You don’t need a fully equipped commercial gym to begin building some upper body strength and muscle, here is a minimalist upper body workout that uses nothing more than just a barbell and plates. With these three basic barbell movements you can effectively train the shoulders, back and arms using a simple and effective workout where every rep is pulled from the floor, with no rack or benches required. This makes it a great choice for home gyms or for when all the Back Machines are occupied at the gym.
Standing Barbell Press (5 sets of 5 reps)
The first exercise to be completed is the standing barbell press. This targets the muscles of the shoulders, triceps, and upper back and will utilise the Bill Starr 5x5 rep scheme. This is a classic strength building approach that balances heavy load with manageable volume, allowing for progressive overload without excessive fatigue. You can use the same weight for each set or a descending pyramid approach, where you reduce the weight for each set.
• To perform this without a rack, every set will begin by cleaning the barbell from the floor to the shoulders. This targets muscles throughout the whole body, making it a great stand-alone exercise to develop power, co-ordination and balance.
• Grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width. As you prepare your press you need the barbell low in your hands, your forearms vertical, and your elbows slightly forward of your wrists.
• Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart (this will be similar to your squat stance or slightly wider depending on your preference for balance).
• Take a big breath, brace your abs, lock out your knees and squeeze your glutes. Press the bar straight overhead until your elbows lock and the bar is positioned in line with your shoulders and the middle of the foot. The barbell should stay close to the face, almost brushing the nose on the way to the lockout.
• Lower the bar under control back to the shoulders and reset your brace before each rep. On completion of five repetitions return the bar safely to the ground.
Pendlay Row (3 sets of 5-8 reps)
The Pendlay row is a powerful horizontal pull that begins from a dead stop on the ground for each rep. It’s a key barbell movement which allows for a large amount of weight to be used over an effective range of motion. With training most people will be able to lift somewhere between 60-70% of their maximum deadlift on a Pendlay row. It also targets many different muscles, namely the upper back, lats and arms whilst reinforcing a strong hip hinge position. Aim for a weight that you can pull for between 5 and 8 repetitions.
• Start with the bar slightly forward of the mid foot, and take a double overhand grip that is wider than shoulder width.
• Hinge at the hips until your torso is roughly parallel to the ground and set your back into extension. Take a big breath and brace before you pull the bar explosively toward the upper abdomen.
• Return the bar to the floor and reset before you begin the next repetition.
Barbell Curl (3 sets of 8-12 reps)
No upper body Barbell workout would be complete without the barbell curl. The curl provides direct arm work for the biceps and as an isolation exercise, you will want to perform a high number of reps. Use a weight that allows you to complete a minimum of 8 but not much more than 12.
• To perform this exercise stand tall with the bar held at arms length, hands shoulder width apart.
• Take a breath and brace before curling the barbell upwards whilst keeping your elbows close to your sides.
• Squeeze the biceps at the top and lower the bar slowly under control. Avoid swinging or using momentum.
This barbell only upper body workout prioritises simplicity over complexity. Whilst you can perform many exercise variations with a barbell, these three are basic fundamental movements that will deliver the greatest improvements for strength and hypertrophy. Cleaning the press builds total body strength and the standing press and Pendlay row are widely considered to be the best pushing and pulling movements you can do with a barbell.
Give this a go if you are looking for a simple, hard and effective workout that builds real strength and muscle. If you commit to mastering these basics and progressively overloading them over time, the results will be obvious in both your strength and physique. Don't forget the Olympic Barbell Clips!
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Tags: Equipment > PBars & Weight Plates ; Exercise Type > Strength ; Misc. > Workout
