Introduction

When it comes to building strength, increasing muscle mass, and improving overall fitness, few tools are as effective as barbells. Beyond the physical, barbell lifting benefits extend to the mental side. There is something primal and powerful about moving around steel with your bare hands. It teaches resilience and fortitude in all areas of your life.

Barbell training has stood the test of time because it's effective and efficient. The core lifts provide simplicity in an era of social media pseudo-science complexity. Since they are bilateral compound lifts, just a few sets of the main movements gives you a full-body workout. This is ideal for folks with busy schedules or athletes that need to prioritize their sport training.

In this article, we will delve into the world of this specific form of lifting. Topics include the barbell exercises, movement patterns, and the fundamentals of crafting an effective barbell lifting program. In no time, you will be telling people that you don't strength train, but that you're a barbell lifter.

Equipment

First, let's start with an overview of the most basic equipment used for weight lifting with barbells:

Barbell: For simplicity, we will focus on the most basic versions. These are usually multi-purpose bars weighing around 45 pounds and measuring 7 feet long with 28.5" diameters. The shaft is the part inside the bar that you hold. The sleeves are the outside part that hold the weights.
As you get more advanced or if you join a specialty gym, you will discover different bars for different purposes. These include Olympic barbells and power lift barbells that have slightly different dimensions.
Weight plates: These are added to the sleeves of the barbell to make the lifts more challenging. They typically will be either steel or rubber or some combination of the two.
Rack: These come in different forms, but basically, they are just a system for loading, unpacking, and racking the weights safely. Good ones are adjustable so that you can set different heights for the squat, bench press, or overhead press. For example, with the overhead press, you can position the cups so that the barbell rests just below shoulder height, putting you in the ideal position.

The Core Barbell Lifts

1. Deadlift: Unleash Your Inner Power

The barbell deadlift is the ultimate test of raw strength. This compound movement involves lifting a loaded barbell from the ground to a standing position.

The deadlift primarily targets your posterior chain: the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. It has the added benefit of strengthening your grip.

This movement is primarily a hip hinge. That means your hips dictate your starting position and how the bar travels. Many beginners simply replicate their squat setup, which makes for a very inefficient lift.

For simplicity, let's assume you're lifting conventional stance as opposed to sumo stance:

Start by standing up straight with your feet slightly inside of your shoulders. Your shins should be 1 inch from the bar.
Bend your hips and knees, lowering your body while keeping the bar in contact with your shins.
Keeping your hips in position and with your shins still in contact, take a tight grip. Imagine that you are trying to break apart. Use that sensation of rotating your hands and arms outward to ensure your upper back in tight.
Flex your triceps as hard as possible to keep your arms straight and locked.
Squeeze your chest out toward the wall in front of you. That should drive your lower back into a slightly extended position.
Take a deep breath into your belly, with now pull the bar toward you without picking it up.
Finally, press the floor away by driving your feet into the ground. As the bar comes off the ground, thrust your hips forward and bring the bar up into a straight standing position.
Push your butt out again and let the weight come down to the ground in a fast but controlled manner.

2. Barbell Bench Press: Sculpt a Strong Upper Body

The bench press is a popular exercise for the upper body, focusing on chest, shoulder muscles, and triceps.

It's also the most discussed movement for barbell weight lifting obsessives.

As a result, many people manipulate the bench press ranges of motion in order to lift heavy. This is a classic case of ego lifting in which the barbell rarely touches the chest.

Here's how to get the most out of the lift:

Sit at the bottom of a flat bench. Make sure the mid-line of your body is right over the middle post of the bench. Ensure that you line up your feet with one another.
Lie flat with your body parallel to the floor and move back until your eyes are directly under the bar.
Grip the bar in the lower, thicker portion of the palms. This will keep your hands and wrists stacked so that the bar doesn't roll onto the fingers.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down at the same time. Try to push your middle and upper back against the bench, or imagine someone pulling them down from below.
Arching the low back is a personal preference. Regardless of whether you do it, breathe through the nose so that the rib cage stays flat while the belly fills up with air.
Squeezing the bar as hard as you can, unrack it, and bring it about 2 inches forward so it's above your shoulder joint.
Bring the bar down to your chest at the nipple line. That will require your elbows to tuck in slightly.
Press the bar up, focusing on using the chest muscles. Avoid the urge to jam your shoulders forward. As you approach the top of the lift, engage your triceps even harder. Squeeze them hard to help finish the movement.
. Keeping the bar unracked, take another breath and repeat the movement.

3. Overhead Press: The King of Barbell Lifts for the Shoulders

The overhead press is the most effective of the barbell shoulder exercises, requiring strength and stability within the rotator cuff. Most lifters are best served by using a strict press, without the benefit of bending the knees or leaning back.

