50 Exercises You Can Do With Just a Barbell (Complete List)

A barbell and plates is all you need for a complete workout. No rack, no bench, no cable machine. Here are 50 exercises organized by muscle group that you can do with nothing but a loaded bar on the floor.

Lower Body (15 Exercises)

1. Conventional Deadlift — the king of all exercises
2. Sumo Deadlift — wider stance, more quad and adductor emphasis
3. Romanian Deadlift — hamstring and glute focus
4. Front Squat — clean the bar to your shoulders, then squat
5. Zercher Squat — bar in the crook of your elbows
6. Overhead Squat — snatch grip, bar locked out overhead
7. Jefferson Squat — straddle the bar, one foot forward
8. Barbell Lunge — forward, reverse, or walking
9. Barbell Step-Up — bar on back, step onto a box
10. Good Morning — bar on back, hip hinge
11. Stiff-Leg Deadlift — straight legs, stretch the hamstrings
12. Deficit Deadlift — stand on plates for extended range of motion
13. Hip Thrust — back against a bench or box, bar across hips
14. Calf Raise — bar on back, raise onto toes
15. Barbell Hack Squat — bar behind legs, deadlift with quad emphasis

Upper Body Push (12 Exercises)

16. Overhead Press — strict, standing military press
17. Push Press — use leg drive to press overhead
18. Floor Press — lie on floor, press the bar from chest
19. Close-Grip Floor Press — tricep emphasis
20. Landmine Press — wedge bar in corner, press at an angle
21. Behind-the-Neck Press — overhead press behind head (if mobility allows)
22. Z Press — seated on floor, legs straight, overhead press
23. Bradford Press — alternate front and behind-the-neck press
24. Barbell Push-Up — hands on bar, wider range of motion
25. JM Press — hybrid skull crusher / close-grip press
26. Pin Press — press from dead stop position
27. Svend Press — squeeze plates together and press outward

Upper Body Pull (10 Exercises)

28. Barbell Row — bent over, pull bar to chest
29. Pendlay Row — strict from the floor, reset each rep
30. Underhand Row — supinated grip, more bicep involvement
31. Seal Row — lie face down on bench, row
32. Meadows Row — landmine row, one arm at a time
33. Upright Row — pull bar to chin (caution: shoulder impingement risk)
34. Barbell Curl — classic bicep builder
35. Reverse Curl — overhand grip, forearm emphasis
36. Barbell Shrug — traps, hold at top for 2 seconds
37. Face Pull (landmine) — rear delt and rotator cuff

Core & Full Body (13 Exercises)

38. Clean — explosive pull from floor to shoulders
39. Power Clean — clean caught in quarter squat
40. Hang Clean — clean from hang position
41. Snatch — floor to overhead in one movement
42. Clean and Jerk — full Olympic lift
43. Barbell Rollout — ab wheel replacement
44. Landmine Rotation — rotational core work
45. Barbell Carry — front rack carry, overhead carry, or Zercher carry
46. Barbell Complex — string exercises together without putting the bar down
47. Thruster — front squat to push press
48. Man Maker — push-up, row, clean, press (with barbell variant)
49. Barbell Sit-Up — hold bar on chest during sit-ups
50. Barbell Turkish Get-Up — advanced full-body stability

3 Barbell-Only Workouts

Workout A: Strength

• Deadlift 5x5
• Overhead Press 5x5
• Barbell Row 5x5
• Barbell Curl 3x10

Workout B: Conditioning

• 5 rounds: 5 Deadlifts, 5 Cleans, 5 Front Squats, 5 Overhead Press, 5 Rows (no rest between exercises, 90 sec rest between rounds)

Workout C: Hypertrophy

• Romanian Deadlift 3x12
• Floor Press 3x12
• Pendlay Row 3x10
• Lunges 3x10 each leg
• Barbell Curl 3x12
• Landmine Press 3x12

The Bottom Line

A barbell and plates is a complete gym. These 50 exercises cover every muscle group, every movement pattern, and every training goal from strength to conditioning to hypertrophy. You don't need machines. You need iron and effort.