Weight bar exercises are a nice way to increase strength and endurance of muscles. One should incorporate a variety of weight bar exercises in his workout routine to promote a balanced growth of muscles... The fundamental concept behind weight training for strengthening the muscles is the use of gravity as an opposing force to the muscle force generated by eccentric or concentric contraction. A weight bar and weights are used as a medium in the process of strengthening muscles. The different exercises with weight bars include a variety of abdominal exercises, bicep, tricep, and back exercises. Let use have a look at weight bar exercises in detail in the following paragraphs.

Weight Training

It is the form of exercise which helps strengthen various muscles of the body. The term weight training should not be confused with powerlifting, bodybuilding or Olympic weightlifting, which are specialized sports. Weight training is similar to strength training, in which the manipulation of repetitions, exercise types, tempo, sets, etc., is carried out in order to increase the size of muscles, shape, strength and endurance. The weight bar proves to be a useful tool in performing this exercise. Many different exercises can be performed with the help of a weight bar. Few of them are mentioned in the paragraphs below.

Weight Bar Exercises

The exercise with weight bars viz., 'Flat Bench Press', 'Single Arm Row', 'Seated Trunk Rotation' and 'Triceps Extensions' are explained below.

Flat Bench Press
In this weight bar exercise one has to lie down on a bench while facing upwards. The body should be positioned in such a manner that the eyes are aligned below the weight bar edge. A pronated grip should be used to hold the bar. The bar should be removed off the shelf and lowered slowly and pushed back upwards. The wrist and chest need to be maintained in a straight position during the exercise. The muscles that are worked in this exercise include the anterior deltoids and pectoralis major.

Single Arm Row
The single arm row workout helps in exercising the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, rear deltoid, biceps, and mid-trapezius. In this exercise, one has to perform the movement which is opposite to that in the bench press. In this workout for the upper body, muscles are exercised in a balanced way. Sprinters and runners too are benefited from this exercise since they need a strong arm while sprinting. To exercise the left arm, the right hand should be firmly placed on a bench with the shoulder in line with it. The right knee should be rested on the bench while the left one be on the floor. The dumbbell needs to be lifted with the left hand and pulled upwards while maintaining the shoulders in a straight position. Any kind of trunk or shoulder rotation should be avoided. The spine needs to be kept straight and one should prevent the back from arching. The return movement should be performed slowly and carefully. The same procedure is used for the right hand.

Seated Trunk Rotation
The seated trunk rotation is an exercise which is useful for increasing the rotatory mobility of the upper torso, while maintaining the stability of the lower body. The exercise should be performed in a seating position. The weight bar needs to be held in the hands while keeping the distance between them equal to shoulder width. Distance between the feet should be that of hip-width and placed 18-24 inches away from the butt. An angle of 45?need to be maintained between the trunk and floor while the arms should be parallel with upper legs. In this exercise, the shoulders are rotated (sideways) as much as possible while keeping the trunk and core muscles of the shoulders in a straight position. After returning to the original position, the same process is repeated on the other side.

Triceps Extensions
The lying triceps extensions help exercise the tricep muscles starting from the elbow and extending till the latissimus dorsi. To perform this exercise, one has to first lie on his back upon a flat bench. The head should hang off the edge and the neck rest on it. The barbell should be held in such a manner that the palms face away from the body and the arms slightly bent in elbows. The feet should rest on the floor with the knees forming an angle of 90? The next step in the exercise is to lower the arms forming an acute angle at the elbows. Care need to be taken to see that the elbows don't sway in an outward manner while they are being lowered. The final step is to press back the arms to their original position.

The exercises mentioned above are easy to do and one can perform them at home itself. Different muscles of the body are worked through these weight bar exercises. One should try to find out as many muscle building and weight exercises as possible to make the body fitter, stronger and healthier.

Vollmond N
Published: 12/10/2009