Barbell workouts
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.
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
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | Main lift | 3 × 5 |
| Barbell bench press | Press | 3 × 5 |
| Barbell row | Pull | 3 × 8 |
Day B
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | Main lift | 3 × 5 |
| Barbell overhead press | Press | 3 × 5 |
| Barbell deadlift | Pull | 1 × 5 |
Day C
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | Main lift | 3 × 5 |
| Barbell bench press | Press | 3 × 5 |
| Barbell curl | Arms | 3 × 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
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | Main lift | 4 × 5 |
| Barbell Romanian deadlift | Hinge | 3 × 8 |
| Barbell lunge | Single leg | 3 × 10 each leg |
Upper 1
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | Press | 4 × 5 |
| Barbell row | Pull | 4 × 8 |
| Barbell shrug | Traps | 3 × 12 |
Lower 2
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell deadlift | Main lift | 3 × 3 |
| Barbell front squat | Squat | 3 × 6 |
| Barbell hip thrust | Glutes | 3 × 12 |
Upper 2
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell overhead press | Press | 4 × 5 |
| Pendlay row | Pull | 4 × 5 |
| Barbell curl | Arms | 3 × 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
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | Main press | 4 × 6 |
| Barbell overhead press | Overhead | 3 × 8 |
| Close-grip barbell bench press | Triceps | 3 × 10 |
Pull
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell row | Main pull | 4 × 8 |
| Barbell shrug | Traps | 3 × 12 |
| Barbell curl | Arms | 4 × 10 |
Legs
| Lift | Role | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | Main lift | 4 × 6 |
| Barbell Romanian deadlift | Hinge | 3 × 10 |
| Barbell hip thrust | Glutes | 3 × 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.