ln commercial gyms, there are a whole lot of choices to train with. The members are given at their disposal a wide range of resistance machines through which they can isolate different muscles to a T. Name a muscle, and there could very well be a machine for it. However, Full Body Barbell Workouts offer a simpler yet highly effective alternative. These workouts emphasize compound movements that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, leading to greater strength gains and improved muscle density.

Some popular machines include:

Leg extension, Arm curl, Leg press, Chest press, Pec deck, Seated row, Lat pulldown, Leg curl, Triceps pushdown

While these machines are convenient, safe, and without risk, they are not always a good choice for building functional strength or size. Weights in real life do not travel along straight lines, as those guided by rods in machines do. And most movements generally engage multiple muscles and joints together, unlike the more isolated actions of many machines.

Also, most machine exercises do not tend to duplicate the actions performed in everyday movements. When did you last done a seated leg curl, unless getting off you recliner at home?
This does not mean machine exercises are not good. Free weights are often superior in many ways. Not all exercisers have access to all machines. This is especially true for those training at home and often have limited equipment on hand.

We celebrate the barbell in this article with two full-body barbell workouts—one that uses a bench and squat rack, and one that doesn’t.

Table of Contents:

• Why Barbell Training Rocks!
• Barbell Training Considerations and Drawbacks
• Full-Body Workout #1 – Barbell Only
• Workout #1 Exercise Instructions
• Full-Body Workout #2 – Barbell, Bench, and Squat Rack
• Overview
• References

Why Barbell Training Rocks!

Many exercisers dismiss barbells as low-tech or old-school. Although there is some truth to these criticisms, that doesn’t mean you can’t have an excellent workout with nothing but a barbell and a stack of weights. In truth, barbells can deliver amazing value for the price, which includes:

Pocket-Friendly:

While there are variations in the prices, barbells do not cost a fortune for the basic ones. In general, one can afford training with barbells quite economically, making this form of workout excellent for those on a budget.

Versatile:

There’s a barbell exercise to train any muscle or muscle group. As a matter of fact, you can build an entire body using a single barbell and weights. Most resistance machines, on the other hand, are one-trick ponies useful for only a single exercise.

Heavyweight exercises are ideal:

Barbells are considered very useful for strength and muscle density by way of heavy weights. Most of the exercises involving a barbell are compound movements. When you consider the fact that it involves working many muscle groups at a time, this will help to lift heavier weights and really push your strength to its limits.

Time-efficient — Full Body Barbell Workouts:

Not much time is wasted setting up a barbell, so moving from exercise to exercise is quite quick. This is even more so if things are kept simple and one trains only with a barbell, eliminating benches and racks.

Functional:

Many barbell exercises are based on movements and demands of physical activity outside the gym. Squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses build functional strength that will translate into real-world activities. That is actually not always the case with most machine exercises, like pec deck flies or leg extensions, which just don’t happen in that way outside of the gym.

Fun:

Lifting heavy barbells is difficult and fun. More plates on the bar compared to last week is a reward in itself and serves as a great incentive to keep you focused on your training program.

Overall, though a little old, the barbell will give you a full-body, effective workout concerning value for money, versatility, and functional strength training.

Barbell Training Considerations and Drawbacks

While generally very effective and practical, there are some drawbacks to barbell training:

Safety: It’s pretty dangerous. Missing a rep means you lie on the bottom with a heavy weight, probably crushing you to death or, worse, crippled for life. Avoid that by training with a spotter; end your set a couple reps before potential failure; or train in a power rack. Use your common sense along with your muscles.

Few isolation exercises: While most barbell exercises are compound movements working multiple joints and muscles, the disadvantage is that it sometimes fails to target a single muscle, such as your medial deltoids. This is good to get big and strong but not really conducive to fine-tuning your physique.

Heavy starting weight: Most Olympic bars weigh 45 pounds (20kg). This weight may be way too much for some lifters, in particular, when one is a beginner or performing an isolation exercise like front raises. Fortunately, fitness bars weigh about half of what an Olympic bar weighs and are suitable for beginners.

Not suited for drop sets: A drop set means you rep out to failure, then drop the load by 10-15% and rep out again. This really forces your muscles to do more than they’re used to. However, stripping weight plates off a barbell takes time and thus most barbell exercises become impractical to use for drop sets. Drop sets work really good on machines and dumbbells, where the weight changes can be made quickly.

