Barbells are one of the most popular and versatile pieces of equipment in the fitness industry. They have been used for decades by athletes, powerlifters, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts alike to build strength, muscle, and improve overall fitness.
Barbells come in various shapes and sizes, but the most common type consists of a long steel bar with weights attached to either end. The barbell can be loaded with varying amounts of weight, depending on the lifter's strength and fitness goals. One of the key advantages of barbells is that they allow for compound exercises, which involve multiple muscle groups working together. For example, the barbell squat targets the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core, making it an incredibly effective exercise for building lower body strength and muscle mass. Barbells also allow for progressive overload, which is essential for building strength and muscle. Progressive overload refers to gradually increasing the weight used during an exercise over time to continue challenging the muscles and promoting growth. In addition to building strength and muscle, barbells can also improve overall fitness and athleticism. Many athletes, such as football players and wrestlers, use barbell exercises to improve their explosiveness, power, and agility. Barbells also offer a range of exercises that can be tailored to individual fitness goals. For example, bodybuilders may use barbells for isolation exercises like bicep curls and tricep extensions, while powerlifters may focus on the squat, bench press, and deadlift to improve their competition lifts. Another advantage of barbells is that they can be used by people of all fitness levels. Beginners can start with lighter weights and gradually increase the load as they become stronger, while advanced lifters can push themselves to new levels of strength and performance. In addition to traditional barbells, there are also specialty bars available that cater to specific exercises or training styles. For example, the trap bar is a hexagonal-shaped bar that is used for deadlifts and shrugs, while the safety squat bar is designed to place less stress on the shoulders during squats. Overall, barbells are a versatile and effective piece of equipment for anyone looking to build strength, muscle, and improve overall fitness. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced lifter, incorporating barbell exercises into your training routine can help you achieve your fitness goals and reach new levels of strength and performance
0 Comments
(1) Eat for performance, not weight loss.
Powerlifting is a performance sport. Ultimately, your weight matters little if your performance isn't up to snuff. Many lifters get ahead of themselves by trying to reduce body weight/fat before reaching competitive numbers. This is a mistake that will hinder your both long and short-term gains. Eat to fuel your body, and your performance will skyrocket! (2) Don't get hung up on a bad training day. We've all been there. We have a heavy training day planned, and after putting it off for a few days we finally decide to go for it. We miss our top sets (that we have hit before), and we LOSE IT. I have literally cried... many times... over a bad training day. But the reality is that for every 1 bad training day, I probably have 10 good ones. Those are damn good odds! Understand that your training session is one of many. There will be good ones, and there will be bad ones. Don't get wrapped up around it. You're not a failure. Move forward & keep putting in the work. (3) Individualize, don't optimize. Many lifters try to find the *perfect* program, work-out for the *perfect* number of days, and have the *perfect* workout equipment (which belt, which shoes, etc.). The missing piece here is that what is perfect for one person may not be perfect for you. You have to find the thing that is perfect for YOU. If you need help with this, reach out. In powerlifting, increasing load is the main goal. However, if you’re in the throes of training and aren’t feeling super confident that you’ll PR during a testing day (usually bench cause meh), here are a few different approaches you can take:
Want to join us inside Underground Athletes? We'd love to have you. Let's talk unilateral (single arm or single leg) movements.
What are some examples?
When are they beneficial? In new lifters, rehabbing lifters, or experienced lifters dealing with muscle asymmetries or strength imbalances. Also can serve to train stabilizers. When are they not particularly helpful? To increase bilateral strength in experienced lifters without muscular deficits or imbalances. Why? Experienced lifters are usually too strong to benefit from exclusively unilateral training. Including it within a mesocycle is fine, but there should be bilateral stimulus present as well. Example: an experienced lifter squats 200lb, but uses 65lb for lunges in order to get each leg individually stronger in order to get a bigger squat. It isn't wrong to use the lunge as an accessory movement, but the lunge would not directly correlate with an increased squat. There isn't enough stimulus (keeping in mind that in order get strong you need stimulus + overload). What you can use lunges for as an experienced lifter, is as a hypertrophy movement to build the musculature that assists the squat. An inexperienced lifter can get much more use out of unilateral work. It is not uncommon to be stronger in unilateral movements as a novice, and it can directly correlate with getting stronger with bilateral movements (lunges can increase squat strength in new lifters, cool ain't it!). So here is your reminder to pick your accessories wisely!! |
AuthorHelpful articles from fitness how-tos to product reviews. Written by Katie. Archives |