Something magical happens near the start of each dedicated lifter’s love affair with resistance training. There’s a period of unprecedented gains in strength and size. Some check with the muscular adaptations realized during this stage as “newbie gains.” 

Don’t let the derogatory connotation idiot you. Newbie gains are awesome. You’ll hit frequent personal bests, stack on kilos of lean muscle mass, and dial-in natural lifting technique. 

Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock

What’s one of the best ways for a latest lifter to make the most of this honeymoon period of gains? Easy. Get your hands on a weight set and train consistently with the fundamental barbell lifts. Built around barbell basics, this program provides every thing you wish for serious muscle.

Beginner’s Barbell Workout

Warm-up for Your Barbell Workout

Starting a workout cold may result in reduced performance, so learn good habits from the beginning. Don’t skip your warm-up. Warm-ups typically begin with a four-to-six-minute session of cardio to extend body temperature and circulation, ultimately improving oxygen delivery to your muscles and improving metabolite clearance. Common options for the cardio warm-up include skipping rope, riding a stationary bike, or taking a fast jog. 

Next, mobilize and activate the joints and muscles of the body involved within the upcoming workout. Because you’re warming up for a full-body workout, you can burn a variety of gym time here, so it’s best to concentrate on a couple of key areas corresponding to your hips, shoulders, and spine. Below is a two-movement mobility and activation sequence for these regions. Perform three rounds of following movements:

• Plank to Pike with Alternating Reach: Assume a “high plank” position — the highest position of a push-up — then use your upper body to push your hips back over your heels until you’re feeling a hamstring stretch. This “the other way up V” is named the pike position. Maintain the pike position and reach your right hand toward your left foot, return your hand to center, then reach your left hand toward your right foot. Return to a high plank by lowering your hips. That’s one repetition. Perform 8 repetitions.

• Plank to Deep Lunge with Rotations: Begin within the high plank position and drive your left leg forward and plant your foot as near the skin of your hand as your mobility allows. Then, lift your left hand and reach out and up toward the ceiling as you rotate your trunk to the left so far as you possibly can. Rotate back and return your hand to the ground, then step back to high plank. Repeat on the fitting side. That’s one repetition. Perform 8 repetitions. 

When you finally get your hands on the barbell, remember to perform several “work-up sets” of every exercise using lighter weights. Work-up sets mean you can dial-in technique and enable you to discover appropriate weights for the sets that count.

Barbell Basics for Size and Strength

A barbell with plates is possibly probably the most versatile tool for resistance training. Along with being the requisite piece of apparatus for common exercises, it’s loadable, allowing you to scale the intensity of your training to your current level of strength. Paired with an adjustable bench and durable rack, a barbell set gives you the means to coach your entire body. 

Fortunately, beginner lifters don’t have to live on the gym to experience newbie gains. A big meta-analysis compared the results of lower than five weekly sets per muscle group, five to nine weekly sets, and ten or more. (1) For hypertrophy and strength results, this evaluation concluded beginners and novice lifters should goal five to nine sets per week per major muscle group. (1)

After all, this suggestion doesn’t imply all sets needs to be performed in the identical workout. Full-body workouts help to maximise training frequency, or the variety of times each muscle group is trained per week. Higher frequency training allows for greater weekly sets while avoiding marathon-length workouts. 

The workout below consists of 15 sets of barbell exercises. If repeated two or thrice per week, this workout puts beginner and novice lifters squarely into the goal range for weekly sets. (1) It could be the one resistance training program you have to take your physique from entry-level to next-level.

Barbell Basics Workout Plan

• Front Squat — 3 x 6-10
• Bench-Supported Barbell Row — 3 x 8-12
• Romanian Deadlift — 2 x 8-12
• Incline Bench Press — 3 x 6-10
• Barbell Rollout — 2 x 12-16
• Barbell Curl — 2 x 8-12

Front Squat

Set the tone of your workout by hitting squats first. Specifically, front squats, which hammer your thighs and glutes. The front squat differs from the back squat in several ways. First, because the name implies, the front squat requires carriage of the bar in front of the body, while back squats are performed with the bar across the upper back.

The front carriage or “front rack” position could also be more forgiving for those with shoulder instability, and it tends to advertise a more upright trunk position. In comparison with back squat, the front squat also tends to require relatively less weight to elicit an identical training effect. (2) 

Why favor an exercise that uses less weight? This can be a full-body workout, and we are only getting began. Less load spares the body from excessive fatigue accumulation, which could interfere with subsequent exercises. Front squats will toast your quads without burning through all of your matches. 

