Ryan Douglas
(Last Updated On: September 6, 2023)
"Barbell exercises are a staple of just about any weightlifting routine.
In fact, most of our favorite exercises are done with a barbell (squats, deadlift, bench press).
While these exercises deliver great results they are also pretty rough on your joints.
In this article, we will give you some joint-friendly alternative exercises to try instead of traditional barbell exercises.
Problems With Barbell Exercises
While barbell exercises are great they are not perfect. For one thing, they can be difficult for some people to learn to do with good form. Just think how many times you have seen a deadlifter with form that made you cringe. Don’t be that guy.
On top of that, barbell exercises require a certain amount of mobility that some of us do not have. Our sedentary lifestyles and hours hunched over our computers does a number on us and limit our range of motion in the hip and shoulder areas.
Barbell exercises can also put extra stress on the spine and lower back area. When you couple this with a lack of mobility you are playing with fire when it comes to injury.
Replace Barbell Squats With Goblet Squats
Barbell squats are easily one of the best exercises out there, they can also be trouble for people with back pain and a lack of mobility. What is meant to be a squat ends up looking rather cringeworthy. Goblet squats, on the other hand, are a great and less painful alternative.
The reason I like goblet squats is that the weight is held in front which makes it much easier to stabilize than a long barbell.
Having the weight in front also places greater emphasis on the quads, core, and upper back muscles while reducing the stress on the spine. This reduced spine stress is a big one for people with low back pain, which is just about all of us at some point in time.
To do a goblet squat, hold a dumbbell (or kettlebell) with both hands at chest level, and set your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes pointing a bit outwards. Push your butt back like you’re sitting in a chair and descend until your elbows reach the inside of your knees. Keeping your heels flat, pressing into the floor, pause at the bottom of the squat, and return to a full standing position. If your heels rise, push your hips further back and work on partial ranges of motion until mobility and form improve. Repeat for three to four sets of 8-10 reps.
Related: High-Performance Exercises You Should be Doing: Goblet Squat
Instead of Barbell Deadlifts Do Trap Bar Deadlifts
Deadlifts are another great exercise, easily one of the best out there for total body muscle building. The thing is, they can also be troublesome for people with back pain and those of us that hunch over a desk all day and lack mobility.
While switching to trap bar deadlifts may not seem like much of a change it can do wonders for your lower back. The reason it is so much easier on your back is that with the trap bar the weight is centered under your hips rather than in front of you as it is with a traditional deadlift. This difference in the center of gravity will save your back bigtime!
Another nice thing about the trap bar deadlift is that you can use a neutral grip and you get a lot more activation in the quads as well, in fact, some people even call this exercise the trap bar squat instead of the trap bar deadlift.
Find out more about the trap bar deadlift in our article on Which Deadlift Variation is Best for You? where Westside Barbell coach Joey Percia says the trap bar deadlift is 'the best deadlift option for anyone who doesn’t plan on competing in a powerlifting meet'[...]”
(For the rest of Ryan Douglas' article on Joint Friendly Alternatives to Barbell Exercises click on The Athletic Build link above)
Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic. He has run half marathons, done mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, coached wrestling, and now coaches girls’ soccer. Not to mention he has also tried literally hundreds of supplements over the years and has a vast and thorough supplement knowledge. He has written for Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review and other publications. He is also the editor-in-chief of this website and has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry. Feel free to connect with him on his LinkedIn page below.