While these are disadvantages of the process, ultimately, barbell training is one of the most efficient ways to gain size and strength—provided you exercise caution and make sure to tailor your routine according to your goals.

Full-Body Workout #1 – Barbell Only

If you train at home, you may not have room for a bench or squat rack; however, you should have no problem finding space for a barbell and weight plates. The good news is that you can still have a great workout with only minimal equipment.

You’ll be using nothing but a barbell, plates, collars, and some room to move without breaking anything!

Do the following free weight workout 2-3 times per week on nonconsecutive days.

Sample Schedule:

Monday       Tuesday       Wednesday       Thursday       Friday       Saturday       Sunday 
Workout           Rest              Workout              Rest          Workout          Rest              Rest

Before any weight is lifted, the importance of warming up cannot be overstated. Begin by doing some light cardio for a few minutes; then progress into dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for the musculature and joints that you are going to use. This gets your body ready for a safer and more efficient workout.

Ready and warmed up? Time to get down to it!

Workout #1 Exercise Instructions

Regardless of the type of exercise, there are two ways to perform any barbell exercise: the right and wrong ways. The right way is safe, effective, while the wrong is dangerous and in most cases less productive, although it may allow one to lift heavier weights.

To make sure that you are doing the exercises in your barbell workout rightly, follow these instructions carefully.

1. Zercher squat

Muscles trained: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core.

The Zercher squat is an exercise that was developed by American power lifter and strongman Ed Zercher. It allowed for one to do front squats without a squat rack. While this exercise gives huge pressure to your arms—the weight being held at elbow height—which can limit the weight you are able to lift, it’s a great alternative to ensure that you’re training your legs when you only have access to a barbell.

Steps:

1. Hold the barbell within the crook of your elbows. At the front, bend the arms, clasp the hands together, and pull the upper arms into the sides. Then, pull the shoulders down and back and engage the core.
2. Step into a shoulder-width stance with your feet pointed slightly outward.
3. Bend your legs and drop into a squat, stopping when your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
4. Stand back up and repeat.

Tips: Use a rolled up towel, folded exercise mat, or squat bar pad if needing to protect your arms from the bar. Then, push the knees out on the way down to drive the greatest activation into the glutes. Do not round the lower back.

2. Romanian deadlift — Full Body Barbell Workouts

Muscles trained: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core.

If you do not have access to a leg curl machine, then you may be thinking, “How can I train my hamstrings with this silly ol’ barbell?” Well, the Romanian deadlift is your answer. The hamstrings cross both the knee and hip joints, so they affect both. This exercise focuses on extending the hips.

Steps:

1. Hold a barbell at shoulder width, either with an overhand or a mixed grip. Stand with your feet at hip width. Engage your core, retract your shoulders back and down, and bend your knees a little.
2. Hinge the hips, anteriorly lean forward, and lower the bar down the front of the legs until stretch is felt in the hamstrings.
3. Stand back up and repeat.

Tips: Keep the range of motion within your flexibility. Do not round your back. Keep your knees slightly bent, but locked throughout. Do not straighten your legs.

3. Floor press 

Muscles trained: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.

The bench press may be the most well-known barbell chest exercise, but if you don’t have a bench, you can hit the same muscles with floor presses. This exercise actually came before bench presses, as commercial training benches didn’t become commonplace until after the 1940s. Before then, this was how people did chest presses while lying on their backs.

Steps:

1. Dangle a barbell with a clean overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width. Now lie on your back with your arms extended and the weight above your chest. Press your upper back into the floor, holding yourself stable.
2. Lower your upper arms, bending at the elbows until they lightly touch the floor.
3. Extend your arms again and repeat.

Tips: You can do this exercise with either straight or bent legs, however you feel comfortable.
Lower slowly so that your elbows and upper arms don’t hit the floor too hard.
Adjust your grip, depending on what you’re targeting. Bring your hands closer to work on triceps or farther apart to work on targeting the pectorals more.

4. Meadows row

Muscles trained: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps, forearms.

This is a single-arm rowing exercise developed by professional bodybuilder and coach John “Mountain Dog” Meadows. Whereas most barbell movements are done with both arms together, the Meadows row is performed with one arm at a time. Thus, it has the advantage of being much easier on the lower back compared to most barbell rowing exercises.

