The 30 Best Barbell Exercises for Every Muscle Group

Barbell exercises are some of the best exercises you can do in a gym to increase strength and build muscle.

But where should you start, and which exercises should you pick?

That’s where this article comes in!

View this article as an inspirational post (or speed-dating!) with 30 of the best and most popular barbell exercises. Browse through the lists, and pick out one or two exercises per muscle group you want to train.

Before we get into the full list of exercises, let’s take a look at the top picks.

The Big Three Barbell Exercises

When it comes to barbell exercises, the big three ones are:

1. Squat
2. Bench Press
3. Deadlift

These are the three competitive lifts of powerlifting, and together, they work many of your major muscle groups.

If these three exercises where all you did in the gym and you trained them hard, you’d build a big and strong body.

But they don’t hit all your major muscle groups. You can mostly rectify this, however, by adding in a fourth exercise.

The Four Basic Strength Training Exercises

The four basic strength training exercises refer to the four fundamental movements of resistance training.

Together, these four movements cover a large part of what we can do with our bodies and use almost all of our major muscle groups.

The idea is that if you do at least one exercise for each fundamental movement, you will have worked all your major muscle groups.

The four fundamental movements are:

• Push something away from you. Examples: bench press, overhead press, push-ups, machine chest press.
• Pull something towards you. Examples: pull-ups, lat pulldown, barbell row, dumbbell row, cable row.
• Hip hinge. Examples: deadlift, good morning, Romanian deadlift, clean, kettlebell swing.
• Squat. Examples: squat, front squat, Bulgarian split squat, goblet squat, leg press.

Generally speaking:

• Pushing exercises work your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Pulling exercises work your lats, traps, and biceps.
• Hip hinge exercises work your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
• Squat exercises work your quads, glutes, and adductors.

Staying with barbell compound exercises, you could hit all four movements with the following four exercises:

If you want to get even more granular, you could add in a vertical push (like the overhead press) and a vertical pull (like the lat pulldown or pull-up) to work your pushing and pulling muscles in more directions and thereby hit more of their muscle fibers.

While the exercises above are great and also some of the most popular exercises according to our data, you don’t have to do them. There are a lot more exercises to choose from, and you can find them in our big list of exercises. But for the rest of this article, let’s stick to barbell exercises.

What are some of the best exercises you can do with a barbell for every muscle group?

Let’s find out!

Below are all the muscle groups we will cover in the rest of this article. Either click to skip to the ones you’re interested in or get the full barbell experience by reading from start to finish.

Barbell Chest Exercises

Here are some of the best chest exercises you can do with a barbell.

Bench Press

El Clásico. The bench press is the world’s most popular exercise, and the one which, according to Arnold, “gives that armor-plated look to the upper chest”.

The bench press strengthens all the big pushing muscles of your upper body and is one of the best exercises for filling out your shirt.

Incline Bench Press

A variation of the flat bench press, the incline press shifts more work to your upper pecs. Also, if a lack of shoulder mobility keeps you from doing barbell overhead presses (which we’ll get to later), an inclined press might be the next best thing for pressing overhead.

Speaking of shoulder issues, some people feel like the incline press is easier on their shoulder joints. And, while this is an article on the best barbell exercises, doing dumbbell incline presses might feel even better.

Feet-Up Bench Press

The feet-up bench press is a bench variation that has been popular among powerlifters for the last decade or so. Because arching is more difficult in the feet up position, this often results in a more flat bench press technique with a longer range of motion. Which, in turn, might be beneficial for chest muscle growth.

Lifting your feet up also means you will lose the stability from keeping your feet planted on the floor. This means you will get to practice building stability from your torso alone.

Barbell Upper Back & Lat Exercises

Here are some of the best upper back and lat exercises you can do with a barbell.

Barbell Row

The barbell row (also known as bent-over rows) is another classic barbell exercise, and this one hits most of your back muscles.

If you want to work your mid- and upper back, you should refrain from swinging or using too much momentum to get the barbell up. Doing so will shift the work to your lower back and hip extensors.

If you really want to emphasize your back muscles, try using a pair of lifting straps to be able to better focus on them.

Pendlay Row

A variant of the barbell row is the Pendlay row (named after weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay), and it is especially popular among weightlifters.

In the Pendlay row, you start and stop every rep with the barbell resting on the floor. This means you will have to build up tension in your back between every rep, which is useful for weightlifters.

Resetting the bar on the floor also takes some of the stress off from your lower back, which gets some rest between each rep.

Seal Row

If you want to focus even more on your upper and mid back, you could try the seal row (or bench row).

In this exercise, you lie prone on a high bench with the barbell beneath you, completely offloading your lower back.

Barbell Lower Back Exercises

Here are some of the best lower back exercises you can do with a barbell.

