If you have been training with a barbell for years you may have accumulated some aches and pains. I am going to cover some of my favorite variations of the traditional squat, bench and deadlift that may be a good option for those of you with high mileage.

Here are some of my favorite variations:

Squat Variations:

Box Squat with a (barbell or safety bar)

Why? It takes some of the strain off the lower back and hips because the box absorbs the force at the bottom of the squat.

Safety Bar Squat

Why? It takes the strain off the shoulders and the wrists because you don’t have to externally rotate to grasp the bar, and the bar is cambered which distributes the weight more towards the front of the body which forces you to stay more upright. The safety bar is a hybrid between the back squat and front squat because of the anterior weight distribution.

Bench Variations:

Multi Grip Bar Bench Press

Why? It takes the stress off the shoulders and puts the emphasis on the triceps.

Floor Press

Why? The floor press restricts the range of motion of the press which takes the strain off the pecs and shoulders.

Deadlift:

Trap Bar Deadlift

Why? The trap bar deadlift puts less shear force on the spine compared to the traditional straight bar deadlift. The trap bar allows you to take a neutral grip which takes the strain off the bicep compared to and over/under grip taken with a traditional deadlift.

KB Sumo Deadlift

Why? The KB is within the base of support and the torso angle is more upright compared to the traditional deadlift. This puts less strain on the lower back.

3-Week Conjugate Sample

Day 1 Max Effort Lower Body

Week 1

 Safety Bar Squat to a Box 3RM

Week 2

 Trap Bar Deadlift 3RM

Week 3

 Safety Bar Squat 3RM (No Box)

Day 2 Max Effort Upper Body

Week 1

 Multi Grip Bar Floor Press 3RM

Week 2

 Barbell Floor Press 3RM

Week 3

 Multi Grip Bar Bench Press 3RM

Day 3 Dynamic Effort Lower Body

Week 1

 Speed Safety Bar Squat to a Box 8×2 @50%

Week 2

 Speed Safety Bar Squat to a Box 10×2 @50%

Week 3

 Speed Safety Bar Squat to a Box 12×2 @50%

Day 4 Dynamic Effort Upper Body

Week 1

 Speed Multi Grip Bar Floor Press 8×3 @50%

Week 2

 Speed Multi Grip Bar Floor Press 10×3 @50%

Week 3

 Speed Multi Grip Bar Floor Press 12×3 @50%