Gain Muscle Every Week: Top 10 Barbell Exercises For Women

Top 10 Barbell Exercises For Women

Barbells have been around forever now and if you go to a gym and don’t see a set of barbells, you need to leave right away. Barbells effectively work out most of the major upper and lower body muscle groups to promote body mass, strength and stamina. These ten barbell exercises are sure to help you achieve all you can from a simple set of barbells.

Barbell Exercises For Women

1. Bench Press

Bench press is a barbell exercise routine for beginners that helps develop chest mass. Keep your body flat on a bench and grasp the barbell with a shoulder width grip. Inhale as you bring the barbell down to your lower chest and keep your elbows close to your sides throughout. Exhale even as you press the weight up. Repeat this eight to ten times in three sets.

2. Incline Bench Press

Similar to the bench press, instead this time use an inclined bench as this helps build your upper chest. To build mass effectively grip on to the bar as close to the center as you can.

[ Read: The Best Dumbbell Exercises ]

3. Close Grip Bench Press

Same as the classic bench press, instead this time keep your hands six to eight inches apart. Lower the barbell and then lift up to complete lock out. Do three sets of ten to fifteen repetitions.

4. Standing Curl

Stand with your feet moderately apart. Hold on to the barbell with slightly wider than shoulder width grip. Keep your elbows pressed to your sides and curl your hands in until your biceps are fully contracted. Do three sets of five to nine repetitions. This routine would help you add mass to your biceps.

5. Reverse Curl

Instead of holding the barbell with an underhand grip, use an overhand grip. Keep your elbows close to your side and pull the barbells up to your chest and then slowly down. Do this in 3 sets of seven to eleven repetitions. This technique effectively builds up your biceps and your forearms.

6. Wrist Curls

Rest your arms on a flat bench; keep your wrists firmly down with your palms up just a little over the edge of the bench. Stay steady throughout this routine. Now relax your wrists and curl your hands up as you lift the barbell close to your forearms. Do 3 sets without counting repetitions. Do them till you are tired. This challenging method builds greater mass for your forearms.

[ Read: Strength Training Workouts ]

7. Overhead Press

Do this either standing or sitting, and you can bring the barbell down in front of or behind you. Grip the barbell with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip and then slowly lower it down to the front or behind the neck. Do three sets of eight to twelve repetitions. This effectively helps build up your shoulders.

8. Squats

Just like the overhead press, instead this time stick to bringing the barbell down to the back of your neck and squat down slowly even as you bring the weights down. This technique effectively builds up your legs.

[ Read: Exercises To Increase Height ]

9. Upright Row

This technique is for building your trap muscles and mass. Take a shoulder width overhand grip on the barbell and simply bring it up to your chin level. Do this in three sets of about nine to fifteen repetitions.

10. Bent Over Row

This method mainly helps strengthen your back. Take hold of the barbell with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip and bring the weight up into your midsection with your arms back. With an underhand grip and your legs slightly bent with your upper body leaning forward, pull your arms back and draw the weight to your waist.