainers. Lying on the bench, grasp the barbell with your hands a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Bring the bar down until it is just a few inches above your chest, then lift it back into the air until your arms are extended. Most gyms also have benches that slope upward or downward, allowing you to do incline and decline bench presses. Combining these with the standard bench press helps you hit your pectoral muscles from all angles. Have a spotter nearby during barbell presses to make sure you do not suffer an injury if the weight becomes too heavy to lift.
Shoulder Workout
The military press is the shoulder version of the bench press, a basic but challenging exercise that builds strength and muscle mass. Sit upright under the barbell rack and grasp the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bring the bar down to chin level, then push it back up until your arms are extended. You can also perform the exercise standing, which will make it more challenging because you will not have a seat to lean back on for support. Be sure not to twist or arch your back during a standing press.
While the press is for your deltoids, you can target the other major muscle group in the shoulder, the trapezius, with the upright row. Standing straight with an overhand grip and your hands shoulder-width apart, raise the barbell from thigh level to neck level. Elevate your shoulders in a shrugging motion while performing the exercise.
Back Workout
The bent-over row helps develop thickness and power in your upper back. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hunch forward at the waist and hold the ball at thigh level with your arms extended. Pull the bar toward your torso as if rowing until it grazes your abdomen, making sure to keep your back rigid and knees bent throughout the lift.
A taxing workout for your lower back is the deadlift, which also involves various leg muscles and is among the best exercises for building total-body strength. The movement involves squatting down to pick the barbell off the floor, then standing up straight until the bar is at thigh level with your arms extended. Return the bar to the floor and repeat. The grip for this exercise should be alternating, meaning overhand on one side and underhand on the other. Your spine should be flat and remain rigid throughout the motion.
Arm Workout
You can use barbells to build up both major muscle groups in your arms, the biceps and triceps. The biceps exercise is the standing curl, in which you hold the barbell at thigh level and curl it upward toward your chest. The key is to keep your elbows stationary at your sides and your back straight, using neither to cheat during the exercise. The triceps press strengthens and tones the underside of your arms. Lying on a bench, grasp a barbell, and lower it back and behind your head with your elbows to either side of your face around the temples. Keeping them stationary, press the bar up and forward until it is directly above your face with your arms extended.
Leg Workout
Many experienced weight trainers consider the leg squat the most difficult exercise of all. Place the barbell across the tops of the your shoulders behind your neck. Squat down until your upper thighs are just about parallel with the floor, lowering your butt toward the ground as if to sit on an imaginary chair. When rising back to a standing position, lead forward with your chest and keep your shoulders back. Be sure to keep your core stabilized throughout the motion to minimize the risk of injury. In another version of the squat, place the barbell across your shoulders in front of your neck. This variation requires above-average shoulder strength and places strain on the wrists while holding the bar, but it allows greater range of motion on the way down.
Member Comments