Steps:

1. Firstly, lie down on the floor with one end of your barbell against a wall. Stand perpendicular to the other end, with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
2. Hinge forward at the hips, grasping the end of the barbell with an overhand grip. Pull your shoulder back to assist in bracing your core and rotate your hips far away from the bar to keep your lats slightly on stretch. Feel free to take support with your free hand.
3. Lower your arm with your elbow in front of you; then, curl the end of the bar up and in to your ribs.
4. Straighten your arm; repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Finally, repeat on the other side.

Tips: Put chalk on your hands to improve the grip. Additionally, if needed, let the weight come completely down to the floor between reps. Do as many reps on each side as you can to balance the development of your muscles.

5. Lunge — Full Body Barbell Workouts

Muscles trained: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, abductors, adductors, core.

Most barbell leg exercises are bilateral, done with both limbs. While they are very good for building size and strength of the muscles, they can mask left-to-right strength imbalances. While slight imbalances are normal, major differences might bring their share of dysfunctions, pains, and injuries. Lunges are an effective way to make sure both legs are equally trained.

Steps:

1. Firstly, hold a barbell across your upper back. Stand with your feet together, core braced, and shoulders down and back.
2. Take a big step forward, dropping your legs until your rear knee comes nearly to the floor.
3. Then, Press off your front leg and drive your feet back together.
4. On your next rep, do the movement with the opposite leg.
5. Continue with alternate legs throughout your set.

Tips: Take shorter steps to work more quadriceps or longer steps to feel greater glutes and hamstrings. A slight forward inclination of the body will feel the glutes and hamstrings much more. Then, rest the bar on your upper back, not your neck, to avoid discomfort and possible injury.

6. Cuban press

Muscles trained: Deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, triceps.

One more such kind of exercise with a barbell, which loads all three heads of the deltoids equally: anterior, medial, and posterior. It will also improve your shoulder mobility and stability since it acts to a great extent on the rotator cuff. In essence, this is an overall exercise for shoulders.

Steps:

1. Grab a barbell overhand, slightly wider than shoulder width. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, with shoulders down and back and core braced.
2. Row the bar up the front of your body, bending elbows, to your lower chest.
3. Rotate the bar forward and up to your forehead.
4. Press the bar overhead to arm’s length.
5. Reverse the motion, lower the weight back to a dead hang, and repeat.

Tips: Play around with grip width for comfort. Use the lightest weight possible to prevent momentum, which removes some of the work from the target muscles. At the top of a row, lead with your elbows to engage the upper trap and delts maximally.

7. Biceps curl

Muscles trained: Biceps brachii.

No full-body workout can be considered complete without some work performed on the biceps. Not only are they arguably the most symbolic muscles of strength training, but many individuals seek to possess arms that are both strong and well defined. The barbell curl happens to be one of the best exercises in creating head-turning biceps.

Steps:

1. Grab a barbell with an underhand, shoulder-width grip. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, your knees very slightly bent, your core braced, and your shoulders back and down.
2. Then, keeping your arms straight to begin, bend your elbows and curl the bar up toward your shoulders.
3. Extend your arms to return to the top position, then lower. Repeat.

Tips: Also, while moving, at all time, keep the upper arms close to the body. Don’t swing using your back or legs at all; you’re only working those biceps. If you have problems in holding the correct form, support your upper back against a pillar or wall to avoid cheating.

8. Skull crusher

Muscles trained: Triceps.

This exercise is normally performed on a bench, but it’s just as effective on the floor. The barbell skull crusher is an ultra-effective triceps builder, however, it’s highly necessary to lower the bar slowly to avoid any kind of injury.

Steps:

1. Lie on your back, holding a barbell at shoulder width with an overhand grip; lower your arms so that the barbell is above your chest. Press your upper back into the floor to lock yourself into position.
2. Bend your elbows, keeping your upper arms vertical, to lower the bar to your forehead.
3. Extend your arms again to return to the starting position, then lower the weight again. Keep pushing.

Tips: Do this exercise either with legs bent or straight—whichever is most comfortable. Do not go to complete failure on the exercise to avoid possible accidents. Rest the bar on the floor behind your head.

9. Barbell rollout — Full Body Barbell Workouts

Muscles trained: Rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis.

While exercises for abs worked without any extra weight go quite far, the majority of them are just too easy to have any notable impact on strength or muscle growth. Barbell rollouts are considerably more challenging and, therefore, will help you pack the rock-hard abs you’ve always wanted.

