Only Three Exercises

Deadlift
Squat
Triple backflips

Front Squat

Rack Pull from below the knee

Weighted Dips

5x5 or 10x3 or 4-6x rest-pause singles.

The holistic, systemic coverage of these total musculature movements done in a single training session rotating the set/rep scheme could keep you going for years.

By the time you were repping those dips at 2x body weight there would be no “hey I need to hit my rear delts and biceps or oh gawd I won’t be perfectly symmetrical like those guys in the boy bands” or you’re cranking out 3-5 good reps with 550-600lbs in the pull your posterior chain will be so thick you won’t sob because you don’t have lats. Repping out at 1.5x’s body weight in the front squat will do more for your core than any ass stupid exercise ball workout designed to "carve those striations into my obliques and lower (lower? wtf) abs.

In fact Front Squat + low rack pull is such great peanut butter and jelly you could just throw in any press motion and come out looking like a grizzle bear of jacked.

IMO.

Chris agreed with me…life goal checked off

Push press

Back squat

Snatch Deadlift

@Brian14 - my current program is almost identical to yours for exercises - Squats, BP and Pull Ups. I work up to a training max in the squats and BP, doing singles until I end up grinding one out or losing speed. Then depending on time, I drop 50 lbs off and do 3-5x5. Some days, it’s just working up to my max single. For pull ups, I just rep out. Currently can do 20 chins and about 10-12 decent wide grip pull-ups. I am trying to improve the depth of my wide grip pull ups and once I can rip off 12 all the way to bottom, then I’ll start adding weights to the pull ups.

I do this program 2-4 times a week. I will occasionally do partial reps for the squats about every 4th or 5th workout and for BP I will do the same but also throw in floor presses or even military press. I change the pull up grip every workout.

About every 4th or 5th week, I will do some max rep work for the squat with 315 and BP with 225. My training maxes are going up as are the rep maxes so this is working for me.

Clean & Press (does that count as 1? If not then just Push-Press)
Trap Bar Deadlift
Pullup

Why don’t we take this one step further and make some kind of challenge where people have to actually follow a 3 lift program for several
months and post before/ after stats etc.?

Sound like fun?

Dead Lifts - Safety Squat Bar (atg) - Bench press using either Wendlers 5/3/1 or Westside Barbell template.

Have used both and have had great success with both, even though I am a trained Cyclist and XC Skate skier !

Deadlifts
weighted dips
weighted chinups

Clean n press
Pull ups (adding weight over time is allowable correct?)
Incline press

You could build a fairly balanced and impressive physique by hammering those 3 exercises. I wish it was 4 exercises and I would add dead lifts for sure.

Mine would be:

Deadlift. ( legs, core, upperback and grip )

Benchpress. ( Chest, front delts and triceps )

Pull ups. ( lats, upperback and biceps )

Front Squats

Parallel Grip Chin-ups

V-bar Dips

Clean and jerk. Snatch. Pushups. I bet you would look like… A massive weightlifter

[

Yeah, that form of training has worked for a LONG time.

If size was the only concern and there wasn’t going to be a contest for specific lifts and just solely for muscle mass gain:

  1. Deadlifts
  2. Dips alternated with overhead press
  3. Alternate with rows and pullups

[quote]BrickHead wrote:
[

Yeah, that form of training has worked for a LONG time.

If size was the only concern and there wasn’t going to be a contest for specific lifts and just solely for muscle mass gain:

  1. Deadlifts
  2. Dips alternated with overhead press
  3. Alternate with rows and pullups
    [/quote]

thats 5…

Incline Bench
pullups or Pulldowns IDK
Leg Press (COME AT ME BROS)

Any competing powerlifter would obviously go the big three.
I’ll try to look at it from a general health / strength / aesthetic point of view, and I will assume we are not allowed to do any additional bodyweight exercises.

1 - Back Squat… you just can’t fade it. High bar, btw.
2 - Overhead Press… I would go clean and press but I feel that would be cheating.
3 - Kettlebell Swing… assuming I am allowed access to the heaviest 'bells in existence… great conditioning, and a powerful, explosive hinge movement.

It was really tough to leave out any direct chest exercise, but from a general health and strength point of view, the OHP is probably more useful. Plus I’d rather have hulk shoulders than a hulk chest.

Deadlift
Olympic Squat
Incline Press

For the last 6mths or so, i’ve been doing a two day split, just squats and curls one day and bench and inverted row-facepull(TRX)the next, I’ve been growing and getting stronger on this basic routine. You could easily drop curls, to make it 3 moves. Due to legal restraints I’ve been forced to train at home in my garage, and came up with this little routine, but now that I’m going to be aloud back at my gym soon, I’m reconsidering my old routine. I think it’s a great idea for everyone to give minimalist training a try for a while acording to Rip’s recent article, this is a great topic for a thread. 2cents

[quote]tork94 wrote:

[quote]BrickHead wrote:
[

Yeah, that form of training has worked for a LONG time.

If size was the only concern and there wasn’t going to be a contest for specific lifts and just solely for muscle mass gain:

  1. Deadlifts
  2. Dips alternated with overhead press
  3. Alternate with rows and pullups
    [/quote]

thats 5…
[/quote]

Right, but I get concerned about balance between horizontal pulling and pushing and vertical pushing and pulling.

I think I finaly got it below,a vid of a inverted row, I start with hands and elbows high like a facepull, and as I get tired let elbows and hands come down to navel like a row, this works side and rear shoulders, and upper back, also great for core and wholebody, great counter move to the bench,