Why Is It so Hard to Let Go of "The Big 3" for Non-Competitive Lifters?

Bunch of reasons I think:

  • Generally speaking they have the largest room for improvement, so they are very appealing to get better at and why they are considered “the best” for strength (they also tend to be the lifts with the highest top end potential which is the main reason Rip likes them)

-They are standardized, so if offers some degree of comparison, to let you know where you stand ( and don’t require special equipment like a Strongman lift might)

  • in line with point 1, It’s more fun to (try to)go from squatting 135 to 495 than it is to go from lunging body weight to holding 80’s. Likewise for the bench versus a machine/DBs

Many of us end up finding alternatives after we conclude that we don’t need them, or find other lifts for our purposes (the trap bar being a good example)… but as a general rule those lifts are the most popular for a reason.

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I would just break it down into…

Horizontal Push
Vertical Push
Horizontal Pull
Vertical Pull ‘aka’ pick something off the ground
some form of Squats
some form of Weighted Carry
Pull Ups

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the best single exercise for everything and the only exercise you ever have to do regardless of goal is the kettle bell swing. Just kidding… but, seriously i read that somewhere some dude was really into that swing. i tried it and found it boring but then because the claims of its superiority i get a bad conscience if i don’t do it once in a while.

1: Bragging rights

2: A lot of gyms have more bench press stations than squat racks, which does rather sum up the backwards priorities of most guys working out. (women’s priorities being a separate topic)

1- Because they are the movements that can be loaded with the heaviest weights ( ego bonus)
2- Because powerlifters are really big which makes some people think that what they do is the best
3- Because these lifts target many muscles ( The Big 3 almost target every single muscle in your body) and hence they build muscle faster.
4- What’s more manly than lifting a huge weight of the ground?

On the other hand, the Big 3 aren’t mandatory. But I believe that a variation of them should always be included in training.

That’s what above the knee rack pulls are for.

Lifting a huge weight off the ground and putting it overhead.

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Lifting a huge weight off the ground and putting it overhead.
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Haha, everyone has his/her opinion. I think that’s manly too though

In all honesty, I’d go as far as to consider it a fact. Show me a guy who cleans and jerk 500lbs and I show you a guy who deadlifts 700lbs for reps.

Pull-ups, Push-ups, and… I’m not sure on the last one. Perhaps walking lunges.

I say this because one should be able to move their own body around easily. As far as the lunges, I like how they hit the legs, they’re unilateral and it’s a somewhat similar movement to running or walking uphill.

Now that I’ve answered that, there’s no 3 exercises that will do what anyone wants/needs. That would be an awful small toolbox.

Lee Boyce had an article on M&S this week that actually calls out the need to chase PRs for non-competitive lifters. He says a 500 lb Deadlift isn’t any more useful than a 300 lb dead in terms of translating that strength to real life. He expands on that point by advocating an increase in reps at a certain weight and being able to control every aspect of the lift (compared to grinding out a PR with shitty form).

It goes against the mindset of most people here but as a guy that tends to run into a nagging pain or injury every time I chase a PR on the big 3 it definitely hit home.

Edit: there’s nothing wrong with a 500 lb deadlift but you may be better off pursuing other aspects of your fitness after reaching a certain strength level instead of always chasing a new PR. For example, you could work on your conditioning or mobility and focus on deadlift less.

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Power Clean
Farmer Walk
OHP

I think the above 3 translate to basic life tasks better than anything else.

*I’d probably swap push press for OHP

I’d throw prowler/sled drag work too, personally. I’ve not done either in ages but you can see the importance of being able to shift heavy weight while moving…

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I definitely agree about moving heavy weights in this context. I’d lean more towards a sand bag carry or any type of “hugging” carry personally.

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I think it has less to do with you chasing PRs and more to do with how you chase them. I don’t see how having a 500 dead wouldn’t be more useful than a 300 if you stay healthy and mobile while achieving the 500. A lot of people have achieved big lifts while staying healthy. The only difference between them and he ones who haven’t is patience really. Not wanting to pull 500 tomorrow and waiting years will lend a big pull. It’s exactly how @ActivitiesGuy does it and all his PRs look easy.

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I interpreted it as a question of what’s a better use of your time. Say you train for an hour five days a week. You could structure that any way you want. Some people set up a template that is focused on driving up their maxess on The Big Three. Others might jog 3 days a week and do kettlebell swings two days a week. Some might do CrossFit. The point is that once you achieve a decent amount of strength for yourself would you be better served by chasing a higher PR or improving yourself over all. It was geared towards experienced lifters.

These are two in the same though. If you add 50 pounds to your squat and dead, you’ll be able to jump higher, run faster, and be more agile if you stay the same weight, focus on mobility and stay on a path. If performance is the goal and not bodybuilder style aesthetics, you’d be hard pressed to find something that works better than doing a squat, a pull and a push mixed with conditioning work for overall health and maximum performance output.

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That’s the key! Not everyone incorporates the conditioning work.

The article also promoted doing sub max weights for more reps, slowing the tempos, etc. You still get stronger; it’s just not a new 1RM. That’s part of 5/3/1 as well.

For me, I hit a 5 plate Deadlift not too long ago. I honestly don’t think I’d be any better at anything other than deadlifting if I pushed that to 6 plates.

That’s just an example and honest observation with my life. I’m still deadlifting and I’ll probably push for more than 5 plates. I’d like to be able to own my PR any day of the week instead of it just being a highlight during the year. And if I pursue this then I’ll probably increase my PR.

Uh hum, bullshit, cough. Maybe, for someone who writes articles for a living.

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Hmm…that seems to be a oversimplification by the author. Would it not be dependent on what the individual does in their daily life? I know having a strong back developed by being able to dead lift well over 500 actually served me pretty well when I farmed with my father many years ago. Maybe for someone whom doesn’t have a actual physical demanding job that doesn’t require a certain level of strength than maybe I could buy into that concept.

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Critique the author all you want but do your research. Lee Boyce is strong at shit AND he’s 6’4" with a 6’ 8" wingspan. As a fellow tall lifter, you ought to appreciate a 315 clean & jerk from an author. He’s not a keyboard warrior.

I would venture to guess that farming could also help you get to a 500 lb Deadlift!

All I can say is to read the entire article. I merely introduced it but I haven’t covered every detail. There’s no point in re-writing it here. It’s called “Redefining Strength: How Strong is Strong Enough?”.