The 15 Best Barbell Exercises for Strength, Size, and Power

Barbells have been around for hundreds of years. Despite being so old-school, there isn’t a better training tool for building size and strength.

Yes, dumbbells are handy for developing unilateral strength and balance, and machines make it easier to isolate and target your muscles with laser-like precision, but in terms of effectiveness, barbells reign supreme.

Combined with a bench and a squat rack, you can train your entire body using nothing but a barbell.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of barbell exercises to choose from, and they’re all pretty effective. Any of them can help you reach your ultimate training goals.

But, in our humble opinion, these are the 15 best strength and muscle-building exercises you can do with a barbell.

The 15 Best Barbell Exercises

Your training time and energy are precious and limited commodities. Don’t waste them on unproductive exercises! Instead, build your workouts around the 15 best barbell exercises.

1. Barbell back squat

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors.

Squats are often called the king of exercises. In fact, whatever your training goal is, squats will help you get there faster. The back squat is arguably the most widely performed lower body exercise around and is a proven muscle and strength builder. However, for reasons of safety, make sure you do this exercise in a squat rack – especially if you plan on lifting heavy weights or training to failure.

How to do it:

1. Put a barbell in your squat rack at about shoulder height so you don’t have to stand on tiptoes to unrack it.
2. Duck under the bar so it rests on your traps or across your shoulders. Grip the bar with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
3. Unrack the bar and take 1-2 steps back. Set your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart. The taller you are, the wider your stance will probably be. Turn your toes out slightly if you wish.
4. Brace again, inhale, push your hips back, and bend your knees. Descend as far as you can without rounding your lower back.
5. Ideally, your hips should be level with your knees and thighs parallel to the floor at the midpoint of each rep. i.e., a parallel squat.
6. Keep your knees in line and behind your toes, and do not allow them to drop out or fall in. Look straight ahead and not down.
7. Without bouncing out of the bottom, drive your feet into the floor and stand back up.
8. Re-rack the bar and rest, or if you are doing multiple reps, reset your core and repeat.

 

2. Barbell front squat

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors.

Barbell front squats let you keep your torso more upright and involve more knee than hip flexion. As such, they’re a bit more quad-dominant than back squats. That doesn’t mean that they’re any better (or worse) than back squats – just a little different. It may also be easier to get out from under the bar if you cannot complete a rep.

Hot to do it:

1. Put a barbell in your squat rack at about shoulder height so you don’t have to stand on tiptoes to unrack it.
2. Walk forward and put your anterior (front) deltoids against the bar. Grip the bar with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Depending on your flexibility, this may mean you can only get your fingertips to the bar and cannot fully wrap your hands around it. That’s ok; the bar should sit in the creases of your shoulders and remain in place even if you aren’t gripping it with your hands.
3. Push your elbows forward and under the bar so your upper arms are parallel to the floor. The bar should rest against your neck, but it should not press heavily on your throat.
4. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back. Unrack the bar and take 1-2 steps back.
5. Set your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart. Most people use a narrower stance for front squats compared to back squats.
6. Brace again, inhale, and bend your knees and hips at the same time. Descend as far as you can while keeping your torso upright, elbows up, and knees in line with your toes. Do not allow your knees to drop out or fall in. Instead, look straight ahead and not down.
7. Without bouncing out of the bottom, drive your feet into the floor and stand back up. Force your elbows upward as you ascend to stop the bar from rolling off your shoulders.
8. Re-rack the bar and rest, or if you are doing multiple reps, reset your core and repeat.

Read also: Front Squat vs. Back Squat

3. Barbell deadlift

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors, core, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, biceps.

The squat is the reigning king of barbell exercises, but the deadlift comes close to dethroning it. The deadlift involves all the same lower body muscles as squats and several additional upper body muscles, too. In fact, paired with something like bench presses, push-ups, or dips, you can train your entire body with just two exercises.

As well as being a superb muscle and strength builder, deadlifts teach you how to lift heavy objects off the floor safely, i.e., using your legs and hips and without rounding your lower back.