Stand with your feet at a comfortable width.
Line up the barbell directly with the clavicle.
Place the inner webbing of your thumb right at the edge of the knurling (the rough surface of the barbell). Twist your hands onto the bar to create a firm grip. It should rest just above the meaty portion of your palms.
Keep your elbows close to your body, with your forearms and wrists stacked, and your knuckles in line with your shoulder.
Press the bar up and slightly back, making sure it clears your face. This will align the bar with the middle of your shoulders.
Lower the bar under control and repeat, taking another belly breath before the next rep.

4. Squat: Build Lower Body Power

The squat is a uniquely challenging lift. It requires the most coordination, balance, and mental fortitude of all barbell movements. But mastering it unlocks incredible benefits.

The squat produces strong, powerful quads, hips, and glutes that translate into daily living and sports. You can also adjust your stance, width, and bar placement to target different muscles to different degrees.

See below for the proper barbell squat technique. For simplicity, we’ll focus on the low-bar squat. You can read this article to learn about the high-bar squat, which is its main variation.

Set the bar about 2 inches below the top of your shoulder on the j-cups.
Line up facing the bar
Step directly underneath the bar. That means placing your feet, hips, and shoulders in a straight line.
Before putting the bar on your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together as much as possible. That will create a shelf for the bar.
Place the bar across the shoulder blades, right along the ridge formed by the top of the bone.
Keep squeezing your shoulder blades and bring your hands close together, placing them on top of the bar.
Line up your feet so that they are slightly wider than your shoulders. Stand straight up, and then take one controlled step back on each side.
Before beginning the descent, ensure that you line up your feet with your toes pointing out about 10 degrees. Also, ensure that you lock your knees and stand up completely straight.
Take a big breath into the belly, and unlock the hips and knees simultaneously to begin the descent
As you descend, work hard to keep your torso upright. This will keep the bar lined up over the middle of your feet, which is your center of balance.
Squat to just below parallel, and then press through the floor with your feet and quads.
Stand up straight, take another belly breath, and repeat.

Crafting an Effective Barbell Training Program

Now, let's learn the basics of creating an effective barbell training program:

1. Set Clear Goals

Before you start, define your fitness goals. Training should be very specific to your movement types, repetition ranges, and weights. As such, identify if you primarily want to build muscle, increase strength, lose weight, or improve overall fitness.

I’ve written an article on goal setting that you can read using this link.

2. tailor your Warm-Up

Prior to lifting, warm up approximately 5-10 minutes of mobility and dynamic stretches. Decide how long to warm up based on how you feel and if you need to focus on certain areas.

3. Progressively Overload

Progressive overload is the cornerstone of strength and muscle gains. If you fail to push yourself, your body will not receive the right signals to adapt. Pushing too hard or too fast can lead to fatigue, inconsistent performance, and aches and pains.

You can progressively overload in several ways. Ideally, you will change one of these factors at the same time:

Adding weight to the bar
Adding repetitions or sets
Adding time (like a slow tempo)

4. practice your form Technique

Proper form is important, but it's important that you're not a perfectionist. There are three main benefits of maintaining good technique.

You can more directly work the targeted muscles and joints
You will move your body more efficiently, which means less fatigue and quicker recovery
You may minimize the risk of some injuries.

5. Rest and Recovery

Allowing your body to recover is just as important as the workouts themselves. Aim for 48 to 72 hours of rest between training the same muscle groups. Get adequate sleep, maintain a whole-food diet, and find time for relaxing activities that you enjoy.

6. Balance and Variety

A mix of exercises will keep your interest and aid muscle growth once you're beyond the beginner stage. Here are a few examples:

Non-barbell shoulder lifts to hit all sides of the deltoids. Dumbbells, bands, and machines work well for rear delt raises and the oft-neglected posterior deltoids
Barbell shrugs for the traps for shoulder and back symmetry
Horizontal and vertical rowing, such as Pendlay rows and pull-ups to broaden your back
Single-leg leg work, such as single-leg Romanian deadlifts and split squats.

Conclusion

Barbell training offers a potent way to build strength, increase muscle mass, and improve overall fitness. The core lifts - deadlift, bench press, overhead press, and squat - form the foundation of a successful barbell training routine.

Like all areas of fitness, the key is to develop a program that works for you. Clarify your goals, find the shortest possible warmup routine, and embrace progressive overload. By fitting lifting into your life in the way that's best for you, you will develop a consistent habit.

If you live in the Chicagoland area or you're interested in online coaching, send me a note. I'd love to discuss how I might help you achieve your goals.

The Beginner’s Guide to the Barbell Lifts