• Do it: Arrange for the front squat by placing the bar at chest height within the rack. For safety, set the spotter arms to roughly one increment below the bottom point you anticipate the bar reaching in the course of the movement. Place your fingers over the bar, barely outside shoulder-width and dip under the bar as you point your elbows straight ahead. Step back a half step from the rack, place your feet roughly shoulder width, and squat down, keeping your elbows high and chest up. Descend so far as possible while remaining upright with heels on the ground, then return to standing. 
• Sets and Repetitions: 3 x 6-10
• Rest time: Rest three minutes between sets .

Advantages of the Front Squat

• The “front rack” bar position promotes an upright trunk, which could also be useful for lifters who are likely to fold excessively forward during squats.
• Front squats construct big, strong quadriceps. Quadriceps may be further biased by placing wedges or small plates under the heels.
• The exercise promotes athleticism. Front squats have direct carryover to Olympic weightlifting movements (i.e., clean & jerk) and are shown to enhance vertical jump performance more effectively than heavy hip thrusts. (3)

Bench-Supported Barbell Row

The following exercise is an upper body pulling movement. Barbell rows are known to construct wide lats. This bench-supported variation spares your spinal erectors (the lower back muscles that support your back) for the following exercise. (4) Spoiler alert: deadlifts are next, so that you’ll need a fresh set of erectors. Along with your latissimus dorsi, barbell rows hit your rear deltoids and trapezius. (4)

The bench support also permits you to dial-in natural rowing technique since you don’t have to fret about maintaining trunk or hip positions as within the bent over row. Rows should involve the whole shoulder complex, not only the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. Meaning while you pull, your shoulder blades out to retract, or squeeze together. To re-enforce proper shoulder blade movement, concentrate on creating extra space between the front of your shoulders and floor as you row the barbell. (5)

• Do it: Set an adjustable bench to a roughly 35-to-45-degree angle. Lie in your stomach along with your chest supported by the highest several inches of the bench. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip barely beyond shoulder-width. Draw the bar toward the underside of the bench, then return to the underside position, ensuring motion comes from the shoulder joint and shoulder blades.
• Sets and Repetitions: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest two minutes between sets.

Advantages of the Bench-Supported Barbell Row

• The bench support prevents unnecessary fatigue and allows for greater focus and emphasis on the goal muscles — lats, mid-back, and rear delts.
• Using a moderate-width, overhand grip promotes balanced development of mid-back and lat muscles for back thickness and width.
• The bench-supported row is great for shoulder health. Along with constructing your back, rows train the rotator cuff, namely the subscapularis, as a dynamic stabilizer. (6)

Romanian Deadlift

When programmed earnestly, conventional deadlifts are likely to be unforgiving. They place heavy demands in your grip, trunk, and legs. The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a deadlift variation starting at the highest position of the lift and executed with minimal bend on the knees. It’s a wiser barbell lift for targeting hamstrings at this stage of the workout.

Following the identical rationale as programming front squats fairly than back squats to cut back systemic demand and ensuing fatigue, the RDL is favored for this full-body workout. At 70% of one-repetition maximum, conventional deadlifts and RDLs place similar mechanical demands on the hips and show similar hamstring muscle activity. (7)

Nonetheless, the RDL one-repetition maximum is substantially lower than the standard deadlift. Sure, conventional deadlifts are shown to hit the quadriceps harder than RDLs, but you’ve already toasted your quads with the front squat. (7) Savor the stretch of RDLs as you construct a formidable set of “hanging hamstrings.”

• Do it: Stand with either an overhand or mixed (“over/under”) grip on the barbell. Maintain a slight bend in your knees as you lower the bar by bending on the hips. Lower the load until you’re feeling a robust stretch behind your thighs in the underside position, then return to standing. Keep your torso stiff as you bend on the hips and avoid curving your back forward.
• Sets and Repetitions: 2 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest three minutes between sets.

Advantages of the Romanian Deadlift

• The RDL builds “strength at length.” By keeping your knees relatively straight when you bend forward on the hips, you stretch the hamstrings under load, which promotes simultaneous gains in hypertrophy and suppleness. (8)(9)
• Romanian deadlifts activate the hamstrings to similar levels as conventional deadlift. (7) RDLs likely exposes the hamstrings to greater tension due the increases stretch across three of the 4 hamstring muscles — semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris long head.

