Subj: Five Lifts You Need to Master to build a solid foundation.
Barbell training can’t be beat.
No other weight lifting methods build more muscle and and strength than heavy barbell training.
These Five Barbell movements are the best of the best.
Master these five barbell exercises to build a solid foundation of muscle you can build upon for a lifetime.
A solid foundation will make sure your body develops fully balanced, with no weak points or lagging muscle groups.
These barbell movements should be the first and only lifts you do for a while. Spend a few months improving your squat and deadlift form.
The beauty of these lifts is that you train with them indefinitely and they will always be effective. You can spend a lifetime trying to perfect them.
The 5 Best Barbell Movements for Building Muscle Mass and Strength
This post will teach you how to perform each lift. Make sure you do each of these lifts at least once a week. All of these lifts should be performed with a barbell – No dumbbells until you can use a barbell properly.
Barbell Squat
Benefits: Huge legs, increase free testosterone, increase total body strength and muscle size.
How to perform the Back Squat:
Put the bar across your back resting on your shoulders. The bar should be across the top ridge of your shoulder blades. Bring your shoulder blades back and down and tighten your lats and back muscles. Grab the bar overhand with your thumbs on top of the bar not wrapped around it.
Press the bar forward with your hands to lock the bar across your back all the while keeping your shoulders down and back and your chest sticking out and up high. This will give you a nice natural bend in your spine so you can maintain good form.
Place your feet wide with your toes pointing out slightly. Make sure this is a comfortable stand and is wide enough for you to squat your butt down while keeping all your weight on your heels.
The motion here is to move your butt back and down. Try to keep your knee in place and not move them forward. If you move them forward you will not be getting the benefit from the squat.
Take a big breath, with chest up and back tight and lower your self and the weight until the top of your thigh is parallel with the ground. Then drive the weight up by pushing through with your heels.
Deadlift
Benefits: Build a wide, thick back and strong legs, shoulders, arms and abs. Build functional strength that makes all your other lefts stronger.
How to Perform the Deadlift
Deadlifts can be a challenge to master but are necessary to build a solid foundation. They take a lot of practice to get right. Form is especially critical when performing deadlifts. You will be moving a lot of weight and using your entire body, if you use bad form you will place too much a the weight on a weak body part and hurt yourself.
The Stance- I place my feet about 18 inches apart. Pick a width that allows you to squat down while keeping your knees directly over and in line with your feet. I try to keep my toes pointed as straight as comfortably possible.
The Posture- Your starting position should be low. most of the work should be don’t by your legs. Keep your butt out and down and your back tight with shoulders back and down, chest up. Your shins should be touching the bar and the bar should be directly in line and straight up from bar.
The Grip- Grab the bar with and over/under grip. This means one hand has palms facing away from you and the other has the palm facing away, and thumbs wrapped around gripping the bar.
Once in position Take a deep breath and tighten your muscles. Create tension by pushing on the ground with your heels keeping your body tight. Right before you begin the rep, act like you are lifting/supporting all but one pound of the weight. Like if you were to like with one more pound of force the weight would life off the ground.
By lifting all but one pound of the weight you will ensure that your body is tight, compact and in good form for the lift. This will help you lift more weight and avoid injury.
Bench Press
Benefits: Builds your chest muscles plus shoulders and triceps. Great for building the ‘beach’ upper-body muscles.
How to Perform the Barbell Bench Press
Lay down on the bench with feet on the ground. Place your feet about 18-24 inches apart. Slide under and the bar and pinch your shoulder blades backhand down and push your chest out and up.
Keep your shoulders locked in place grab the bar at a natural width. Unload the bar from the rack and bring it straight down keeping your elbows directly under the bar at all times.
Make sure the tension is on your chest to entire movement. Lower the weight as far as you can while having the tension on the chest then press the weight back up using your chest muscles.
Bent Over Row
Benefits: Builds big lat muscles and a wide back. Targets large back muscle groups. Adds depth and width to your frame. Builds the V-Shape torso.
How to Perform the Bent Over Barbell Row
Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Bend over until your back is parallel with the ground. Start with the bar just in front of your knees while in the bent position.
Grab the bar with an overhand grip with your hands a little more than shoulder width apart. Keep your legs and back tight to balance and brace yourself then lift the weight from the ground and move it straight up until it touches your chest.
Stretch out your chest to meet the bar as you bring it towards your body. keep your your back tight and flat while moving the weight up and down and don’t let the weight touch the ground until your set is done.
Military Press
Benefits: build the shoulders, arms, and upper back. Also trains your core and is good for over all balance and stability.
How to Perform the Military Press
Perform this lift while sitting on a flat bench. Do lot lean back against anything and use your core for balance. This is a great exercises to build a solid foundation.
Keep your shoulder blades back and down. Grab the bar a little more than shoulder with apart. Get a wide base with your feet. Puff out your chest and tighten your core.
Bring the weight down slow while focusing on your deltoid muscles. Your head should be angled up slightly. Lower the weight straight down as far down as you can while keeping good form.
Go down and touch your collar bone if you can but don’t stain yourself if you can’t. Once the weight is as low as it can go, press the weight up again using your shoulder muscles.
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