Barbell workouts target different muscle groups, including arms, chest, and legs. Exercises include curls, bench presses, and squats. Practitioners should stretch and have a spotter when working with heavy weights.
Dumbbells are a type of weight lifting equipment found in sports clubs and home gyms. They usually consist of a steel bar, end weights often called plates, and collars that secure the weights. The dumbbells come in fixed and adjustable weight kit variations. Most people use barbell workouts to get stronger, increase their metabolism, and build muscle mass. There are many different types of barbell workouts, and each type targets one of three main muscle group areas: arms, chest, and legs.
Barbell workouts that focus on the arm muscles typically include several types of exercises. For example, standing curls, incline curls, and preacher curls are designed to build and isolate the bicep muscles. Close-grip bench presses, barbell extensions, and push-ups help build and tone the triceps muscles in your arms. Reverse curls and wrist curls with a barbell work the forearm muscles in the upper arm.
Many weightlifters use barbell exercises to build and develop chest muscles. Most people do the chest workout before the arm workout, because arm exercises often tire the chest muscles. The flat bench press with a barbell is one of the most effective exercises for building muscle in the pectoral area. Some practitioners change the angle of the bench to focus on different areas of the chest. For example, incline presses work the upper chest muscles, and decline presses work the lower chest.
Weighted squats aim to increase muscle strength in the legs and back. These types of movements are commonly incorporated into complete barbell workouts because they are compound exercises. This means they use multiple muscles, including the specific quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, calves, and lower back muscles.
Most barbell workouts focus on one muscle group at a time, and sometimes alternate days where muscle groups are worked. For example, arm workouts can be done on Monday and Thursday, leg workouts on Tuesday and Friday, and chest workouts done on Wednesday. Effective workouts tire the muscles, and then the muscles need a day or more to recover.
Barbell workouts can be too intense to start lifting weights. Some people may want to relax by first using weights or dumbbells with light or no weights. All practitioners should stretch before and after this type of training to avoid injury. When working with heavy weights, most people need to have a trainer or spotter on hand in case of an emergency.
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