Incline Bench Press

No full-body barbell workout is complete with out a press. Quite than default to the ever popular bench press or classic military press, we’re striking middle ground by programming the incline bench. The incline bench press not only hits the center and lower fibers of your pectoralis major — the most important and most distinguished chest muscles — but it surely also hammers the upper (clavicular) fibers. (10) Since your shoulders are trained through a bigger range of motion, the incline bench press can also be an efficient selection for constructing your deltoids, specifically the front portion. 

Still not convinced the incline bench is the fitting press for you? Results of an eight-week training study showed similar gains in muscle thickness in the center and lower regions of pectoralis between a gaggle training exclusively traditional bench press and a gaggle training exclusively incline bench press. (11) Nonetheless, the thickness gains were significantly greater within the upper pectoral region for the incline bench group. (11)

Most surprisingly, improvements in a lab-based test of horizontal pressing strength at the tip of the study were similar between groups. (11) As a disclaimer, those seeking to compete in the game of powerlifting should still program traditional bench press, because the principle of coaching specificity still applies.

• Do it: Set an adjustable bench to the 45-degree incline position. Retract your shoulder blades so that they lie flat while you lean against the pad with an arched back. Make sure the spotter arms are positioned one notch lower than your anticipated range of motion. Take a closed overhand grip on the bar, ensuring the bar rests on the heels of your hands. Keep your forearms vertical and bend on the elbows to lower the bar to your mid or upper chest. Avoid bouncing the bar off your chest before driving it back as much as the lockout position. 
• Sets and Repetitions: 3 x 6-10
• Rest time: Rest two minutes between sets.

Advantages of the Incline Bench Press

• The incline bench press delivers robust chest training by hitting all parts of your pectoralis major, in addition to your front deltoids and triceps. (10)
• Incline pressing builds mid and lower pec size (sternocostal head) while also constructing strength similarly to the standard flat bench press, with the additional advantage of stacking on more upper pec muscle (clavicular head). (11)
• Working on an incline delivered efficient results while requiring about 20% lower weights than traditional bench press. (12)

Barbell Rollout

The front squat and RDL have already trained your spinal erectors (the core muscles on the back of the trunk), but no exercise to date has directly targeted the anterior core, or abdominals. Enter the barbell rollout exercise. Essentially, it’s an ab wheel rollout performed with a barbell and plates. Sure, you can use the low-cost plastic, purpose-built device, but wouldn’t you fairly chisel your abs with steel fairly than something that appears prefer it was lifted from a toddler’s tricycle?

Exercise biomechanics of the barbell rollout are virtually similar to the classic ab wheel rollout. The ab wheel rollout is thought to supply higher upper abdominal, lower abdominal, and external oblique muscle activity that crunches and reverse crunches. (13) Along with training your anterior core, the rollout also hits your shoulder extensors. (13)

Since these shoulder muscles are trained through a comparatively long range of motion, the rollout may provide added advantages of shoulder mobility and latissimus dorsi flexibility. (9) Ultimately, in case you will not be accustomed to this variety of core training, prepare for serious delayed onset abdominal soreness.

• Do it: Load a plate and a collar on both sides of the barbell. Kneel in front of the barbell and take a shoulder-width overhand grip. Use your abdominals to attract your rib cage barely downward and tilt your pelvis barely back — “tuck your tail.” Keeping your hips prolonged and without allowing your spine to arch, roll the bar forward so far as you possibly can comfortably control. Use your shoulders to drag yourself back to an upright position.
• Sets and Repetitions: 2 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

Advantages of the Barbell Rollout

• The rollout is an anti-extension abdominal exercise that also builds shoulder strength and mobility.
• Barbell rollouts are likely to be tougher than other common core exercises, corresponding to crunches and reverse crunches.
• Quite than adjusting the load, the barbell rollout may be made easier by limiting your range of motion forward.

