Barbell movements

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Re: Barbell movements

Lying Front Raise with Barbell

This exercise targets the anterior delts. Because you are lying on the bench when doing these, this exericse is a little different than a regular front raise. This is because the weight is heavier at the start (bottom) of the movement. When standing, this portion of the movement is often the easiest.

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Re: Barbell movements

Military Press

Category: Supplemental, Accessory

Muscles Targeted: Shoulders

Depending on who you talk to the military press is either part-God or all-Devil. I am part of the faction that believes that the military press is a great exercise, especially done in moderation. By moderation, I mean performing them for 3-4 weeks at a time and then moving on. You don't need to be performing this every single week, but fail to see the evils of this exercise if done in moderation.

Having said that, I believe that the military press is perfect for building shoulder strength. You can do all the laterals you want, it simply won't compare to pressing a barbell overhead. Not only will it build your shoulders, but I also noticed a lot of upper back development. Bang for buck, you won't find a better exercise for your shoulders.

I also believe this exercise is a great way to build your low end strength for the bench press. Many great pressers have used this exercise as a way to strengthen their bench presses.

I think many people who say this exercise sucks are those that have shoulder injuries and cannot do it. It's like those people who have "bad knees" and say that leg presses work just as well as squats. It's just a way for them to make themselves feel better.

Having said that (I sound like I am a lobbyist for the military press), I like to use this exercise as a supplemental lift, but done for higher reps (6-10). I have used lower reps, but this was more of a spur of the moment thing.

3-5 sets of 6-10 reps works well. I like to do this as a 2nd exercise after my core lift of the day.

You can use any grip that you want, but have found that a close to medium grip works well. There is little strain on the shoulders while still strengthening them to a high degree.

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Re: Barbell movements

Pin Pulls

You will be pulling deadlfts from pins that are 4 to 6 inches off the ground.

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Rev. band squat

This exericse can be done with any kind of bar (straight bar, safety squat bar, buffalo bar, etc.)

Start by doubling up the mini bands and looping them over the top of the rack. Place each end of the bar through the band. Perform a normal squat.

With this set-up, the bands will make the bar heavier at the top and lighter at the bottom. This is a great variation for a max effort exercise. Really try to accelerate through to the top as weight gets heavier.

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Re: Barbell movements

Rev. curls

This is a great exercise to develop your forearms. Make sure you do not swing the weight to perform repetitions.
Simply grab a barbell or ez bar wit an overhand grip and start curling.

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Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

This exercise is used to strengthen the hamstrings and glutes. If you do not have a Glute Ham Raise, the RDL can be used as an alternative. When performing the RDL, make sure you keep the bar close to your body during the entire movement. Begin by pushing your hips and glutes back and arching your back. Continue this motion as far as your arch will allow. This will depend on the flexibility of the individual and will vary from lifter to lifter. Once you have reached this point, return to the starting position. Make sure to keep your head up, your eyes focused forward and your shoulder blades pulled together. Start with higher reps (10-15) until you are comfortable with the movement.

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Side to Side Supine Rows

Muscles Targeted:
Posterior delts, lats

Setup & Execution:
Setup in a power rack and perform supine rows side to side while maintaining a straight torso line. Can also be done with the ends of a thick rope that is draped over a high anchor.

Benefits:
Torso stability and upper back engagement

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Re: Barbell movements

Strip the rack standing presses

Muscles Targeted: Front Delts and Triceps

Exercise Description: Before I was a member of Westside Barbell, I'd take weekend trips up to the club to see what they were doing. This is a movement I picked up 14 years ago on one such trip.

After a dynamic bench session, I noticed a few guys at the other end of the gym pressing a barbell into and up the actual power rack. It was so simple I couldn't believe I didn't think of it years earlier.

To set up for standing "strip the rack" close grip shoulder presses, you set the J-hook in the power rack at chin level. If your J-hook is like the one displayed in the picture (with a long head base), you'll need to set it lower so the bar won't hit the J-hook (head base) during the movement.

Next, you get under the bar and press to the top of the J-hook so the bar is now resting against the rack. Take a slight step back so you'll have leverage to press into the rack. At this point you'll press the bar up and into the rack at the same time. Try your best to strip the paint off the rack (your gym owner will love this). The harder you press into the rack the better.

