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Barbell workouts

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We compute it and we cite it. We do not test gear. How we know this.

Short answer

Three templates: full body three days, upper/lower four days, push-pull-legs six days. Every slot links to the lift itself. Sets and reps are training convention, not a research finding, and this page says so every time.

How to pick one

Days available first, ambition second. Three sessions a week is enough to add weight to the bar for a long time, and a program you actually finish beats a better one you abandon in week three. Move up only when the current template stops producing progress — not when it gets boring.

These are skeletons, not prescriptions. They exist to show how the lifts on this site fit together in a week. Nothing here is medical advice, and none of it accounts for anything specific about your body.

What these templates run on

The three pieces every session below assumes

Nothing in these templates needs a machine. A bar, plates, and a bench for the pressing days covers all three programs — add a rack once you are squatting more than you can clean off the floor. One verified model per piece, published specs only.

BarWeight is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.

The bar

Cap Pro Series 7 ft Olympic Barbell

B006R4EOWI
BarbellsCAP Barbell7 ft
Length
7 ft
Sleeve
2 in Olympic

Best for: A general-purpose 7 ft bar for a rack-and-plate home gym.

Skip if: You want a specific knurl or tensile rating — the listing does not publish those figures.

Check these yourself before ordering

  • — The actual bar weight, which the listing title does not state
  • — Shaft diameter and whether there is a centre knurl
  • — Loadable sleeve length against how many plates you own
View on Amazon

Specs read from the listing on 2026-07-24. Listings change — confirm the current spec and option before you order.

The plates

Amazon Basics 2-Inch Olympic Grip Weight Plates

B0DNS4B576
PlatesAmazon Basics2 in Olympic
Bore
2 in Olympic
Material
Cast iron

Best for: Iron plates for a rack-and-bar gym where nothing gets dropped.

Skip if: You deadlift on a floor you care about. Iron is not a bumper.

Check these yourself before ordering

  • — Which weights the option you selected actually contains
  • — Whether they are sold singly or in pairs
  • — Plate thickness against your sleeve length — see the bar data on this site
View on Amazon

Specs read from the listing on 2026-07-24. Listings change — confirm the current spec and option before you order.

The bench

FLYBIRD WB5 Weight Bench, ASTM-Certified 800LBS Adjustable

B07DNYSJ8W
BenchesFLYBIRDBreathable leather &Alloy Steel
Material
Breathable leather &Alloy Steel
Frame Material
Alloy Steel
Item Weight
28.5 pounds
Dimensions
46"D x 13"W x 48.5"H
Weight Limit
800 pounds
Color
Black

Best for: A room that has another job. It folds down between sessions.

Skip if: You need a competition-height bench for a specific setup — pad heights in this category vary and are rarely published.

Check these yourself before ordering

  • — Pad height and pad width against your setup — both vary across this category
  • — Whether the stated capacity includes your own bodyweight or just the bar
  • — The gap between the back pad and the seat pad at incline
  • — What the ASTM claim actually covers on this listing
View on Amazon

Specs read from the listing on 2026-07-24. Listings change — confirm the current spec and option before you order.

Before you buy any of it, read how to choose: barbells, weight plates, weight benches.

Full body, three days a week

3 days per week

Anyone in their first year or two with a barbell, and anyone short on gym days.

Day A

Full body, three days a week — Day A
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell back squatMain lift3 × 5
Barbell bench pressPress3 × 5
Barbell rowPull3 × 8

Day B

Full body, three days a week — Day B
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell back squatMain lift3 × 5
Barbell overhead pressPress3 × 5
Barbell deadliftPull1 × 5

Day C

Full body, three days a week — Day C
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell back squatMain lift3 × 5
Barbell bench pressPress3 × 5
Barbell curlArms3 × 10

Sets and reps above are training convention drawn from the programming notes on each lift. They are what coaches and lifters commonly use, not a measured result.

Upper / lower, four days a week

4 days per week

Lifters who have run out of road on a three-day full body and want more volume per muscle.

Lower 1

Upper / lower, four days a week — Lower 1
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell back squatMain lift4 × 5
Barbell Romanian deadliftHinge3 × 8
Barbell lungeSingle leg3 × 10 each leg

Upper 1

Upper / lower, four days a week — Upper 1
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell bench pressPress4 × 5
Barbell rowPull4 × 8
Barbell shrugTraps3 × 12

Lower 2

Upper / lower, four days a week — Lower 2
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell deadliftMain lift3 × 3
Barbell front squatSquat3 × 6
Barbell hip thrustGlutes3 × 12

Upper 2

Upper / lower, four days a week — Upper 2
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell overhead pressPress4 × 5
Pendlay rowPull4 × 5
Barbell curlArms3 × 10

Sets and reps above are training convention drawn from the programming notes on each lift. They are what coaches and lifters commonly use, not a measured result.

Push / pull / legs, six days a week

6 days per week

Experienced lifters with the time and the recovery to run it. Not a starting point.

Push

Push / pull / legs, six days a week — Push
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell bench pressMain press4 × 6
Barbell overhead pressOverhead3 × 8
Close-grip barbell bench pressTriceps3 × 10

Pull

Push / pull / legs, six days a week — Pull
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell rowMain pull4 × 8
Barbell shrugTraps3 × 12
Barbell curlArms4 × 10

Legs

Push / pull / legs, six days a week — Legs
LiftRoleSets × reps
Barbell back squatMain lift4 × 6
Barbell Romanian deadliftHinge3 × 10
Barbell hip thrustGlutes3 × 12

Sets and reps above are training convention drawn from the programming notes on each lift. They are what coaches and lifters commonly use, not a measured result.

Adding weight without guessing

The part most templates skip is the arithmetic. You need to know what goes on the bar, how to get there from an empty bar, and what your working weight should be if you only know what you hit for a set of eight.

  • Estimate a max from a set you actually did, across five formulas, then work backwards to your percentages.
  • Build the ramp from the bar to the working set so you are not inventing warm-up jumps between sets.
  • Work out the plates for the exact total, including the bar, which is 45 lb before you put anything on it.
  • Compare against real lifters — percentiles from 587,379 raw competitors, with a caveat you should read before the numbers.

And when a lift stalls, the answer is usually in the technique rather than the programming. Every movement above has its own page with the errors that stall it: start at the exercise index.

Questions people actually ask

▶What is the best barbell workout?

The one you can run for months without missing sessions. A three-day full body built on squat, press and pull covers almost everybody starting out; upper/lower and push-pull-legs add volume once three days stops producing progress. Sets and reps here are training convention, not a research finding.

▶Can you build a full workout with just a barbell?

Yes. A bar, plates and a floor covers deadlifts, rows, presses, curls, shrugs and hinges. Add a rack and you get squats and overhead work; add a bench and you get bench press and hip thrusts. Every exercise page lists exactly what it needs.

▶How many days a week should I lift with a barbell?

Three is enough to progress for a long time, and it is the template most people should start with. Four splits the work into upper and lower days. Six is a volume decision that depends on recovery, not a better program by default.

▶How much weight should I start with?

Start with the empty bar on anything new and add from there. A men’s Olympic bar is already 45 lb, which is not nothing. Build the ramp from the bar to your working set with the warm-up calculator rather than guessing.

▶Are these sets and reps proven?

No, and we are not going to claim they are. Rep ranges are the conventions coaches and lifters use. They are widely applied and they work, but they are not a measured result and this page will not dress them up as one.