Barbell Curl

No weight training workout is complete without “pump work” for the glamor muscles. Everyone’s favorite showcase muscle, the biceps brachii, may have received some training stimulus in the course of the row, but you can not earnestly count those as three sets of biceps training. (14) 

As old-fashioned as it might feel, the straight barbell is an efficient selection for constructing big strong arms. Through the downward movement phase of the exercise, the barbell curl elicits more biceps brachii activity than the dumbbell curl. (15) Through the upward movement phase, the barbell curl is more practical than the dumbbell curl for exciting muscle activity within the brachioradialis muscle, the thumb-side muscle that crosses in front of your elbow. (15)

Finally, from a practical standpoint, the straight barbell all the time stays in front of your body during curls, which keeps tension on the goal muscles. In comparison with dumbbell curls, it’s far more difficult to “cheat” on barbell biceps curls by swinging the load. 

• Do it: Stand upright with an underhand shoulder-width grip on the barbell. Keeping your arms at your sides or barely in front of your ribs, curl the barbell by flexing your elbow. Maintain a vertical torso and don’t use your hips to swing the load. Return to the underside position with control.
• Sets and Repetitions: 2 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

Advantages of the Barbell Curl

• Barbell curls are equally effective to EZ-bar curls for activating the biceps brachii. (15) Nonetheless, barbell curls require full forearm supination throughout the movement, which can further emphasize your biceps brachii. (16)
• For those all in favour of forearm training, barbell curls appear higher suited to training brachioradialis than the dumbbell curl. (15)

Maximizing Your Iron Investment

This 15-set, barbell-only workout hits all major muscle groups. For best results, perform it two or thrice per week with a minimum of one full day of recovery between sessions. 

As your strength and muscularity steadily increase, you would possibly come to comprehend your weight set (or gym membership) was the perfect investment you’ve ever made. But there’s no such thing as passive return on this investment.  Even “newbie gains” require regular deposits of sweat and energy.

References

1. Ralston, G. W., et al. (2017). The effect of weekly set volume on strength gain: a meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 47, 2585-2601.
2. Bird, S. P., & Casey, S. (2012). Exploring the front squat. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 34(2), 27-33.
3. Contreras, B., et al. (2017). Effects of a six-week hip thrust vs. front squat resistance training program on performance in adolescent males: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(4), 999-1008.
4. García-Jaén, M., et al. (2021). Electromyographical responses of the lumbar, dorsal and shoulder musculature in the course of the bent-over row exercise: a comparison between standing and bench postures (a preliminary study). Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(4), 1871-1877.
5. Lincoln, M. A., et al. (2023). Exercise technique: The landmine row. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 45(3), 371-378.
6. Wattanaprakornkul, D., et al. (2011). Direction-specific recruitment of rotator cuff muscles during bench press and row. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 21(6), 1041-1049.
7. Lee, S., Schultz, J., Timgren, J., Staelgraeve, K., Miller, M., & Liu, Y. (2018). An electromyographic and kinetic comparison of conventional and Romanian deadlifts. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 16(3), 87-93.
8. Wolf, M., Androulakis-Korakakis, P., Fisher, J., Schoenfeld, B., & Steele, J. (2023). Partial vs full range of motion resistance training: A scientific review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 3(1).
9. Afonso, J., et al. (2021). Strength training versus stretching for improving range of motion: a scientific review and meta-analysis. Healthcare 9(4), 427.
10. dos Santos Albarello, et al. (2022). Non-uniform excitation of pectoralis major induced by changes in bench press inclination results in uneven variations within the cross-sectional area measured by panoramic ultrasonography. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 67, 102722.
11. Chaves, S. F., et al. (2020). Effects of horizontal and incline bench press on neuromuscular adaptations in untrained young men. International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(6), 859-872.
12. Saeterbakken, A. H., et al. (2017). The results of bench press variations in competitive athletes on muscle activity and performance. Journal of Human Kinetics, 57(1), 61-71.
13. Escamilla, R. F., et al. (2006). Electromyographic evaluation of traditional and nontraditional abdominal exercises: implications for rehabilitation and training. Physical Therapy, 86(5), 656-671.
14. Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Haun, C., Itagaki, T., & Helms, E. R. (2019). Calculating set-volume for the limb muscles with the performance of multi-joint exercises: implications for resistance training prescription. Sports, 7(7), 177.
15. Marcolin, G., et al. (2018). Differences in electromyographic activity of biceps brachii and brachioradialis while performing three variants of curl. PeerJ, 6, e5165.
16. Murray, W. M., Delp, S. L., & Buchanan, T. S. (1995). Variation of muscle moment arms with elbow and forearm position. Journal of Biomechanics, 28(5), 513-525.

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