How to do it:

1. Set your barbell so it’s nine inches above the floor. Using bumper plates usually does this automatically.
2. Stand with your toes under the bar, feet hip to shoulder-width apart.
3. Reach down and grip the bar with an overhand or mixed grip.
4. Straighten your arms, pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your abs. Your hips should be below your shoulders, and your lower back slightly arched.
5. Without bending your arms or rounding your lower back, drive your feet into the floor and stand up.
6. Do not lean back at the top or attempt to bend your elbows, as this can cause serious injury.
7. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower the bar back to the floor.
8. Let the weight settle for a second or two, and then repeat. Do not bounce the bar off the floor.

Read more about deadlifting with perfect form here.

 

4. Barbell Romanian deadlift

Target muscles: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors, core, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, biceps.

The Romanian deadlift isn’t actually a deadlift at all. Deadlifts involve lifting a weight off the floor – it’s a stationary or dead weight. Romanian deadlifts don’t come from Romania, either!

Despite these naming issues, the Romanian deadlift is an effective posterior chain exercise and one of the best ways to beef up and strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. However, you must take care not to round your back during this exercise, as that’s a recipe for disaster.

How to do it:

1. Hold your barbell with a shoulder-width, overhand or mixed grip. If using heavy weights, it may be necessary to use lifting straps so your grip doesn’t fail prematurely.
2. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Pull your shoulders down and back, brace your core, and bend your knees slightly.
3. Without bending your legs any further, push your butt backward and lean forward from your hips, taking care not to round your lower back. Lower the bar down the front of your legs.
4. Keep your neck aligned with the rest of your spine as you lean over.
5. Descend as far as your flexibility allows. The weight should not touch the floor.
6. Drive your hips forward again and stand up straight.
7. Do not lean back at the top of the movement.
8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

 

5. Barbell good morning

Target muscles: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors, core, erector spinae.

Barbell good mornings and Romanian deadlifts are very similar. However, with good mornings, the bar rests on your upper back instead of being held in your hands. This creates a longer lever which means you can get an effective workout from a lighter weight.

If you want to hammer your posterior chain without resorting to heavy barbells, this is the exercise for you. However, this exercise also puts more stress on your lower back, so proceed with caution and never let your lower back become rounded.

How to do it:

1. Place a barbell in a squat or power rack set to just below shoulder height. Duck under the bar and rest it on your upper traps. Grip the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Pull the bar down into your back to make sure it won’t move.
2. Unrack the barbell and take 1-2 steps back so you have room to lean forward. Stand with your feet hip to shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and brace your core.
3. Hinging from your hips, push your butt back and lean forward as far as your hamstring flexibility allows. Do NOT let your lower back round. Your range of motion will depend on your hamstring flexibility. Do not lower the bar below the level of your hips.
4. Drive your hips forward and stand back up.

 

6. Barbell hip thrust

Target muscles: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors, core, erector spinae.

If there is a downside to most barbell lower body exercises, it is that they can be hard on your lower back. That may be a problem for some lifters, especially those suffering from lower back pain. Barbell hip thrusts are an effective glute and hamstring exercise, but they are also very lower back-friendly.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the floor, so your upper back rests against a sturdy exercise bench. Bend your legs and place your feet flat. Rest and hold a barbell across your hips.
2. Contract your glutes and push your hips up toward the ceiling. At the top of the rep, your knees, hips, and shoulders should form a straight line.
3. Lower your butt back down to the floor and repeat.
4. Add a booty band to make this exercise more glute-centric.

 

7. Barbell lunge

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors.

As potent as squats, deadlifts, and good mornings, etc., are, they have one major drawback – they work both of your legs at the same time. This means you could develop (or already have) a left-to-right strength imbalance. This could affect your physique and performance and even be a source of injury.

Lunges work one leg at a time, which means you can use them to identify and fix imbalances. Lunges are also good for improving hip mobility, coordination, and general balance.

How to do it:

1. Rack and hold your barbell across your upper back, just like you are about to do back squats.
2. Stand tall with your feet together and look straight ahead and not down at the floor. Brace your abs.
3. Take a large step forward and into a split stance.
4. Bend your legs and lower your rearmost knee down within about an inch of the floor. Do not let it touch down.
5. Your front shin should be vertical or very close to it. Do NOT let it move forward past your toes, as doing so puts a lot of stress on the knee joint.
6. Your rear thigh should also be close to vertical.
7. About 60-70% of your weight should be on your front leg.
8. Push off your front leg and return to the starting position.
9. Do all your reps leading with the same leg or alternate legs as preferred.