Deadlift

The big one! The deadlift works almost your entire posterior chain, with your lower back muscle in the epicenter.

This is one of the barbell exercises in which you can handle the most weight, and one of the competitive events in powerlifting.

Rack Pull

The rack pull is a deadlift variation in which you have elevated the barbell, either by placing it in a power rack, on boxes, or on a pair of thick weight plates like I’ve done in the demonstration above.

Starting from a higher position means you can lift even more weight than in the deadlift. It also means you cut out some of the quadriceps work from the exercise, focusing even more on your low back. Albeit in a shorter range of motion.

Good Morning

Another popular exercise for your lower back (and glutes, and hamstrings) is the good morning.

This exercise really hammers your lower back muscles, and I advice you to start with light weights and focus on a long range of motion and being in full control.

The good morning exercise also resembles the barbell squat to some extent, which can help you build your squat strength.

Barbell Shoulder Exercises

Here are some of the best shoulder exercises you can do with a barbell.

Overhead Press

The barbell overhead press is the king of shoulder exercises, and has been a staple in shoulder training for decades.

In the strict overhead press (also known as military press), you don’t use your knees to get momentum, and you should generally start the movement from your upper chest or at least below your chin.

Behind-the-Neck Press

Want to go old-school in your shoulder training? The behind-the-neck press was a common sight in gyms back in the golden era of bodybuilding, but you don’t see it often nowadays.

The behind-the-neck press has a bad reputation for carrying a high risk of injury to your shoulders, but the rumours are likely exaggerated.

If you have the mobility for it, the behind-the-neck press is safe to train. If you don’t currently have the necessary mobility, you could start with a very light weight and gradually work towards getting the barbell down behind your neck.

Compared to the front-of-the-neck overhead press, the behind-the-neck variant will target your middle deltoids slightly more, and make it more difficult to cheat.

Front Raise

Your front delts usually get all the training they need from pressing exercises like the bench press and the overhead press, but if you ever want to hit them specifically, the barbell front raise is a good choice of exerise.

Barbell Shrug

Want to work the upper parts of your trapezius? The shrug is a classic, and you can perform it either with a barbell, or grab a pair of dumbbells and do dumbbell shrugs.

Barbell Rear Delt Row

Pressing weights over your head works your front and middle deltoids, but what about your posterior deltoids? That is where the barbell rear delt row comes in.

This rowing exercise involves rowing a barbell high up on your chest, with your upper arms moving almost straight out to your sides. This will emphasize your rear deltoids and your upper traps.

Barbell Triceps Exercises

Here are some of the best triceps exercises you can do with a barbell.

Barbell Lying Triceps Extension

The barbell lying triceps extension has been proven effective for working the long and medial heads of the triceps, making it one of the best triceps exercises.¹

Any triceps exercise where you let your arms work over your head (relative to a standing position. That is: having your upper arms next to your ears.) you hit these triceps’ heads.

Barbell Standing Triceps Extension

Just like the lying triceps extension, the standing barbell triceps extension is a great triceps exercise that primarily works the long and medial heads of the triceps.

If you don’t want to use a barbell for this exercise, feel free to do dumbbell triceps extensions or overhead cable triceps extensions.

Close-Grip Bench Press

The close-grip bench press is a classic bench press variation for emphasizing your triceps. This exercise complements the previous two triceps exercises well, as it primarily works the lateral head of your triceps.¹

Barbell Biceps Exercises

Here are some of the best biceps exercises you can do with a barbell.

Barbell Curl

The barbell bicep curl might just be the most classic bicep exercise of all, and you can’t go wrong with the classics.

To make the most out of this bicep exercise, don’t let your elbows pass behind your body, and avoid using momentum for getting the weight up.

Preacher Curl

Adding a preacher bench to your barbell curls can make it even easier for you to avoid using momentum or a cheating technique.

This exercise is heaviest when your biceps are at long muscle lengths, which has been proven effective for muscle growth.²

Barbell Quad Exercises

Here are some of the best quad exercises you can do with a barbell.

Squat

The barbell squat is often called “the king of exercises”, and is another one of the old time-tested classics. The squat is also a competitive event in powerlifting, where you must squat below parallel for your lift to be approved (atleast in the International Powerlifting Federation).

The squat is one of the best lower body exercises you can do, and proven effective for building your quads, glutes, and adductors. But, contrary to popular belief, the squat does not seem effective for training your hamstrings.³

Front Squat

If you want to take some load off your lower back but still hit your quads hard, the front squat is a great alternative to back squats. Because you hold the weight in front of you, you will squat more upright, and usually also be able to achieve a deeper squat.

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat might feel like a balancing act at first, but if you stick with it, you will have gained access to another great exercise for your quads, glutes, and adductors.

Because the Bulgarian split squat works one leg at a time, you will be able to spot and balance side-to-side differences in strength, and you will also challenge your gluteus medius and minimus more than in a bilateral squat.

