I AM SCARED OF BARBELLS: How To Break Down Fears & Build Up Strength

But I knew learning how to lift weights, squat confidently, and clean & jerk like a boss would make me stronger physically and mentally. And, I knew exposing myself to my fear of barbells was the best way of getting around it.

I have always considered fitness as the key to unlocking my true potential. Pursuing fitness isn’t about playing within my limits – it’s about testing my self-doubts and fears and undergoing voluntary hardship to become more of a badass.

So I went after those barbells.

Consider Weighted Bars a tool for exposure therapy. If the barbell is at the top of the fear ladder that you wish to overcome, start at a lower rung: like Weighted Bars.

Become comfortable with the movements, learn how to drop the bar or bail yourself out of a movement safely, and learn you are much stronger and capable that you are giving yourself credit for!

And on the flip side, all the skills you develop with a Weighted Bar can be transferred over to a barbell when you are ready for it!

Weighted Bars are a classic fitness tool! It has been used for decades for aerobic and strength-building exercises and is recognized for its simplicity and efficiency!

On their own, they will give you an awesome workout that will tighten and tone your body; and they are also an awesome starting point for anyone embarking on a new strength journey! They are a means to an end, and an ends to a means, depending on what your personal fitness goals are.

The Weighted Bars are an awesome start for people who are new to weightlifting or starting to gather their own home fitness gear!

What makes them so great is:

• they are not complicated AT ALL;
• encased in a rubber padding that helps with grip, feels good on your hands, and protects the steel inside;
• they come in lighter weights and shorter lengths to make them easier to use and store.

Deadlift

• Stand up straight holding the weight bar in an overhand grip with your hands just outside your hips, feet hip width apart.
• Set your hips back, bend your knees, and sit/lower until the weight bar reaches your shins, keeping your back from rounding the entire time.
• Stand back up by driving your feet into the ground, extending your knees, then extending your hips.
• Keep the weight bar close to your body the whole time.

Glute Bridges

• Get into a bridge position with your feet flat on the floor, your shins perpendicular with the ground, and your upper back on a Synergee Bench (or on the ground)
• Place the weighted bar across your hips, hold it in place with your hands.
• Lower your hips, and then squeeze your glutes to raise them again to the starting position.

Presses

• Stand with the weight bar in the rack position. Move your head slightly back so you don't hit your nose, then push up on the bar.
• Once it clears your head, move your head back to the neutral position. Fully extend your arms overhead - your biceps should be lined up with your ears at the top of the press
• Lower the bar back down to start.

Sit Up

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
• Grab your Weighted Bar, center it on your chest, and rest it just below you collarbone.
• Cross your arms over your chest to hold it in place.
• Let your back lower until your upper body is lying on the ground.
• Use your abs to bring your upper body back to the sitting up position.
• Keep the bar centered on your chest throughout with your shoulders pinched back (i.e. don't let your chest cave in).