Full-body Barbell Workout: The Best No-Machines Workout at Home

The full-body barbell workout is the purest form of weightlifting. No machines? No problem, but you will still build muscle mass with single equipment – the barbell. 

Performing the full-body barbell workout will give you the intense exercises. These exercises will make your body fat decreases. With the following training using a barbell, there are no excuses for you when you have no machines, no cables at home.

Workouts come with a great healthy meal. Building the muscle mass using the full-body barbell workout start in simple ways.

Ways to Build Muscles for Full-Body Barbell Workout

If you are a beginner, try doing the full-body barbell workout for a starter.

Bench Press

For the beginners, the bench press is the classic upper body exercise for men. The workout routine will be incomplete if this workout will be missed. This workout is being performed using a bench with the barbell.

The Military Press

This is a workout with impressive shoulders. The jacked torso should be equal with your shoulders. The military press can be performed standing or seated to complete the full-body barbell workout. But more benefits can get in the military press by performing it standing. It will stabilize the core muscles as well. How cool is that?

The Barbell Squat

The most classic full-body barbell workout is the barbell squat wherein this workout will benefit more by doing higher repetitions and an increase in volume. This workout regime will increase your muscle mass. 

The Deadlift

The grip, glutes, and the whole of the back are muscle groups that deadlift is working on simultaneously. The moves in this workout are more primal than ripping a bar. This workout benefits the lower-body for strength and increases power.

The Bent-Over Row

Why this workout for the full-body barbell workout? For a simple reason, this workout targets the back muscles, which mostly skip in doing other exercises. The imbalance workouts may result in serious injury. The spikes growth in your lower back and guns to help you balance naturally.  

The Barbell Shrug

This barbell shrug is perfect to work out your traps and fills out the V-carving space between your neck and shoulders. With this workout, your movement will not be limited, and a lot of weight can be done. As the full-body barbell workout, the barbell shrug can have a little problem with the grip. To avoid this, you need to have an alternate grip with the barbell. The one palm overhand, the other underhand for better all-around purchase on the bar.

More Advanced Barbell Workout

When you already started the full-body barbell workout, you should increase the amount of your training. After a while, you developed more strength and endurance to perform more advanced barbell workout. Some of these workouts will need machines and extra equipment. Well, you will not expect the advanced workout without any use of machines and other equipment.

The Floor Press

The floor press is one of the barbell workouts that target the chest muscles. Here is how you will achieve the muscle build up in your chest.

1. Your starting position is preparing the squat rack. Make sure that it has adjustable safety arms.
2. Then find the “J-hooks” just below the barbell. It will make your arms locked out.
3. When done, lay your back beneath the bar directly. The position should be the same as setting up for a bench press.
4. While in this position, spread your legs. Make sure that it will be extended flat on the floor to increase the weight to your upper body. Use the grip width with your forearms to be perpendicular to the floor.
5. Your elbows should be on the floor to unrack the bar.
6. Then slowly, lower the bar until you reach the floor.
7. Repeat the routines after you lockout.

For this workout, the one-arm barbell flye and barbell pullover can add more power from the floor to make the perfect full-body barbell workout.

The Close-Grip Barbell Curl

After the chest muscles, you should be working out your biceps. The close-grip barbell cull will tone your biceps, which help your upper body to be more attractive. To achieve tone biceps muscles, here is how you do it.

1. Your starting position is holding the barbell with your palms up or what we called a supinated grip. It should be between 6-12 inches wide. Otherwise, this will create a strain on your wrists without increasing the benefits of the close grip.
2. Next, put the bar against your thighs while a full stretch in your pec muscles. Hold this position.
3. Then stand with your chest out, but the shoulders should be a little backward. It will make your elbows pinned to your sides, and your upper arms are fixed in place.
4. Curl the bar towards your shoulder. It will create a contract for your biceps.
5. Make a stop when you reached the 45-degree angle with your upper arms.
6. Add wide grip barbell curl and close-grip chin-up for better results of toned biceps.

The Floor Skullcrusher

After the biceps, you will need a workout for your triceps. Then the floor skull crusher will give your triceps the form of muscles you need for more power and strength. How will you do it? Here are the best ways to do it.

1. Your starting position is lying your back on the floor with a loaded bar, few inches on top of your head.
2. While in this position, point your elbows toward the ceiling. Make sure that your overhand grip is taking on the bar just inside shoulder width.
3. Then contract your triceps so you will be able to extend your elbows. Do not force yourself. Look for a cambered bar if you feel discomfort in your wrists.
4. Next, lift the weight above your shoulders directly then locked out the position. Hold this position to reach to the peak of the contraction.
5. After that, you can return to your position by letting your upper arms track-back slightly. Instead of allowing the bar to descend toward your forehead. In this way, you will let the bar rest on the floor.
6. Make sure to keep your elbows in tight to keep the force on your triceps.

To make it more effective, you should do the weighted bench dip and close-grip push up alongside with this full-body barbell workout.

The Power Snatch

With your triceps and biceps, you should probably work out your shoulder muscles. The power snatch is one of the full-body barbell workouts that will give your shoulders the muscles mass it needs. So how will you start doing this workout?

1. Your starting position is to hold a barbell with an extensive pronated grip. Then make the bar rests below the crease of your hips with your arms straight. 
2. To make sure you will have a full grip with the bar, use an Olympic-style “hook” grip by wrapping your fingers over your thumbs. The lifting should start extremely light.
3. While doing this position, maintain your back flat, and you are dip at your knees. 
4. Then reverse the motion and return the bar to the crease of your hips. Do this quickly so you will not lose control of your workout.
5. If you are in this position, drive the force from your hips to propel the bar upward. It will lead to your elbows.
6. Then rotate your elbows downward and continue to extend the bar upward. Make sure it was locked out overhead.

For more shoulder muscle mass, including the standing barbell military press and barbell front raise.

The Zercher Squat

This workout targets the lower part of your body – your legs. You will need a squat rack to perform this full-body barbell workout correctly. As starting position, you need to:

1. Using a squat rack, grab the loaded barbell on the floor. Make sure you are using a pronated grip, which is inside the width of your knees, lift the bar to your thighs.
2. Make sure that before picking up the bar, you set a narrow-grip deadlift and placing your feet approximately shoulder-width apart your toes, your shins touching the bar.
3. Then, squat down until your thighs become parallel to the floor. 
4. Rest the bar on your thighs and close to the crease of your hips.
5. While in this position, tucked both arms under the bar to secure it in the crooks of your elbows.
6. Maintain this position – your back flat and torso are upright, while muscles of your hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors are contracted. It will help you to squat the weight up until your knees and hips are fully extended.
7. Next is to use a force that will go against the bar’s tendency. It will pull you forward as you descend back into a deep squat.
8. While doing this position, let your elbows sink between your legs until the bar touches your thighs. Then immediately reverse direction.
9. Make sure that at the end of each set, rest the bar back on your thighs. It will quickly switch back to the narrow pronated deadlift grip. 
10. Your hips will be hinged to set the bar back on the floor.

The effects of this workout can be added with the barbell front squat and Romanian deadlift.

Sharing My Thoughts

The full-body barbell workout makes our upper, and lower body muscled to develop. Many activities can be combined, so you will have the full-body workout using the barbell. However, if you are a beginner, you should start with simple routine exercises. Then increase the weight for more strength and power as long as your body can conquer the advanced full-body barbell workout.