The main downside is, of course, that you have to suffer through twice as many sets.

Barbell Lunge

If you don’t like the Bulgarian split squat, the barbell lunge offers another way of training your legs one at a time.

You can perform lunges while staying in place like in the gif above, or by doing walking lunges.

Barbell Glute Exercises

Here are some of the best glute exercises you can do with a barbell.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is a deadlift variation that emphasizes your glutes and hamstrings.

In contrast to the regular deadlift, the Romanian deadlift lends itself better to bodybuilding-style training with ligher weights, medium-to-high reps, and focusing on achieving great mind-muscle connection.

A pair of lifting straps can be useful in the Romanian deadlift, to make grip a non-issue even in higher reps sets.

Hip Thrust

The hip thrust is another effective barbell glute exercise that works your glutes in a slightly different vector than the different standing barbell exercises do.

By combining the barbell hip thrust with one of the standing glute exercises, you can probably achieve greater glute muscle growth than if you where to only use one type of exercise.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

The single-leg Romanian deadlift might require some practice before you have the balance for it, but it is an effective exercise for working your glutes and hamstrings with a light weight.

Because of the light weight, a lot of people can use this exercise to keep training their glutes even while rehabbing a low back injury.

Squat

I have already listed the squat under the quad exercise section, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the squat as a barbell glute exercise as well.

Provided that you squat deep (at least to parallel), the squat has been proven to be a very effective glute exercise.

Barbell Hamstrings Exercises

Here are some of the best hamstrings exercises you can do with a barbell.

Romanian Deadlift

Just like we had to list the squat as an effective exercise for both quads and glutes, we must list the Romanian deadlift twice. It is not only one of the best glute exercises you can do, but also one of the best barbell hamstrings exercises.

Focus on a slow, controlled eccentric where you really feel your hamstrings working, and build up that pump on the back of your thighs!

Stiff-Legged Deadlift

Similar to the Romanian deadlift, the stiff-legged deadlift is a deadlift variation that works your posterior chain (including your hamstrings) more.

The stiff-legged deadlift begins and ends each repetition with the barbell on the floor, and you should keep your knees almost completely straight (just a small bend) throughout the exercise.

Barbell Calves Exercises

Here is one of the best calf exercises you can do with a barbell.

Smith Machine Calf Raise

Standing calf raises train both the inner (solues) and outer (gastrocnemius) calf muscles simultaneously.

This exercise is most safely performed with a fixed barbell (like in the smith machine), because there is a small risk of slipping with your feet if you use a bench or weight plate to stand on. If you were to slip, you don’t want a free weight barbell on your shoulders.

Barbell Forearms & Grip Exercises

Here are some of the best forearm and grip exercises you can do with a barbell.

Barbell Wrist Curl

The barbell wrist curl works the flexors of your hands and forearms, meaning the muscles that bend and close your hand.

Barbell Wrist Extension

The barbell wrist extension works the muscles on the top side of your forearms, the extensor muscles that extends your wrists.

How Many Exercises Should You Do Per Muscle Group?

Now that you’ve learnt about all of the best barbell exercises for building muscle and strength, the next question is: how many exercises should you do per muscle?

That depends on the muscle.

For some muscles, a single exercise is all that is necessary for optimal muscle growth. For other muscles, several exercises might be necessary.

To learn how many exercises each muscle group needs, check out our guide:

How Many Exercises Should You Do per Muscle Group?

Barbell Workouts & Training Programs

We have plenty of barbell-based workouts and training programs available in our workout app.

Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Beginner Barbell Workout Plan. 2–3x/week. Simple and effective, this training program gives you a perfect start in your training career. You will build muscle and strength swiftly by doing two to three barbell-based, whole-body workouts per week.
• StrengthLog’s Upper/Lower Body Split Program. 4x/week. One of our most popular programs. Four workouts per week, emphasizing getting stronger in the compound lifts. For increased muscle mass and strength!
• Intermediate Powerlifting Program. 3x/week. A training program for the intermediate powerlifter, where the weights increase weekly, with light and medium workouts in between the heavy workouts.
• Advanced Powerlifting Program. 3x/week. A training program for the advanced powerlifter who no longer gets stronger from week to week, and needs a high training volume to progress. Nine weeks long, and ends in a short peaking phase and max attempts.

View all workout routines in our full list of training programs.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your training!

References

1. J Strength Cond Res. 2020 May;34(5):1254-1263. Varying the Order of Combinations of Single- And Multi-Joint Exercises Differentially Affects Resistance Training Adaptations.
2. J Strength Cond Res. 2023 Jan 18. Which ROMs Lead to Rome? A Systematic Review of the Effects of Range of Motion on Muscle Hypertrophy.
3. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019 Sep;119(9):1933-1942. Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes.