Bodybuilding Exercises Without a Barbell

Article by Roy Ingamells

Bodybuilding Exercises Without a Barbell

When people think about bodybuilding exercises, they inevitably think about barbells. That’s because all of the classic bodybuilding moves are performed with the assistance of a barbell. The squat, the bench press, the power clean, the military press and the dead lift all make use of a barbell to get the job done. However, there are many bodybuilding exercises that can be performed without a barbell, which will help open the doors towards even more success with your training.

There are several different reasons why you may be interested in bodybuilding exercises without using barbells. For one thing, you may work out at home and don’t have the services of a barbell. Or perhaps you travel a lot, and have to use hotel gyms and the like that have a few machines and some free weights but no barbell. All of the sudden when you’re used to having barbells around and then you don’t, you realize you have been taking them for granted for all this time.

Alternatively, you may be looking for a way to inject some fresh life into a boring routine, or to target different sides of your body individually to help balance out weak spots and prevent injuries. Regardless of the reason, all bodybuilding exercises can be changed to be performed without the traditional barbell.

Starting with some simple switches, you can take the barbell out of many exercises and replace it with two dumbbells without having to change the movement itself much at all. The bench press for example can be performed with two dumbbells, either pressing at the same time or in alternating fashion. Squats can be performed holding a dumbbell at either side of your body with your arms straight, or they can be performed holding one dumbbell in front of your chest. The latter of which is called the goblet squat.

Dead lifts can be performed with the same motion but with using two dumbbells placed in front of your feet and of course you can complete shoulder presses with dumbbells as well. Clearly, the barbell can be completely weeded out of your routine if you wanted to or if you need to for any of the reasons mentioned above.

The only one of the bodybuilding exercises mentioned above that can’t be directly switched to dumbbells is the power clean. However, you can perform many exercises in its place which will provide great benefits. For example, you can perform one arm bent over rows for your middle back, and you can perform shrugs holding dumbbells at your sides. You can also perform pull-ups and chin-ups for your back.

Don’t be afraid that if you lose access to a barbell you lose your bodybuilding exercises as well. Almost every great barbell exercise can be performed utilizing dumbbells, or can be replaced with other effective bodybuilding moves and routines. So whether you are looking for some variation or a way to ensure your workout stays intact in your home basement, you have nothing to worry about.