Zoom or whatsapp fitness sessions is now available from £5 per session per person
Zoom or whatsapp fitness sessions is now available from £5 per session per person
We’re talking nothing but a steel bar and some plates. The barbell functionally challenges your muscles, joints, and balance all at once, and studies have shown it can lead to significant strength gains in as little as 4 weeks. Trusted Source
Recent research has also found that barbell training, particularly deadlifts, can improve your jump performance. Trusted Source
Plus, barbell training is measurable: As you slap more weight on the bar, your improvement is undeniable. It just feels good.
I have a wide range of bars: ie from barbells, olympic bars, w-bars and preacher bars.
Essential form: Start with your arms locked and the bar above your chest.
Press your shoulders into the bench, plant your feet on the floor and squeeze your glutes.
Bend your elbows to lower the weight to your chest, then press back up to the start.
Targets: chest, triceps, front shoulders
Essential form: Hold the bar with a shoulder-width grip, bending your knees slightly, then bend at the hips until your torso is at a roughly 45° angle to the floor.
Pull the bar up to touch your stomach and then lower under control.
If you’re moving your upper body to shift the bar, the weight’s too heavy.
Targets: biceps, lats, core
Essential form: Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasp the bar with your hands just outside your legs.
Lift the bar by driving your hips forwards, keeping a flat back.
Lower the bar under control.
Targets: whole body
Essential form: Take the bar out of the rack with it resting on your rear shoulder muscles.
Take two big steps back and stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly out.
Keep your spine in alignment by looking at a spot on the floor about two metres in front of you, then “sit” back and down as if you’re aiming for a chair.
Descend until your hip crease is below your knee.
Keep your weight on your heels as you drive back up.
Targets: quads, glutes and hamstrings
Essential form: With your feet shoulder-width apart, position a bar on your upper chest, gripping it with hands just wider than shoulder-width apart.
Brace your abs, glutes and quads as you press the bar straight upwards.
Pause at the top, then lower.
Targets: shoulders, triceps
Essential form: Stand with a barbell resting on the back of your shoulders.
Retract your shoulder blades and keep your back upright and core braced throughout. Take a big step forwards and lower your body until both knees are bent at 90˚ before pushing back off your front foot to return to the start position.
Targets: quads, glutes and hamstrings
Essential form: Start with the barbell on the floor, holding it with a shoulder-width grip. Drive through your heels to lift it off the floor, then explode up as it passes your knees, using the momentum to help pull it up to chest height and “catching” it on your chest.
Pause for a second, then drop or lower the barbell for the next rep.
Targets: whole body
Essential form: Stand up, feet shoulder-width apart holding the barbell in your lowered arms, in front of you.
Bend forward at the waist by flexing the hip. Keep your back flat and your head looking up.
Tighten your buttocks and lock your knees while bending forward.
Stop going down the moment you feel your hamstrings fully stretched and go back to the starting position.
Targets: your gluteal muscles
Essential form: Put the barbell on the rear part of your shoulders and start lifting up and down with your toes while keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
Targets: your calf muscles
Essential form:Hold the barbell at shoulder width with an overhand ‘motorbike’ grip.Keeping your wrists still, use your biceps to curl the bar up; squeeze the muscles for a second at the top.Slowly lower the weight back down, always keeping your elbows tucked in.Targets: Biceps
Essential form: Hold the barbell with a grip slightly wider than your shoulder width and pin your shoulder-blades back.Push your hips forward and lean back.As you bring the bar up, push your hips back and lean forward.At the top of the curl you should be bent forward and the bar should be close to your face.Tagets: Biceps & Forearms
Essential form: Lie on a flat bench with a good base (in the same position as for the California press) and hold the bar above your chest with a slight bend in your elbows.Keep your arms in that position, then lower the weight in an arc over and behind your head.When you feel a stretch in your pecs, bring the bar back up.Targets: Triceps & Lower Pectorails
Essential form:
Targets: