Barbell lifting is a popular form of resistance training. It involves using a barbell and weight plates to perform various exercises. With this, you can progressively overload. Progressive overloading is key for increasing strength, muscle mass, and improving overall fitness and they also allow for full body engagement. However, for beginners, it can be a little intimidating. However, with the right guidance, anyone can safely and effectively incorporate barbell lifting into their fitness routine. In this blog, we'll cover 'Barbell Lifting for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know'.

Why Barbell Lifting Is Great For Beginners

Efficiently Build Muscle

Many of the common lifts when using a barbell will engage a large range of muscle groups. By doing so, rather than putting mechanical stress all on one muscle group, you get activation of multiple muscle groups at the same time. This is why they are popular in athletes' training programs. This will cause adaption into multiple muscles and improve functional performance. For beginners, this means that you will progress at a faster rate and induce neural adaptions (often named 'beginner gains') to multiple muscle sites.

Monitorable For All Levels

One important aspect of resistance training is that when it's a new exercise, mode of training, or equipment, you should always start light. Nothing will slow your progress more if you end up injured due to over-exerting and getting injured due to trying to lift beyond your body's capability. Barbells can come in different weights and sizes. For example, you could get a spinlock straight training bar that starts at about 5 Kg or you can ramp it up with a 15 kg Olympic barbell or even a 20 kg Olympic barbell. With barbells, more weight can always be added. Therefore, you are able to progressively overload. Progressive overload is a mandatory principle accobding to reseacrher and senior vice president of the UFC performance institute in order to maximise muscular adaptions (Source). Therefore, barbell lifting offers an ideal method to improve significantly and safely. 

Improves functionality, coordination and, stability

As previously mentioned, barbell exercises often engage a range of muscles, usually including core stabilisers. By repetitively engaging core muscles, naturally, you will start to develop a better posture and more stabilisation of the spine. This will prevent lower back injury, which is a common injury as we age. Additionally, its engagement of multiple muscle groups will also lead to adaptions within the engaged muscle groups. This will increases your overall strength and help with day-to-day activities. Subsequently it will help improvee your quality of life.

Barbell Exercises For Beginners

There are many great exercises to do with a barbell. The following are great for beginners:

• Squat - The most common lower limb exercise for a reason. Squatting will improve the strength and size of your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and, calves whilst engaging and improving core stability.
• Deadlift - This powerlifting exercise will help build a strong posterior chain to help improve functionality and reduce injury prevention.
• Bench Press - This will help strengthen your pectorals (chest), your shoulders, and, your triceps.
• Overhead Press - Provides a way to strengthen your deltoids (shoulders) but engage the core and muscles that support the spine.
• Barbell row - Great for developing your lats, rhomboids (middle back muscles), and, rear deltoid

Barbell Lifting Safety

Progressively overload.

You may realise this is brought up often in our blogs, but that's because of how important it is to progressively overload to maximise adaptions safely. By slowly increasing the weight of your lifts, you are always providing stimulus to the muscles to adapt. Because of this, if done properly, you are never placing stress on the body that you can't handle. As your body adapts to be able to lift heavier loads, you are able to maintain proper technique consistently, even when you add weight to your exercises.

Safety Racks

Wtith any exercise where the bar doesn't start on the floor, you should always use safety racks. This allows you to fail safely. For example, whilst performing a barbell back squat, you should do so in a squat rack. This will allow you to position safety racks at a height just under your intended range of movement for that exercise. Therefore, if you are unable to complete the lift, you simply squat lower and the bar will rest on the safety racks and eliminate any resistance on your body that could cause harm.

Maintain Correct Posture

You should also always maintain the correct posture. Lower back injuries are one of the most prevalent injuries in humans, especially in the fitness community. This often stems from people lifting too much weight than their body can handle, which causes them to lift with their back bent (i,e., incorrect lifting posture). By engaging your core, you are able to maintain good posture and limit the risk of back injury. If you ever feel like you can't maintain posture, lower the weight and start again.

Warm Up

Finally, as you should do before any form of training you should warm up correctly. The research mostly recommends a RAMP format to most effectively enhance performance (Source). This includes;

1. Raise - raise your heart rate so that you have more oxygenated blood available at the exercising muscle
2. Activate - this includes an activity to activate the intended muscles, for example, if you were to complete barbell back squats, you could perform body-weight lunges or squats to activate the quads, hamstrings, and, calves
3. Mobilise - i.e., dynamic stretching to increase the range of motion and lower the risk of injury
4. Potentiate - This includes performing a movement specific to the exercise at a higher intensity to increase muscle temperature and prime the body for exercise.

How To Structure Your Barbell Lifting Workout

You can train your full body with a barbell if you follow the exercises above. By incorporating full-body exercises you are likely to experience less DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness). This will allow you to complete 3-4 workouts a week and progressively overload each exercise.

Recovery is key. People often think that when starting their fitness journey, they need to spend as much time as possible in the gym. But, rest and sleep are essential to performance and overall well-being. Sleep is essential for hormonal secretion that is related to muscle growth, such as growth hormone. Additionally, sleep extension is found to correlate with significant increases in speed and force whilst also being related to improved cognitive function (Source).

In conclusion, barbell lifting is an effective and rewarding form of exercise that can help you build strength, increase muscle mass, and improve overall fitness. It's important to start with the basics and understand proper form and technique to prevent injury and maximize results. As a beginner, it's recommended to start with light weights and gradually increase the weight as you build strength and confidence. Using proper equipment and practising consistently will also help you achieve your fitness goals. Remember to monitor your progress and seek professional guidance if needed. With the right approach and dedication, barbell lifting can be a valuable addition to your fitness routine. So, take the first step, and start lifting today! 

FAQs

I’m new to barbell lifting, what barbell should I start with? 

Training 1" barbells are a good option for beginners or for people who are just starting to build their home gym. They are a good choice for people who are focused on general strength training. Since they are smaller and lighter than Olympic barbells, they can be easier to handle and more comfortable for some people to use.

Training 1" barbells, also known as standard barbells, are barbells that have a diameter of 1 inch (25.4 mm) and are designed for use with standard weight plates that have 1-inch holes. These barbells are typically lighter and less expensive than Olympic barbells, which have a diameter of 2 inches and are designed for use with weight plates that have 2-inch holes.

What are the differences between Olympic Barbells?

Olympic barbells are designed to handle very heavy weights and are built to be very strong and durable and are designed to hold 2” weight and bumper plates. 

There are two main types of Olympic barbells, a 15kg barbell and a 20kg barbell. These vary in suitability, size, weight and diameter. 

Length:

15kg Barbells, usually referred to as Female barbells are typically shorter than 20kg barbells which are usually referred to as male barbells. A standard 20kg barbell is 7 feet long, while a standard 15kg barbell is 6.5 feet long. However, there are also shorter 20kg barbells (such as 6 feet) and longer 15kg barbells (such as 7 feet) available.

Diameter: Female barbells typically have a smaller diameter than male barbells. A standard male barbell has a diameter of 28mm, while a standard female barbell has a diameter of 25mm. This smaller diameter can be more comfortable for women to grip.

Knurling: Female barbells may have less aggressive knurling than male barbells, although this can vary depending on the brand and model.

It's important to note that not all women will need or want to use a female barbell. Additionally, men with smaller hands may find a female barbell more comfortable to grip. Ultimately, the best barbell for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences.

However, if you're a beginner or if you're focused on general strength training, a standard barbell may be a more appropriate option.

Check Out Our Range Of Barbells From Exersci!

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of this article. What do you think? Are barbells right for you?

If you're eager to find out, we offer our very own high-quality barbells in a wide variety of options. Our barbells are designed to help you build muscle effectively and efficiently. You can choose from different weights and styles to suit your fitness goals.

Additionally, we provide a range of additional weight plates that you can use to customise the load and increase resistance on your barbell. This allows you to progressively challenge your muscles and continue making progress in your strength training journey.

If you have any questions about our barbells or can't find what you're looking for, please don't hesitate to contact us at contact@exersci.co.uk or call us on 0330 175 6260. Our dedicated team is more than happy to assist you and provide the information you need to make the right choice for your fitness needs.