Barbell with Reciprocating Weight Sleeves

A method for simultaneously exercising the pectoralis major muscle and the pectoralis minor muscle, comprising the following steps:

• a. selecting a barbell that includes:
• an elongated solid bar with two opposite ends, a top surface, a bottom surface, a center axis, and two axially aligned channels formed on opposites sides of the bar that extend to the center axis;
• a pair of weight sleeves attached to the opposite ends of the bar;
• a pair sliding hand grips mounted on the opposite sides of the bar and located inside the weight sleeves, each hand grip includes an internal linear bearing configured to slide longitudinally freely over the bar, each hand grip is attached to a longitudinally aligned narrow rack that fits inside one of the channels formed on the opposite sides of the bar when the hand grips are attached to the bar, each rack is sufficient in length to extend at least to the center axis of the bar and includes a plurality of outward extending teeth;
• a rotating disc gear located at or near the center axis of the bar, the disc includes a plurality of teeth formed on its perimeter and the disc gear is configured and oriented on the bar so that teeth on opposite sides of the disc gear mesh with the teeth on the two the racks, wherein when the hand grips move simultaneously longitudinally in opposite directions over the bar, the disc gear rotates so that the two handles travel the same distances over the bar.
• b. attached two equal size weight stacks to each end of the bar desired to exercise the pectoralis major muscle and the pectoralis minor muscle;
• and,
• c. gripping the hand grips and simultaneously and repeatingly lifting and moving the hand grips over the bar.