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The Powerful Three

January 22, 2007

A friend of mine asked me recently that if you had a very minimal amount of time and equipment and could only workout using three exercises what would they be?

Well, I didn’t have to think too long before I had the answer. You see, the bodybuilding magazines would have you believe that you have to try every exercise under the sun in order to work the muscles from different angles, to shock them, to get a high peak and tight definition and blah, blah, blah!

Utter crap.

To get big you must get strong. To get strong you need very few lifts. Absolutely, positively no isolation exercises. They’re ridiculous unless you want to be a bodybuilder and even then if all you do is iso stuff, you better be taking some serious drugs.

Basic, compound, multi-joint movements are what’s needed. The old-timers knew this and got big and strong by following this regimen. Look at pictures of Steve Reeves, Reg Park and John Grimek if you don’t believe me. They were big, strong and healthy through and through.

If you use the power lifts or the Olympic lifts you can’t go wrong provided you train hard and heavy and smart.

So, back to my friends question. Here is the answer. The magical three lifts that will put slabs of muscles and loads of power onto your body, even if you don’t have the much time or equipment. All you need with these lifts is a bar, weights and maybe a squat rack for safety.

The Powerful Three

Squats
Overhead Press
Deadlifts

Notes: Train consistently 2-3 days per week and use whatever set and rep scheme you feel comfortable with. It could be one or two sets to failure, 5 x 5, singles, doubles, triples – anything you want, so long as you’re consistent and work hard. Add weight to the bar whenever possible and get lots of rest, eat good food and drink plenty of water. Don’t forget to warmup first before going into heavy squatting.

Understand that to be successful in any weight training program – hard work is a must! Half-hearted effort does nothing for you. If you’re new to weight training or grossly out of shape, consult a physician first. End of disclaimer.

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Written by Brian Carson · Filed Under Workouts 

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