Paige Harris Despite what you may see online and in the media, you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment in order to get results in the gym. You also don’t have to do crazy, sometimes death-defying movements — Smith machine leg presses, I’m looking at you. Instead, all you really need are a barbell, some weight plates, and these five exercises.
The barbell is frequently considered the most effective piece of gym equipment, and I have to agree. Doing exercises with a barbell helps challenge your muscles, joints, and balance all at once. It’s also extremely easy to progress movements with a barbell. Finding an exercise super easy? Slap a few more plates on the bar, and I’m sure the challenge will increase!
Like I said before, it only takes a barbell, these five exercises, and some drive to get results. So let’s get down to it, shall we?
Barbell Squat
Heralded as the king of all exercises, the squat is an essential movement to include in any workout routine. To perform, start with the barbell set up around shoulder height in a rack. Face the bar and grip it with a medium-width grip. Next, step and duck your head underneath the bar so that it sits on the shelf of your upper back. Lift off by straightening your legs, step back, and brace yourself.
Take a deep breath into your abdomen, then, while keeping your knees from caving inward, sit back and down — like you’re sitting on a chair — until your legs pass through a 90 degree angle, otherwise known as breaking parallel. Your hips should be below your knees at this point. Press back up and return to standing. That’s one repetition! When you complete all of the repetitions you want, step back forward so that the bar can come to rest on the rack once more.
Squatting looks different for everyone, but these cues will hopefully give you a good idea of how to start. Be sure to practice squats without weights first, and don’t be afraid to ask a trainer in your gym to check your form! Or, if you don’t want to do that, record yourself performing some squats and check it yourself. The barbell should be going straight up and down — no rocking back and forth — and your hips, knees, and ankles should stay solid throughout the entire movement.
Barbell Bench Press
In my experience, the bench press is a lift that a lot of women tend to shy away from because they think that it will make them bulky. False. Others leave it out because they’re embarrassed over not being able to lift a lot of weight for it. You shouldn’t be! The bench press is a movement that everyone should do! Executed correctly, the barbell bench press can help build stronger chest, arm, and shoulder muscles, and I can’t imagine that ever being a bad thing!
To perform, start with the barbell in a rack a little closer than arm’s length away from your body when you’re lying on a bench beneath it. Your eyes should be in line with the bar. Be sure to squeeze your shoulder blades together before gripping the bar. Next, grip the bar with your pinky finger touching each groove line on either side. You may adjust your grip as you get more comfortable with the movement, but this is a good starting point. Unrack the bar by straightening your arms, and bring it directly over your chest.
Take a deep breath into your abdomen and lower the bar to your chest with control, keeping your elbows at about a 75 degree angle and your wrists straight. Then, push the bar back up to the starting position, remembering to keep your butt pressed to the bench and your feet flat on the floor. That’s one rep! Perform as many as you wish, and then carefully re-rack the bar.
Never be afraid to ask for a spotter if you’re bench pressing on a piece of equipment that doesn’t have safety rails! Anyone in the gym would be happy to help you, I promise! And if you’re just beginning, remember to start with light weights; you wouldn’t want to end up with the weight pinned to your chest. (A fancy way of saying that you bring the barbell down to your chest and can’t get it back up again.)
Barbell Deadlift
The deadlift definitely has my heart when it comes to the most effective, functional, and fun exercise out there. Why? For a few reasons. First, the deadlift works almost every muscle in the body simultaneously: legs, butt, back, shoulders, arms, and abs. Next, it’s one of the most functional movements there is: people often have to bend down and pick up heavy things in their everyday lives, and a stronger deadlift can help them do that, and with good form to boot! Lastly, the deadlift is often the lift where you can pull the most weight. I know that’s true for me!
To perform, start with the barbell on the floor in front of you. I recommend putting at least some small Olympic style (larger circumference) plates on either end, just so that the bar is lifted up to about shin level. If you don’t want to start with weight, you could also balance the bar on top of two boxes. Walk up to the bar so that your mid-foot is underneath it. Your feet should be about hip width apart, a little more narrow than they would be for your squat. Next, bend down and grip the bar a little wider than your stance. Your arms should look parallel when viewed from the front. Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar while keeping your back and arms straight.
