#246 - Getting Started #3: Mastering the Big Four (Squat, Press, Bench, Deadlift) | Barbell Logic (2024)

FAQs

What are the big 3 bench squat deadlift? ›

Yes, the big 3 workout is excellent for building muscle. The squat, bench and deadlift target multiple muscle groups simultaneously, promoting overall strength and hypertrophy. Incorporating them into a well rounded workout programme that utilises progressive overload is highly effective for muscle growth.

The Atlanta Women's Barbell Club focuses on the big four lifts: squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. Why do we focus on these four lifts? These lifts are compound movements, meaning they use multiple muscle groups.

Some are superior to others. A chosen few are also known as the "big three." The bench press, squat, and deadlift are the "big three." These are the three lifts that powerlifters utilize to compare their strength to that of the competition using the combined total.

Though there are thousands of different exercises we could do in the gym, barbell training comprises just four exercises, the so-called “Big Lifts.” These compound movements — the squat, press, deadlift, and bench press — should make up 90% of any athlete's strength program, regardless of their level of advancement.

What is The Big 3 routine? A deceptively simple yet brilliantly effective training program for putting slabs of muscle on a beginner trainee. It does this by focusing all the trainee's energy and recovery efforts into the 'big money' exercises alone – the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift.

Contrary to popular long-standing belief, you don't need to squat, bench, overhead press and deadlift with a barbell to build muscle and get stronger. The idea that the “big 4” is required for a lifting program is precisely why so many gym-goers are always banged up and not making the progress they want.

KPMG is perhaps the best for guiding you through your professional qualifications and has a trainee community called the Academy to help give training a more social feel.

The Deadlift is the biggest lift for most people and should be the one we aim to move the most weight with. With consistent training it is very realistic to be able to deadlift the equivalent of your own bodyweight for a few reps, men and women alike.

What lift works the most muscles? ›

The squat is the king of all exercises. Squats hit most muscle groups in the body, with emphasis on the core and large lower body muscles. The more muscle mass and motor units recruited during an exercise, the better the exercise for burning body fat, and the squat is the best of them all.

Based on bench press standards and the average body weight of an American male, an untrained or novice man can often lift between 135 and 175 pounds.

Deadlifts. By that fact alone, the deadlift is king. Of the three major compound lifts, the deadlift is the only movement that occurs within one motion, not two.

Deadlift: The Ultimate Test of Power

This lift tests an athlete's grip strength, back power, leg drive, and overall endurance. The deadlift is both physically and mentally demanding. It's often the final lift in a competition, requiring athletes to muster every ounce of strength and determination they have left.

The Current Guinness Record for most weight lifted by a human is now held by the two-time Canada's Strongest Man winner Gregg Ernst. Having already been watched by over 1,000 people lifting two grown oxen, in July 1993, Ernst lifted 2,422.2kg (5340lb), making this officially the world's heaviest lift.

The 3x3 program allows you to focus on heavy weights and low reps. You do three sets of three reps at each session with varying intensities. The volume is fairly low so high frequency is a viable option. The 3x3 program is also great for size and strength goals or just sheer strength goals.

As we mentioned above, the big three are the bench press, squat, and deadlift. They're the three lifts used in powerlifting, where powerlifters use the combined total to measure their strength against their competitors.

The sport of powerlifting is based on three activities: the squat, the bench press and the deadlift. Despite its name, powerlifting is an exercise in strength not power. The object is to lift as much weight as you can; the very top lifters in the sport can hoist over 1,000 pounds.

The 3:4:5 Ratio

Lots of lifters use a 3:4:5 ratio as an ideal strength standard to work toward. Rather than expressing a ratio via percentages, each of these numbers represents a fixed weight goal for benching, squatting, and deadlifting, respectively. So you would try to bench 300 lbs, squat 400, and deadlift 500.