The Ten Best Barbell Movements

Time to pay the iron price

The barbell is an excellent tool to both get stronger and slap on slabs of muscle across the entire body. It offers essentially infinite loading and, if desired, can target almost every muscle you could dream of developing. I am by no means saying that it’s the only option or essential; just that it’s excellent.

Back Squat

Low bar or high bar?

Yes.

Wherever you put that barbell, it’s going to be a tremendous lower body developer. It’s one of the better quadriceps builders, and also works the adductors, glutes, spinal erectors and hamstrings. A common criticism of this movement is that it loads the spine heavily.

This is true, but isn’t necessarily a bad thing if your technique is good, you know how to brace your core and you progress gradually and reasonably — most critics of the back squat never learned how to do it properly. If you find that your lower back is what gives out, it’s a sign that it needs to be strengthened, and you should probably squat more, not less.