Written by Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

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.

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.

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.

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.

Read also: Front Squat vs. Back Squat

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.

Read more about deadlifting with perfect form here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Related: 8 Ways to Boost Your Bench 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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Patrick Dale is an ex-British Royal Marine, gym owner, and fitness qualifications tutor and assessor. In addition, Patrick is a freelance writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. He’s not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20-years.

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