 

8. Barbell bench press

Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.

The bench press is probably the most popular barbell exercise on the planet. Even non-exercisers, after learning that you lift, will want to know how much weight you can bench press.

Along with the squat and deadlift, bench presses are part of the sport of powerlifting, and bodybuilders do them to build bigger, more muscular chests. So, if squats are the king of lower body exercises, the bench press holds the same title for your upper body.

How to do it:

1. Lie on the bench with your eyes directly beneath the bar. Reach up and hold the bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. For most bench press variations, your forearms should be vertical at the bottom of each rep.
2. Brace your abs, pull your shoulders back and down, arch your lower back slightly, lift your chest up toward the bar, and push your feet into the floor. This will help stabilize your body.
3. Unrack the bar and hold it directly over your chest.
4. Bend your arms and lower the bar with control until it lightly touches your sternum. As the bar descends, tuck your elbows down and slightly inward toward your sides. Do not bounce the bar off your chest. Instead, imagine you have a pane of glass on your chest and touch the bar down very lightly.
5. Push your bar up, flaring your elbows as the bar nears the top of your rep. Extend your arms fully without locking your elbows.

Related: 8 Ways to Boost Your Bench Press

9. Barbell floor press

Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.

No bench? No problem! You can still train your pecs and triceps with floor presses. In fact, floor presses are how old-time bodybuilders used to train their upper bodies before the bench press was invented.

As well as being a low-tech bench press alternative, the floor press is also easier on your shoulders and stops you from bouncing the bar off your chest. All in all, the barbell floor press is an excellent addition to your barbell upper body workout.

How to do it:

1. Set up a squat rack so that the J-hooks are set to about knee height, and place a barbell on the hooks.
2. Lie down on the floor so that your eyes are directly beneath the bar. Bend your legs and place your feet on the floor or straighten your legs as preferred.
3. Grip the bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Pull your shoulders back and down and press your upper back into the floor. This will increase shoulder stability.
4. Unrack the bar and hold the weight with your arms straight. Inhale, bend your arms, and lower the bar down until the back of your upper arms lightly touch the floor.
5. Without bouncing, forcefully extend your arms and push the weight back up to arms’ length. Continue until you have completed all the required reps. Then, on completion, carefully re-rack the bar.

 

10. Barbell overhead press

Muscles worked: Deltoids, triceps.

The overhead press, also known as the strict or military press, involves lifting a weight overhead without assistance from your legs. This exercise is one of the best ways to build bigger, more muscular shoulders and a more powerful upper body.

With the overhead/strict press, you typically stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent but rigid. However, your feet are together with the military press, and your legs are straight like you are standing to attention.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet between shoulder and hip-width apart. Your knees should be slightly bent but rigid. Or, if doing military presses, stand with your feet together and legs straight.
2. Using an overhand grip, rack and hold your barbell across the front of your shoulders. Your hands should be just outside shoulder-width apart. Raise your elbows slightly so they are in front of the bar.
3. Brace your core, pull your shoulders down and back, and lift your chest.
4. Without using your legs, press the weight up and overhead to arms’ length.
5. Lower the bar back to the front of your shoulders and repeat.

 

11. Barbell power clean

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors, core, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, biceps.

Power cleans are a simplified version of the Olympic squat clean. As its name implies, the power clean is an explosive power exercise. Power is your ability to generate force quickly and is a critical part of almost every sport. So, if you want to run faster, jump higher, punch harder, or throw further, this is the barbell exercise for you!

How to do it:

1. Place your barbell on the floor. Use lightweight training plates to raise the bar to the same height as if the bar was loaded with full-size 45-pound Olympic weightlifting plates. Alternatively, place the bar on blocks at around mid-shin height. Raising the bar this way will help stop you from rounding your lower back, as you might do if the bar was resting on the floor.
2. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, toes under the bar. Squat down and grab the bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. With your arms straight, lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly. This is your starting position.
3. With your abs braced, drive your feet explosively into the ground and pull the bar straight up. Keep it close to your legs. Think of this as a fast deadlift.
4. Next, and as the bar moves past your knees, drive your hips forward, and pull the bar up the front of your body.
5. As the bar nears your chest, bend your knees and drop into a quarter-depth squat. Snap your elbows forward and under the bar. Catch the bar on the front of your shoulders. Your palms should be facing the ceiling, and the elbows pointed straight ahead.
6. Complete your repetition by straightening your legs and standing fully upright.
7. Lower the bar back to the floor or, if you are training on a proper lifting platform and are using bumper plates, allow the bar to drop to the floor.