Next, imagine yourself driving your feet down into the floor and extend your hips forward while keeping your chest upright, bringing the bar up with you. It sounds complicated, but it’s really intuitive once you get the hang of it! Once you’ve stood up straight and locked out your knees and hips, carefully lower the weight back down to the starting position. That’s one rep. Reset your form and perform as many reps as you want.
While form is important for every exercise here, I have to emphasize the importance of good form for the deadlift the most. It’s absolutely crucial that you allow your legs and hips to take the brunt of the weight for this movement. Do. Not. Round. Your. Back. Yes, it looks cool to pick up a lot of weight off the floor, but if you can’t do it while keeping your back straight, tell your ego to take a hike and work your way up to the big numbers. Your body will thank you for sure.
Barbell Overhead Press
Though it may not seem like it, the barbell overhead press is a full-body compound exercise. It works your arms and shoulders, sure, but it also reinforces core and lower body stability. It’s also probably the hardest exercise to perform on this short list, because a lot of the force you need to generate is coming from one of the smallest muscle groups in the body: the shoulders.
To perform, start with the barbell on a rack at about shoulder height. Grip the bar at shoulder-width and take a few steps back. Your wrists should be straight and your forearms vertical, with your knees and hips locked solid. Next, take a deep breath through your abdomen and press the bar directly up, bringing your head through the hole that you’ve created. Pause with the bar fully extended overhead; it should be straight above your mid-foot line. Then pull it back down to shoulder level. That’s one rep! Repeat as many times as you wish.
Remember that the barbell overhead press is a shoulder exercise first and foremost; you shouldn’t have to unlock your knees to force the weight up. If you do, take the weight down a bit. When I first started this movement, I used a fixed-weight barbell that weighed 20lbs. As you perform it more frequently, I promise you’ll get stronger!
Barbell Bent-Over Row
Barbell bent-over rows are the perfect exercise to sculpt an amazing upper and lower back and can help you increase some arm and hip strength, too. Performing them in your weekly routine will also help you increase your squat, bench, and deadlift strength!
The bar should ideally be on the floor to begin. Like with the deadlift instructions above, either start with a few light but large circumference weights on either end, or balance the bar on top of two blocks so it rests about shin height. Walk up to the bar so your mid-foot is underneath, also similar to your deadlift set-up. Reach down and grab the bar a bit wider than you would for a deadlift, but narrower than the ring guide for a bench press. Once again, it will be easier to judge where you should grip as you perform the movement more frequently. Your back should be parallel to the floor.
Bend your knees but keep them back so that the bar won’t hit them as you perform the lift. Take a deep breath into your abdomen and pull the bar upward until it reaches your lower chest. I like to imagine my elbows leading the way. Let the bar come back down to the floor and reset. That’s one rep! Perform as many as you wish.
Be sure to be aware of the positioning of your back throughout the entirety of the rowing movement. If you start to pull your torso upright, the movement can quickly turn into a deadlift. If you use too much hip and not enough upper back, you’ll essentially be ‘cheating’ the movement. Only use a weight that is comfortable for you while keeping your form as perfect as you can!
Now that you know the exercises, how should you go about implementing them?
If you have never stepped foot in a gym before, you don’t have to do all of these exercises all at once. I know that it seems exciting — because it is!! — but trust me: slow and steady wins the (barbell) race.
I recommend choosing three of these exercises for one workout. For example, the squat, bench press, and barbell row. After warming up, perform 5 sets of 5 repetitions for each of them. In this example, that would mean that you perform 5 squats, rest for a bit, perform 5 more, rest, etc. until you have completed a total of 25 squats. Then move on to bench press for the same rep and rest period, followed by barbell row. Take a day off to rest and stretch, and then come back to the gym again and choose different exercises, like the squat, overhead press, and deadlift, to focus on.
This workout might not take you very long to do once you get the hang of the movements, but remember: slow and steady wins the race. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times my friends and family have started a new workout routine and gone ‘too hard,’ resulting in them being unable to walk or move without pain for days after. If you have that kind of muscle soreness, you won’t stick to your new routine, and that won’t help at all!
And if you’re looking to find a similar dumbbell routine, click on over here.
If you want more information about these lifts, feel free to shoot me an email or a direct message through Instagram — I’m always willing and happy to help!