Steps:

1. Load your barbell; secure weight plates with collars. Place the barbell on the floor.
2. Kneel behind the barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip and brace your abs.
3. Push the bar away from you as you lower your upper body toward the floor.
4. Using your abs and lats, pull the bar back toward your knees.
5. Continue for the prescribed number of reps.

Tips: Do not hyperextend at your lower back. Then, if you feel strain in your lumbar spine, reduce your range of motion. Keep your abs contracted throughout the exercise. For an added challenge, stand up completely at the beginning of each rep.

10. Barbell crunch

Muscles trained: Rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis.

Bodyweight crunches are one of the better exercises to build abs, but if you can do 30 or more reps easily enough, they’re not such a great use of training time. Barbell crunches provide a way to overload the muscle better, so you do not need to waste much time doing so many reps to reach failure.

Steps:

1. Overhand grip on the barbell; lie on your back, arms extended above you with the barbell over the chest.
2. Bend the legs and place your feet on the floor firmly.
3. Raise your head, shoulders, and upper back off the floor—press the barbell up toward the ceiling.
4. Lower and repeat.

Tips: Be careful not to use a weight that’s too heavy and try to rush through the exercise; it’s a lot harder than it looks. Exhale as you lift your shoulders really to engage your abs. Anchor your feet if necessary—for example, by placing them under another barbell.

Full Body Workouts #2 – Barbell, Bench, and Squat Rack

While just a barbell can be very useful, an adjustable bench really opens up options, along with a squat or power rack. All these tools combined are really effective at making your workouts more interesting.

This is an integrated full-body training plan and is meant for those who have access to a barbell, bench, and rack. Just like the above program, you should work out using this 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days, for instance, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Do not forget to warm up quite well at the beginning.

Notice the step-by-step instructions for each exercise. Do them properly to maximize workout effectiveness and minimize injury risk.

1. Paused Squat

Muscles trained: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core.

Barbell squats are great; however, adding a pause in the bottom position escalates the challenge because of greater time under tension.

Steps: Place the barbell across your upper back while resting in a squat rack. Stand with your feet at shoulder-width, bracing your abs. Go down into a deep squat, with your thighs parallel to the floor. Pause 1-3 seconds. Stand back up.

Tips: Be very tight at the bottom of each rep—do not dangle there. A longer pause makes the exercise harder. Experiment with various width positions for your stance to find what feels best.

2. Rack Pull — Full Body Barbell Workouts

Muscles trained: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, biceps, forearms.

Rack pulls work through the same range of motion as deadlifts, but are easier on the lower back.

Steps: Set the barbell in a squat rack either just above or below knee height. Stand behind the bar and bend at your hips. Grab the bar with an overhand or mixed grip. Lift your chest, engage your core, then pull the bar up by driving your feet into the floor. Lower the bar back to the pins and repeat.

Tips: Keeping the barbell close to the body, using a weightlifting belt to prevent misalignments in the lower back, and not rounding the lower back.

3. Incline Bench Press

Muscles trained: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.

If you really are not developing as balanced from flat bench presses, then incline bench presses are a better option for the development of your chest and also for your shoulder health.

Steps: The bench is set at an angle of 30 degrees, sitting in the squat rack. Lie down and grasp the barbell with a bit wider than shoulder-width. Lower the bar down to your upper chest then push the bar back up.

Tips: Experiment with different angles that are comfortable and productive; this usually is in the range of 10-30 degrees. Consider using wrist wraps for additional joint support.

4. Pendlay Row

Muscles trained: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps, core.

Pendlay rows, named after coach Glen Pendlay, start and end with the barbell on the floor. The setup, therefore, places one in a position to ensure an absolute reset between reps, which is essential to make the exercise more effective.

Steps: Standing behind the barbell with your feet at shoulder-width, lean forward and grab the bar with an overhand grip. Then, Pull the bar to your abdomen and lower it back to the floor.

Tips: The lift should not occur from the legs or back. Keep a slight arch in your lower back. Use lifting straps if necessary.

5. Lateral Lunge — Full Body Barbell Workouts

Muscles trained: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, abductors, adductors.

The lateral lunges are an awesome variation for leg exercises and work your inner and outer thighs really well.

Steps: Rack the barbell on your upper back. Stand with feet together and core braced. Step to the right, bending your right knee and lowering your body until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Push off your right foot to return to starting position, then repeat to the left.

