I am a big fan of the ‘Big 3’ barbell lifts, it’s one of the reasons why i ended up competing in powerlifting.
I like to keep my training simple and focus on what’s going to give me the best returns on my investment. I’m sure you want the same from your training; you want the best results in the most efficient way and to stay healthy.
Squats, Deadlifts & Bench, ‘The Big 3’ staples in many successful programs over the years and rightly so! They have built some seriously strong humans!
They utilise many different muscle groups giving you great ‘bang for your buck’ helping to develop brute strength, power & muscle mass.
Another plus side to barbell training is that they make a great choice as a progress tracker. I call these indicator lifts, which are consistently in your program to give you feedback whether your program is working or not.
Barbell movements are often selected as indicator lifts in programs as they allow for a steady rate of progressive overload, adding 5kgs on the barbell is a lot easier than jumping up 5kg on a pair dumbbells which makes it a good choice for progress.
So are the ‘Big 3’ the only way to get strong and build muscle?
Powerlifters have to do these lifts because it’s their sport, so they must get stronger at using a barbell to bench,squat & deadlift.They need to practice these lifts regularly as thats what they will be doing in competition. The same goes for olympic lifters, their training is based around a lot of clean & snatch variations.
The thing is, if it isn’t your sport, there are ZERO exercises you MUST do.
Powerlifters lift some of the heaviest weights, it’s also common knowledge that powerlifters tend to get a lot of injuries or aches in there joints from constant use of heavy weights and consistently performing the same movement patterns.
The big 3 lifts are great, but they are not the only way to get strong & build muscle .
Take a trip to a public gym for a day, I’m sure you will see more bad examples than good of the big 3 movements, this may be down to people having never been taught how to correctly perform these exercises that could perhaps be fixed with some good coaching cues but what we should also consider is, can my body actually perform the exercise correctly and without pain?
Is there a better variation that suits your body type & goals that can give similar results in a safer way?
To be able to perform a back squat to bellow parrallel or a deadlift from the floor correctly you need to be able to get in the correct positions, (the bench requires less flexiblity ) requires a good amount of flexibility which can be where people struggle.
This should be something you aim to improve, but just because you can’t perform these exercises in a ‘full range’ doesn’t mean you have to skip the movement pattern completely.
Someone may be unable to correctly Deadlift from the floor with a barbell in good technique, but have them using the high handles on a trap bar or elevating the barbell on some blocks, they can now maintain the correct form while still getting a good training effect.
Over time you should try to progress to being able to use a full range but there are no rules set in stone that you must and this will vary from individual to individual.
“So I don’t have to squat or deadlift?? WHAT?! ”
Calm down, that’s not exactly what I’m saying. I love back squats, they are proven to develop muscle strength & size and if I could I would have everyone back squat.
However I have worked with a number of people who train for general health that find back squatting and deadlifting on straight bar difficult to perform correctly so we use other variations, some people can’t bench press on a straight bar without their shoulders being sore, yet switching to a dumbbell press feels fine.
Mobility or injury restrictions may be 2 reasons why the big 3 barbell lifts may not be suitable for an individual something we should also consider is the structure of our body.
An old client of mine was around 6’3”, his body type & previous shoulder injuries really affected his ability to perform a back squat in good form, however we found that using a safety squat bar was a lot more comfortable, allowed for much better technique, a greater range of movement and we were able to build strength in his lower body this way.
It’s about finding something that works for you.
Here is my list of alternatives to the barbell lifts for each movement pattern, in no particular order.
Squats – Front Squats, Safety Bar Squats, Goblet Squats, Split Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunge variations, Sled Pushing/Pulling, Leg Pressing.
Deadlifts – Trap Bar Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlifts, Block Pulls, Hip Thrusts, Single Leg Hip Thrusts, Glute Bridges, Single Leg RDLs, Sled Pushing.
Bench – Various Angles DB Benching, Neutral/Angled Grip Benching, Push Up Variations , Dips.
You can still build a strong, muscular physique without the use of the traditional big 3, BUT this is no excuse to skip these movement patterns there are plenty of other variations for you to use that may work better for you.
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