A standard barbell weighs 45 pounds and it has accompanying weight plates that range from 2 1/2 to 45 pounds. This gives you plenty of resistance to choose from while working out. Trying to find the right exercises to do can be a bit confusing. By knowing which muscle groups get worked with specific exercises, you can zero in on a workout plan that suits your goals.
Pectorals
The pectoralis major and minor reside in the chest area. You activate these muscles when you move your upper arms inward and shoulders forward. A barbell bench press involves these motions and is commonly used to work the pecs.
Deltoids
The deltoids have three parts -- the anterior, medial and posterior segment. The anterior part sits on the front of the shoulders. The medial, or lateral, portion is on the side of the shoulder. The posterior segment is on the back of the shoulder. These muscles get targeted with military presses, upright rows, front raises and rear delt rows.
Trapezius
The trapezius is a large muscle that runs from the mid back up to the back of the skull and out over the collar bones. This muscle gets its name from its trapezoidal shape. A common exercise used to work the upper fibers of the traps is a shrug. Military presses target the middle and lower fibers.
Triceps
The triceps sit on the back of the upper arms and they consist of a long, medial and lateral head. You work these muscles with bench presses, but you can increase the emphasis on them with exercises like close grip bench presses and lying triceps extensions.
Biceps
The biceps sit on the front of the upper arms opposite of the triceps. You work these muscles when you perform elbow flexion. This occurs when you decrease the angle between your forearm and humerus. A barbell biceps curl from a standing position targets the biceps. By doing a reverse curl with your palms facing down, you will shift a high amount of emphasis to the brachioradialis. This muscle runs from under the biceps down across the top of the forearms.
Gutes, Quadriceps and Hamstrings
The glutes compose the butt and they contain three parts -- the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. The quadriceps run down the front of the thighs and the hamstrings sit on the back of the thighs. You work all of these muscles when doing a barbell deadlift. This is performed by bending down, grabbing the bar and lifting it off the ground as you stand up.
Back Muscles
The erector spinae is a strip of muscle that runs down the length of the vertebral column in the back. You activate this muscle during a deadlift and you also have to keep it contracted during a bent-over row. The bent-over row also targets the latissimus dorsi and rhomboids. The lats run from the mid to lower back up to the top at an angle. The rhomboids sit between the shoulder blades.
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