This isn't your normal shoulder press because you're not pressing back and over your head; you're pressing forward and away. This will make it an easier movement for those who may be training around shoulder injuries. (Note: If you have a shoulder injury and this still hurts, don’t be a moron and keep doing it. Find something else to do.)

This isn't a movement that you'll need to go really heavy on. I like to prescribe multiple sets of 10 to 15 reps with this exercise. Stripping the rack also works very well for bench presses, close-grip bench presses, curls and extensions.

Training Mistakes:

Going too heavy. This is a supplemental movement for your shoulders. There's no need to try and impress anyone with how much weight you can use on the "stripping the rack" press. Save that for the important stuff like squats and pulls.

Not keeping your abs tight and your back straight. No need to explain this to anyone.

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Re: Barbell movements

Stiff Leg Dead Lifts - Close Stance

Category: Supplemental

Muscles Targeted: Glutes, Lower Back and Hamstrings

This has become a classic hamstring and lower back movement over the years for one reason, it works!

This has been a staple in powerlifting, bodybuilding and sport training programs for years and will continue to be. The stress (when done right) that can place on your hamstrings is by far the greatest you will ever feel.

To begin stand up with a barbell and lock your lower back in. By this I mean push you hips back and pull your chest up. You should feel all your body weight on your heels before you begin to lower. As you lower the weight begin by pushing you hips back until you feel your hamstrings stretching. If you feel all the stress in your lower back you have lost your arch and are not pushing back but falling forward. Keep the weight back on your heels and return by flexing and driving your hips forward.

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Re: Barbell movements

Suitcase deadlift

Place the bar on the floor or on the safety pins of a power rack. Stand to the side of the bar. Squat down, getting in a good deadlift position. Grab the bar with your one hand and stand up. Return to the starting position.

Repeat for 3-8 reps, depending on your goal. Great for grip work!

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Re: Barbell movements

Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Style Deadlift: Use a moderate stance and a close hand grip. To start the lift, you will rock into the bar, and the hips come up fast toward the bar. This requires a strong back because the legs lock out long before the bar is completely locked. The most common style is with the feet very wide, out to the plates. The lifter should not lower the hips any more than necessary. The back must have an extreme arch. Most important is to push your feet out to the sides, not down. Why? By pushing down with a sumo or wide stance, your knees will come together, which is the most common mistake in the sumo. By pushing the knees out forcefully, the hips will come toward the bar fast making for a favorable leverage, placing most of the work on the hips, legs, and glutes. TIPS: Don’t stay down too long. It will destroy the stretch reflex.

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Re: Barbell movements

Sumo Pin Pulls

Muscles Targeted: Legs, hips, low back

The sumo pin pull is not often used, but I have seen it done before. The main difference, obviously, is the stance. Most of the time, the pin pull is done with a conventional stance.

You can do it from several different levels, but recommend working at your weakest point (or just below).

To do this exercise, make sure your head and chest are up. Also, be sure that your shoulders are slightly behind the bar. Remember that the position you are going to be in is going to different than the starting position of the sumo

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Re: Barbell movements

Bench press

Bench Press: The bench press should be performed with the shoulder blades pulled together and driven into the bench. The elbows should be in a tucked position. The bar should hit you in the lower chest area. The bar must be pushed in a straight line, not back over the face. See the articles section for more information on how to bench press.

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Re: Barbell movements

Triceps ext.

This will help strengthen your triceps. With a close grip, lower the weight to either your chin, nose or forehead. Do not flare your elbows out to the side and be sure not to dip your elbows. This will ensure that you do not press the weight. You can use a straight bar or an EZ curl bar when performing extensions.

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Re: Barbell movements

Upright Row

Category:Accessory

Muscles Targeted: Traps, shoulders


This isn't rocket science when doing these; the only coaching point is to always keep your elbows above the bar. I don't use a ton of weight on this exercise as I find myself cheating quite a bit if I do. I usually take a close/medium grip on the bar, but it can be done with a wide (a little closer than a snatch) grip.

This is a great lift to do at the end of your workout. I never felt as if this had a great carryover to the bench press. But my entire training regimen isn't geared completely toward bench pressing; I want some massive traps, too.

I have found that higher reps work best for me, but you can play around with it. I like using 10-20 reps best.