No machines? No problem. Build beastly mass with just a barbell using back-to-basics approach and eight uncommon exercises.

By Jeb Roberts, MA

While it’s easy to think of a back-to-basics approach as a suboptimal solution to a crowded gym, you’ll be passing up some serious benefits if basic barbell moves too often play second fiddle in your split. “When compared to dumbbells, barbells let you lift a greater total amount of weight,” says Brad Schoenfeld, MSc, CSCS, a former bodybuilding champion who serves as adjunct professor in the exercise science department at Lehman College in Bronx, NY, and who’s written numerous best-selling fitness books including Look Great Naked (Prentice Hall, 2001, Look Great Naked: The Internet's Premier Site for Women's Fitness). “In lower rep ranges, this translates into greater increases in strength. In moderate rep ranges, it maximizes muscle tension, leading to greater growth.” Simply put, bare-bones barbell lifting means moving more weight and gaining more strength, and increases in strength have been shown to have a direct correlation to increases in size.

But the benefits don’t end there. “When compared to machines, barbells allow for much greater development of secondary and stabilizing muscles,” Schoenfeld says. This has implications that go beyond developing a functional body, as it also increases the metabolic effects of training, which means you’re enhancing fat loss.” Simply put, forgoing your machine-based routine, whether by choice or necessity, could be just the shot in the arm that your muscles — and your metabolism — desperately need.

A Time for Isolation

None of this should suggest that compound barbell movements are the be-all and end-all of bodybuilding. In fact, even strength coaches like Schoenfeld readily admit that single-joint movements and machines have their place in a balanced program. “If you’re a bodybuilder, meaning your goal is to maximize hypertrophy and symmetry, it’s absolutely important to utilize a variety of training modalities,” Schoenfeld says. “The benefits of one are generally the downsides of the other, so when you combine them, they have a synergistic effect on muscle development.” Schoenfeld points out that, compared to compound movements — in which you’re activating multiple joints and typically moving a heavy weight through a large range of motion — machines make it easier to target specific muscles or even portions of a particular muscle. “This effect applies to many of the major muscles in the body, as muscles often have different attachment sites that provide greater leverage for different actions.”

So if single-joint machine- and dumbbell-based exercises as well as compound barbell-based movements both play a role in maximizing muscle growth, the question we’re left with is how to optimally combine them in a routine. “There’s no universal answer,” Schoenfeld says. “It all depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. If strength is your goal, you should situate compound, structural exercises first so that you can channel all of your energy into performance. On the other hand, pre-exhausting a muscle group with a single-joint move can also be a great strategy if you want to induce maximal fatigue for increased growth.” While pre-exhaust is an exceptional intensity technique for advanced lifters, the lifts described here should be performed first in a particular routine (and likely when your gym is busiest). Because most of these compound movements will be new to even some advanced lifters, you’ll need sufficient energy to focus on the correct form before you start dialing in with isolation (single-joint) work.
Master the Moves

Assuming basic compound movements are a neglected part of your routine, the exercises discussed here will require nothing more than a barbell and space — and, in a couple of instances, a squat rack or power cage. And if your gym is anything like most modern fitness facilities, you’ll be less likely to have to wait for these simple ingredients during peak hours. For most lifters, these moves will be a little unusual — we figure you already know how to do bench presses, squats and bent-over rows — so be sure to read the detailed exercise descriptions before piling on the plates. Each of the following exercises also includes barbell-based pairing movements — many of which will be single-joint variations — so you can get a full workout even if your favorite Hammer-Strength machine never frees up.

1. Floor Press (chest)

A favorite of powerlifters, the floor press mimics the bench press, focusing just on the top half of the movement to increase lockout strength for a bigger bench. “For lifters with shoulder issues, the limited range of motion can also be beneficial,” Schoenfeld says.

2. One-Arm Barbell Row (back)

This seldom-seen row variation allows the same full range of motion and stretch as the one-arm dumbbell row, but the corner pivot gives you more stability to pull more weight. It also offers an easier, slightly more horizontal angle of resistance, as you’ll be pulling the weight toward you rather than directly upward.

3. Power Snatch (shoulders)

Typically used as a full-body movement to increase explosive strength, the power snatch, whether performed from the floor or the hang (at hip height) is a sure-fire shoulder developer. Even better, it hits the typically undertrained rear delts more effectively than any other exercise, meaning it helps eliminate muscle imbalances that can lead to injury.

4. Zercher Squat (legs)

Unless you can clean as much as you can front squat (which is highly unlikely), the Zercher squat stands alone as the only squat variation that lets you lift heavy without a rack. It also targets the muscles of the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes and spinal erectors) better than any other type of squat, so it’s the ideal stand-in when you can’t get to a cage.

5. Close-Grip Barbell Curl (biceps)

Barbells aren’t just for heavy compound movements — they’re also a curl junky’s best friend. And while the basic standing barbell curl has been the go-to biceps builder for some of bodybuilding’s greatest physiques (including Arnold’s), the close-grip barbell curl offers the added advantage of targeting the biceps peak better than any other variation by emphasizing the long (outer) head.

6. Floor Skullcrusher (triceps)

The standard skullcrusher, performed supine on a flat bench with an EZ-curl bar, has two problematic features: It allows the triceps’ stored elasticity to carry over from the eccentric to the concentric motion, meaning your tri’s are doing less work, and it wreaks havoc on the elbows of many lifters — especially if it’s a main part of your program. For a little relief, take it to the floor, where you can start each rep from a dead stop to minimize muscle elasticity to make the lift safer on your elbows. You’ll also be able to lift much heavier without a spotter. Keep the cambered bar if elbow pain is still an issue.

7. Reverse Body-Drag Curl (forearms)

The reverse curl targets the brachioradialis in the forearm (as well as the biceps), and adding the body-drag component increases grip and forearm strength by ensuring that the barbell never rests in the palm at the top of the ROM. Using a fat bar or Fat Gripz (or a towel wrapped around the bar) drastically increases the stress on your forearms, ensuring an unreal pump in both your upper and lower arms. Make sure you do it last in your workout.

8. Barbell Rollout (abs)

The ab wheel might seem like just another poorly conceived infomercial six-pack gimmick, but along with the hanging leg raise (the full version, where you raise your feet all the way to the bar), the rollout is the choice core-strengthening move of powerlifters. It’s deceptively difficult, but it’s easy to scale with a kneeling or negative-only version, and it torches the upper and lower abs through an extreme range of motion while enforcing spinal stability. Even better, you can skip the wheel and perform it with a barbell loaded with smaller (circular) plates.
Exercise Descriptions

TO BE CONTINUE...

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