You'll also want to make sure that you're lifting and lowering the barbell in a controlled manner during each movement. Crabiel says good-quality strength training sessions could run anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes. He also suggests adding in three to five minutes of recovery time between your sets.

With just a barbell in hand, you can do a plethora of full-body exercises, targeting your chest, biceps, back, quads and abdominals. These exercises are easy to perform, don't require a large space at home, and can be performed on your own, any time of the day.

The Quick Answer. Most barbells weigh 45 lbs (20 kg), these will be the ones you see at your gym. They are made of steel with smooth 'sleeves' at each end to slide weight plates onto and are 7 ft in length. However there are many other different types.

Keep the barbell close to your body and pull it straight up toward your chest, bending your elbows as you do, so that they go just past your torso. Squeeze your shoulder blades at the top of the movement. Slowly straighten your arms to lower the bar, keeping it off the floor. This is 1 rep.