6 Barbell Workouts To Build Total Body Strength

Everyone's fitness goals and training routines are different. While some care more about building stronger arms, some would want stronger shoulders or maybe stronger legs. Something that appeals to all gym-goers, however, is overall body fitness.

Today, I thought of bringing you an effective training plan that works your entire body. This set of strength training workouts offers a great routine to challenge yourself on a daily basis.

Come on, let's not waste time — set yourself up for serious strength training with the barbell…

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How Does The Barbell Promote Strength Gains?

The barbell is one of the best tools one can use for strength gains. Barbell movements recruit several muscles at once, creating tension through different muscle groups. A barbell workout allows you to lift weights with more control, providing bigger resistance to the muscles — causing them to adapt and grow bigger and stronger.

Here are effective exercises that make you stronger without having to spend hours in the gym. These exercises can be performed at home as well. The plan lists one exercise each for your arms, back, chest, legs, shoulders, and one for your whole body.

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1. Arm Workout — Barbell Bicep Curl

1. Stand tall with your chest up and core held tight, holding the barbell with your hands just outside of your hips, with an underhand grip.
2. Keeping your body firm (without swaying) and your elbows tight to your sides, raise your hands towards your face.
3. While maintaining tension on your biceps, curl the bar up to shoulder height — at this point you should feel your shoulders flex a bit.
4. Start to lower the bar slowly, keeping your biceps tensed and engaged to work as many muscle fibres as possible.

Tip 1: Since your bicep muscle crosses the shoulder joint, bringing the bar to eye level will ensure you also work the top part of the bicep near your shoulder.

Tip 2: Some people experience pain in the wrists or elbows while doing a barbell curl. To avoid this, it is advised to take a wider grip on the barbell.

Sets: 2    Reps: 8–10

Benefits: Particularly works your wrists, elbows, biceps, and triceps — helping build total arm muscle tone and strength.

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2. Shoulder Workout — Behind The Neck Press

1. Sit on a bench with chest straight up and feet planted on the floor, knees at 90 degrees.
2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, holding the barbell with your hands wider than shoulder-width and palms facing forward.
3. Brace your core and press the bar straight up, lining it with your head. Pause here.
4. Slowly return to the starting position.

Sets: 2    Reps: 8–10

Benefits: Increases shoulder stability, mobility, and upper body strength.

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3. Chest Workout — Bench Press

1. Lie flat on your back on a bench, plant your feet on the floor, and squeeze your glutes.
2. Grip the barbell with hands just wider than shoulder-width apart; your arms should be locked and the barbell above your chest.
3. Press your shoulders into the bench and bend your elbows to lower the weights to your chest.
4. Using your tricep muscle, push the bar back to the starting position.

Sets: 2    Reps: 8–10

Benefits: Improves upper body strength, muscular endurance, and stabilizes chest muscles.

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4. Back Workout — Bent Over Barbell Row

1. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and palms facing down.
2. Bend your waist and knees slightly to bring your torso forward.
3. With your legs slightly bent, bend your hips back while keeping your head, spine, and pelvis aligned.
4. Squeeze your back muscles while you move the weight upwards into the lower part of your chest.

Sets: 2    Reps: 8–10

Benefits: Improves your posture and is effective in increasing the strength of your back muscles.

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5. Legs Workout — Squat With Barbell

1. Stand with your feet more than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out, and holding a barbell across your upper back with an overhand grip.
2. Slowly squat down with head up and back straight. Your hips should be aligned with your knees at 90 degrees.
3. Drive your heels into the floor to push yourself up while straightening your hips and knees.

Sets: 2    Reps: 8–10

Benefits: Strengthens joints, ligaments, and tendons around the knee and hips; strengthens muscles of your lower body and is a great leg builder.

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6. Whole Body Workout — Clean & Press

1. With your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight, sit back into a squat position.
2. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip with both hands.
3. Drive through the heels while simultaneously lifting the barbell upward into a deadlift motion.
4. Use the momentum to bring your elbows high, then rotate your elbows around and under the bar.
5. Explosively pull the barbell up and push it above your head, keeping your legs straight and core tight.

Sets: 2    Reps: 8–10

Benefits: Ultimate for building whole-body strength. The lower half of the movement strengthens glutes, hips, and hamstrings, while the upper half targets your shoulders, chest, back, and arms.

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Nutrition Matters Too

What you eat is as important as how you work out if you want to build a stronger, more muscular body.

1. Cut out alcohol and sugar; choose slow-release carbs such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, and fibre-rich carbs.
2. Focus on getting more protein in your diet — protein is the muscle fuel that helps repair and rebuild muscles stronger.
3. A wide variety of vegetables should make up around half of your plate to provide your body with all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
4. Give extra attention to your hydration.

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Barbell training allows for dramatic improvements in your overall body strength, leading to a higher metabolic rate and increased fat burning too…

The key suggestion would be to focus on proper technique, instead of trying to max out on the weights — which could cause your form to break down in the process…

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Also Read: 7 Simple Weight Training Exercises To Burn Arm Pit Fat

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