In a previous article, I basically said that the kettlebell is the best piece of gym equipment for most people, and I still believe that is the case.
However, when it comes to building raw strength, it is very, very difficult to beat the barbell, and in this piece I’m going to tell you why.
So let’s get into it.
#1 Progressive Overload With the Barbell Is Effortless
When it comes to developing strength and building muscle, progressive overload is really the key.
For those who don’t know, what progressive overload means, is gradually making your workouts more difficult over time so that your body keeps adapting and getting stronger.
That’s the simplest way to describe it.
And there are numerous ways to progressively overload your workouts.
For example, you could do more reps, use a fuller range of motion (such as doing a deep squat), or lift heavier weights.
This is where barbell training comes in.
With barbells, you can add fractional plates to each side of the bar, and these start at just 0.5 lbs.
So we’re not talking about a massive increase in weight here, but fractional plates allow you to slowly get accustomed to the new weight.
They allow your body to adapt gradually get stronger.
This is one of the reasons barbells are so good for developing strength, and this leads me perfectly into the next point.
#2 The Barbell Lets You Move More Weight Than Almost Any Other Tool
If you want proof of this, just go on YouTube and watch videos of powerlifters squatting, benching, and deadlifting and you’ll notice one thing:
They are all using the barbell.
At the time of writing this article, the world record for a raw squat is 485 kilograms. That’s well over 1,000 pounds.
The world record for a raw deadlift is 470 kg.
These are just ridiculous numbers.
And yes, there are other tools you can use to lift heavy amounts of weight. For example, you can lift heavy with dumbbells and kettlebells.
But the problem with dumbbells and kettlebells is loading capacity. As far as I’m aware, the heaviest dumbbell goes up to 200 pounds, and the heaviest kettlebell goes up to 48 kg. So when it comes to developing maximal strength, the barbell is really in a league of its own.
It’s also worth pointing out, that some people might be hearing this and be saying to themselves, “Well, machines allow you to lift really heavy weights.” And yes, that’s correct.
You can certainly move a significant amount of weight using machines. But my pushback is that you cannot compare a leg press for example to a barbell back squat.
A 400-pound leg press and a 400-pound barbell back squat are not the same. The barbell back squat is a completely different animal.
#3 Barbells Allows You to Train Your Whole Body at Once
While you can certainly do isolation exercises with a barbell, such as bicep curls, the tool isn’t really designed for that.
The barbell is designed for your big compound lifts
And your big compound lifts (see above) are basically exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time.
Take the deadlift, for example. When you execute a deadlift correctly, it is practically a full-body exercise.
Your posterior chain is lit up like a Christmas tree.
Again, with a barbell back squat, if you execute it properly, it is practically a toe-to-neck exercise.
Even the overhead press, while it predominantly an upper-body exercise, to execute the lift, you need full-body tension.
You need to keep everything tight, and again this leads me perfectly onto the next point.
#4 Compound Lifts Give You More Results in Less Time
This is actually a huge benefit of barbell training, because focus, time, and energy are your most valuable assets.
Unlike money, those three things I’ve just mentioned are finite.
So it’s in your best interest to manage them well.
Because many barbell exercises have you working multiple muscle groups at the same time, this will actually save you time.
For example, let’s say you wanted to do a full-body workout using machines only. You would have to spend hours and hours in the gym. With barbells, though, that’s not the case.
You can get a very good workout in under an hour.
So if you’re somebody who has responsibilities outside of the gym, somebody who has a lot going on, and somebody who just wants to get brutally strong in the least amount of time possible, then training with barbells is probably the best tool for the job.
#5 It Builds Stability and Coordination, Not Just Muscle
As I discussed earlier in the article, when you do an overhead press using a barbell, it isn’t just an upper body exercise. It requires full body tension:
Your core has to be nice and tight, and your legs and feet need to be planted in the ground in order to keep you stable.
In this article here, I basically said that when it comes to developing stability, unilateral exercises are the way to go.
And the thing is, with a barbell you can do plenty of unilateral exercises. For example, you can do Bulgarian split squats with a barbell sitting on your upper back, you can do single-leg deadlifts with a barbell, and you can do all kinds of lunges with a barbell (see image above, guy on the left).
Barbells are beneficial in the sense that the strength you get, transfers over to the real world.
This is one of the problems with training with machines only:
It doesn’t build stability like free weights.
Bonus #6: It’s Simple, and Simple Works
Look, I’m going to be very honest with you:
When it comes to overall development, you actually want to be using all the tools.
So use kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, the Prowler/sled, sandbags, resistance bands. The list could go on.
You don’t marry workout tools, you date them.
However if we are talking purely from a strength development perspective, very few tools beat the barbell.
And what makes barbell training so simple and so effective is that all you need is a squat rack, a bar, a bench, and a reasonable amount of plates.
If you happen to have all four of those things, you can definitely build strength and even power for years to come.