Tips: This move works hip strength and mobility. It’s great for finding strength imbalances.

6. Bradford Press

Muscles trained: Deltoids, triceps.

The Bradford Press, named after Jim Bradford, hits all three deltoid heads and keeps muscles under constant tension.

Exercises: Stand in the front rack position with a barbell, hands wider than shoulder-width. Press the bar up to head level, then lower behind your neck. From here, push the bar back up and over your head then lower to your front, repetition.

Tips: Keep the bar close to your head throughout. Then Go light and focus on muscle tension. If you have shoulder pain, avoid doing this exercise.

7. Pull-Up

Muscles trained: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps.

While not a barbell exercise, pull-ups can be done in a squat or power rack, and are a great exercise for building back muscles.

Steps: Grasp an overhead bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Hang with straight arms and your core braced. Pull your chin above the bar then lower yourself back down.

Tips: Keep pulling down and back with your elbows to work your back muscles. Avoid the temptation to swing your legs.

8. Close Grip Bench Press — Full Body Barbell Workouts

Muscles trained: Triceps, pectoralis major, deltoids.

The close-grip bench press places a very strong focus on your triceps while still hitting your chest and shoulders.

Steps: Set a bench in your squat rack. Lie back, holding the barbell with a grip slightly narrower than shoulder-width. Lower the bar to your chest, then press it back up.

Tips: To feel the action in your triceps, keep the upper arms nearer to your sides. Either have a spotter or finish 2-3 reps before failure to keep it safe.

9. 1½ Rep Biceps Curl

Muscles trained: Biceps.

1½ rep biceps curls is a variation that will hit your arms hard from the classic biceps curl.

Steps: Grasp the barbell with an underhand grip; feet are shoulder-width apart and core braced. Curl the bar up to your shoulders then lower it halfway down. From there, curl it back up and lower it all the way down.

Tips: Avoid using your legs or back for assistance. Don’t be afraid to set your back against a wall if you fight with the form.

10. Barbell Leg Raises

Muscles Worked: Rectus Abdominis, Obliques, Transverse Abdominis, Hip Flexors.

Barbell leg raises are a weighted variation of the classic bodyweight abs exercise. It allows for a further increase in resistance, so one can train harder and develop the core muscles better.

Steps: Lie on the floor holding a barbell over your chest. Brace your core and lift your legs a few inches off the floor. Raise your legs until they’re vertical, then lower them just before touching the floor.

Tips: If it feels too hard to raise straight legs, bend them. Use a light weight for your first few sets so that you can finish the movement without using momentum. Keep your lower back pressed into the floor throughout the entire exercise.

By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you will be able to engage multiple muscle groups and increase your overall strength and fitness.

Overview — Full Body Barbell Workouts

While fitness trends do change from time to time, barbells have definitely bulldozed their place in strength training with all the gusto. You, a barbell, weight plates—that’s all you need to train every muscle group and hit almost any type of fitness goal, be it simply to improve some strength or increase muscle mass.

Add a bench and a squat rack, and you can do everything that will help you build an amazing physique. It is this simplicity that has made barbells so great for at-home workouts with minimal gear, or anyone else who likes timeless and easy workouts.

These full-body barbell workouts are a powerful alternative to resistance machines. Additionally, they apply the tested principles employed by experienced bodybuilders who, generation after generation, have continued to depend on those few fundamental and powerful tools to gain strength and size. Therefore, if they worked for them, most probably they will work for you too.

Other Articles For Barbell Workouts:

• The Forgotten Barbell Exercise for a Bigger Chest
• Why You Should Add Floor Tricep Barbell Extensions to Your Workout Routine
• 15 Best Overhead Barbell Press Variations for Powerful Shoulders
• A Complete Guide To The Barbell Shoulder Press And Military Press
• 12 Best Barbell Shoulder Exercises for Bolder, Stronger Deltoids
• Best Barbell Shoulder Workouts for Bigger, Stronger Delts
• The Bent-Over Barbell Row for Building a Bigger, Stronger Back

References;

• Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022 Mar;11(2):202-211. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2021.01.007. Epub 2021 Jan 23. PMID: 33497853; PMCID: PMC9068575.
• Featured image @Unsplash, freepik, pexels (com)
• Featured stream @Unsplash, Youtube, pexels (com)