7 barbell exercises you must do to boost strength

Adding weights in the form of a barbell to your exercise regimen and endurance program can help you progress toward strengthening your muscles. You should add weights since exercises such as body weight squats, regardless of variations, can not help you add bulk or mass to your body. However, you can gradually raise the load of your muscles and their size by performing certain barbell exercises.

Additionally, you should try a barbell workout if your goal is to lose weight as well. This workout can provide both some caloric burn and muscle exhaustion for muscle growth. So, barbell exercises are the ideal workout if you’re aiming to gain muscle mass and shed weight.

Health Shots spoke to Abhishek Sinha, fitness instructor at Equilibrium Pro Gym Faridabad, to suggest some of the best barbell exercises that can help build strength, lose weight, and increase muscle mass.

Here are 7 such barbell exercises:

1. Barbell flat bench press

This exercise will improve your upper body strength and build major and minor pectoralis muscles.

Here’s how to perform it:

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• This exercise is performed on a flat bench. The barbell with weights is placed on a bench.
• Just get inside between the barbell and shoulder width apart.
• Keep your eyes on a barbell just parallel and both legs just apart.
• As your hands are on a barbell, just lift the barbell and bring it to your chest nipples.
• Do this exercise 12 to 15 times.

2. Barbell bendover rowing

This exercise will improve your body posture and will also improve the strength of your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.

Here’s how to perform it:

• Keep the barbell ready with some number of plates inside the barbell and lock them with locks.
• Now stand straight and bend forward with the whole back should be straight from the waistline and the chest should be up and back arch.
• Put your hands apart just outside of your shoulder line, and your hand grip should be supine.
• Now lift the barbell and bring it parallel to your sides.
• Your elbow should go behind your backside and the barbell should touch your abdominals before you put it down.
• Do this exercise 12 to 15 times.

3. Barbell conventional deadlift

From reducing lower back pain to activate core and improve performance and balance, this exercise is perfect to boost strength.

Here’s how to perform it:

• For this exercise also, keep the barbell ready with a certain number of plates inside the barbell and lock them with locks.
• Now put your feet apart by 8 to 10 inches so that your foot will be inside the barbell where your shoe laces end.
• Now bend your upper body forward and bend your knees a little bit.
• Put your hand just away from your shoulder line and take one hand in a supine and the other hand in a prone grip to hold the barbell firmly and then lift the weight from the floor with your chest up and back arch position so that you can lift the weight from your back waistline and go up straight with the barbell and towards the floor.
• Do this exercise 10 to 12 times until your whole back muscles, forearm, legs, hips, shoulders, and core muscles are engaged and trained.

4. Barbell squats

Your leg muscles, such as quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, calfs, and core will be trained with this exercise.

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Here’s how to perform it:

• This exercise is performed on a squat rack with a barbell and plates. Keep the barbell ready with some number of plates inside the barbell and lock them with locks.
• Now stand straight with your feet apart 10-12 inches, heel side, and toes outside, 14-16 inches apart and go inside over the barbell.
• Just put the barbell on your back of the neck and shoulder muscles and hold firmly with your hands and come one step back and just go down as you sit down with the barbell on your back and stand straight.
• Do this exercise 12-15 times.

5. Barbell overhead press

You will train your shoulder muscles with this exercise. Not only that, it will improve core strength and stabilisation.

Here’s how to perform it:

• This exercise is performed on a half rack with a barbell and plates. Just keep the barbell ready with some number of plates inside the barbell and lock them with locks.
• Now stand straight in front of a barbell put your hand apart from your shoulder line out side and put supine position of your hands on a barbell and lift the barbell to overhead position with straight hands.
• Bring back the barbell to your upper chest line clavicle do this movement with the barbell to overhead position 12- 15 times.

6. Barbell biceps curls

Your biceps muscles will be trained with this exercise, along with an increase in full body strength.

Here’s how to perform it:

• This exercise is performed on a barbell stand with a barbell and plates.
  Stand straight in front of a barbell. Put your hands apart from your shoulder line and put them in a supine position on a barbell.
• Move back one step, barbell is inside your palm locked by fingers.
• Now put your humerus aside and just lift the barbell from your forearms and bring it towards your chest in a concentric motion and take it back towards your lap.
• Repeat this 12-15 times.

7. Barbell Hip thrust

Barbell hip thrust is the best exercise for glute activation, and targeting muscles in your thighs. This exercise work your entire lower body.

Here’s how to perform it:

• Keep the barbell ready with some plates and lie down on the edge of a decline bench from your upper back side.
• Face will be up towards the roof of a room, your back will be till your upper back, and the rest of your body will be in the air with both legs apart atleast 18 to 20 inches in bridge position.
• Now put the barbell with some plates on your lap just on the joint of legs near waistline and go down wards and then go above the bench line continue with this hip thrust and concentrate on your hip muscles by this exercise.