 

12. Bent-over row

Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps.

The bent-over row is a classic barbell back exercise. It not only works the latissimus dorsi, known as the lats for short, which are the muscles on the side of your back but the muscles across and between your shoulder blades, too. In addition, bent-over rows train the lower back, making bent-over rows a real back-all rounder.

How to do it:

1. Hold a barbell with a shoulder-width underhand grip or a slightly wider overhand grip. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
2. Bend over until your torso is just above parallel to the floor. Do not round your lower back.
3. Keeping your wrists straight, bend your arms, and pull the bar up and into your abdomen. Retract your shoulder blades and squeeze your back muscles as you do so.
4. Slowly lower the barbell back down until your arms are extended, and then repeat for the desired number of reps.

 

13. Barbell biceps curl

Target muscles: Biceps brachii

Whether you are a bodybuilder or just lift weights to look good, it’s a safe bet that you’ve got at least a passing interest in the size and shape of your biceps. Located on the front of your upper arm, the biceps are arguably the most famous muscle in the human body. Everyone who lifts probably throws up an arm occasionally and flexes their biceps!

The barbell curl is THE classic biceps exercise, and if you want bigger arms, this is the exercise you need to do.

How to do it:

1. Hold a barbell with an underhand, shoulder-width grip. Stand with your chest up and shoulders back, feet about shoulder-width apart. Brace your abs.
2. Keeping your torso stationary, bend your elbows, and curl the bar up to your shoulders.
3. Lower the weight back down so your arms are straight, and repeat.

 

14. Barbell triceps skull crusher

Target muscles: Triceps brachii

While the triceps may not be as famous or well-loved as the biceps, if you want great-looking arms, they’re arguably more important. That’s because your triceps make up about two-thirds of your upper arm mass, with your biceps making up the rest.

Skull crushers are so-called because if you make a mistake, that’s exactly what could happen. But, don’t let this scary name put you off one of the best triceps exercises around. However, please take care not to hit yourself on the head!

How to do it:

1. Hold a barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Lie on a bench and press the bar up, so it’s over your shoulders.
2. Keeping your upper arms perpendicular to the floor, bend your elbows and lower the bar down to your forehead.
3. Extend your elbows, push the weight back up and repeat.

 

15. Barbell suitcase deadlift

Target muscle: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, abductors, adductors, rectus abdominus, obliques, transverse abdominis.

The suitcase deadlift is one of the few barbell exercises to directly work your abdominals. Also known as the single-arm deadlift, your entire core must work very hard to keep your torso upright and resist the weight as it tries to pull you sideways. This is an isometric or static exercise, which is how your abs often work in nature.

How to do it:

1. Place a barbell on the floor and stand next to it with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Squat down and grip the center bar with an overhand grip, so your thumb is pointing forward. Straighten your arm.
3. Drop your hips, lift your chest, and slightly arch your lower back. Look straight ahead and brace your abs.
4. Without rounding your back or leaning to the side, drive your feet into the floor and stand up. Keep your abs braced, working hard to keep your torso perfectly upright.
5. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower the weight smoothly back to the floor. Reset your core and repeat.
6. Rest a moment at the end of your set, and then swap sides. Try to do the same number of reps on each side.

Best Barbell Exercises – Wrapping Up

Barbell exercises are ideal for anyone who wants to build muscle size, strength, or power. The humble barbell IS a very low-tech training tool, and yet it’s one of the most valuable and versatile pieces of equipment.

Armed with nothing more than a barbell, a bench, and some weights, you can train every muscle in your body. There is no need for high-tech machines or complicated training methods. Just load up your barbell and lift – simple!

That said, there are hundreds of exercises you can do with a barbell, and some are better than others.

Make the best possible use of your training time by building your workouts around the 15 exercises in this article. Rep for rep, these exercises will provide you with the biggest bang for your workout buck.