By Praveen & Maahek Nair, BodyProCoach
According to the American Council on Exercise, barbell movements are one of the best ways to target large muscle groups and help strengthen functional movement patterns.
5 Barbell Exercises
Back Squat:
The Back Squat is a lower-body exercise that strengthens the glutes, hamstrings and quads. It’s often referred to as “the king of all exercises” due to its ability to build strength, power and size.
That said, it’s one of the most-often butchered exercises. It’s a rare sight to walk through a weight room and see lifters with perfect Squat form especially in situations where people are training on their own without the help of a strength coach.
When done improperly, the Back Squat can be highly dangerous and increase your susceptibility to a knee or back injury. When done correctly, it’s a safe exercise that will undoubtedly make you a better athlete.
The back squat is basically an air squat with added weight. It’s CrossFit exercise for building strength. Back squats allow your body to work harder and develop greater strength. Squats are widely known to be great at building lower body strength, but they can actually improve your upper body strength as well. When squats are done properly, they produce an environment within the body that promotes muscle building. Squats also increase mobility and prime the body for real life applications.
Back Squat Steps:
- Place barbell with weights onto the squat rack
- Bring your body under the bar
- Rest barbell over your traps and shoulders
- Make sure hands are even on each side of the bar
- Keep your feet in the same position as they would be for an air squat
- Brace your midline and keep your chest up
- Take a big breath and fill your stomach with air
- Unrack the bar
- Take a step back away from the rack
- Take another big breath and hold
- Stay nice and tight
- Bend knees and use the same range of motion as you would in an air squat to drop down into the bottom squat position
- Exhale as you push up out of the bottom back squat position
- Repeat for multiple reps
Benefits of the Back Squat:
- Improved Leg Strength and Hypertrophy
- Improved Movement
Muscles Worked
- Quadriceps
- Gluteal
Overhead Squat:
The overhead squat is a total body exercise that can be beneficial for strength, power and fitness athletes. Movements like snatches, jerks, high bar back squats, overhead carries, and other functional exercise are all impacted by an athlete’s ability to stabilize a load overhead, properly control the core under load, and display strength, mobility, and balance.
Overhead squat steps:
- Establish Position
- Begin Descent
- Maintain Control and Position
- Drive Up and Stand
- Stabilize and Repeat
Benefits of the Overhead Squat:
- Upper and lower body assessment
- Mobility
- Flexibility
- Stability
- Balance
- Focus
- Strength
- Improving the Snatch
Snatch Balance:
The snatch balance is a dynamic snatch receiving position exercise that adds more demand on technique, precision and speed to the overhead squat. It is one of three snatch balance exercises whose names are often confused with each other or used interchangeably.
Snatch Balance Steps:
- Start with the bar on the shoulders with hands in the snatch grip
- Feet start in the pulling position
- Short dip and drive (to mimic the triple extension action during the snatch movement)
- The dip and drive are not excessive vertical bar upward movement
- Quick “press under the bar” while dropping into a strong squat position
- Arms lockout at the same time as the athlete hits the bottom
- Tight catch, stabilize and stand to finish
Benefits of the Snatch Balance:
- Confidence in the Snatch Receiving Position
- Vertical Torso in the Receiving Position of the Snatch
- Increased Speed Under Barbell in Snatch
- Overhead Strength and Stabilization
Power Snatch:
The powers snatch is simply a snatch without a full-depth squat to receive it. Notes. Coaches and athletes sometimes have different definitions of what constitutes a “power” receiving position. Most commonly, anything received with the thighs horizontal or higher is considered a power lift.
The power snatch can be used to train speed and force production in both the second pull and the third pull by limiting the amount of time and distance the lifter has available to get under the bar. It can also be used as a lighter snatch variation for lighter training days. The power snatch can also be useful as part of a learning progression for beginners, or as a variation for individuals who are not mobile enough to sit into an overhead squat.
Power Snatch Steps:
- Initial Position
- Jump and Shrug
- Receiving Position
- Put It Together
Benefits of the Power Snatch:
- Better Posture
- Quicker Reflexes
- Higher Jump
Squat Snatch
In the squat snatch, the lifter lifts the bar as high as possible and pulls themselves under it in a squat position, receiving the bar overhead with the arms straight, decreasing the necessary height of the bar, therefore increasing the amount of weight that the lifter may successfully lift. The lifter finally straightens to a fully upright position with the bar above his head and arms fully extended.
Squat Snatch Steps:
- Get Set
- Pull the Bar
- Turn the Bar Over
- Receive the Bar Overhead
- Reach and Stand Up
Benefits of the Squat Snatch:
- Better Coordination
- Toner Body
- More Flexible
Note: Unless you’re a powerlifter, you can limit barbell training to just once a week. And if you can’t lift a barbell (typically 35 or 45 pounds), don’t worry. Keep at those dumbbell rows and kettlebell squats, and you’ll be stepping up to the bar in no time.