Get Stronger Legs and a Bigger Butt by Doing This Trainer's 2 Favorite Exercises

If your goal is to build more muscle and improve your strength, you've definitely got to begin incorporating strength training into your routine. Not just because we love it, but because research says it works. According to a 2006 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, "The general benefits for men and women include an increase in bone mass and lean mass, improved body composition (due to decreased fat mass), cardiovascular fitness, strength, and an enhanced sense of well-being."

To improve your overall strength, NASM-certified personal trainer and creator of the PWR program Kelsey Wells recommends incorporating barbell exercises into your workout routine. "I absolutely love barbell exercises," Kelsey told POPSUGAR. "Everything you do with a barbell is a compound exercise. It strengthens your whole body, essentially, because your core has to be engaged."

Kelsey said that using the barbell can be extremely intimidating — even she was afraid to use it when she started lifting weights. Initially, she wasn't strong enough to lift the barbell, but now it's become a staple in her routines, with her favorite moves being sumo squats and deadlifts.

If you're new to weightlifting, we don't advise using the barbell to perform these moves. First, master each movement with just your bodyweight and then begin to add dumbbells into the mix. Once you've mastered the dumbbells, you can graduate to using the barbell.

To learn how to do each move, continue reading.