Looking Past the Big Three

Almost every coach new to the industry is drawn to the belief that the ‘Big Three’, Squats, Deadlifts and Bench Press must be without question incorporated into their programming. Akash Vaghela explores this topic in greater detail.

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I love powerlifting. Between 2012 and 2014 all of my training was focused around the big three – the squat, bench and deadlift, and doing everything possible to drive their numbers up.
During this period, I committed one of the biggest mistakes a personal trainer could make. I imposed my beliefs, training

systems and goals onto my clients. Meaning, just about everyone I was helping was on some version of a bastardised powerlifting program.

Strike 1.

As a result, I thought every client should be doing the big three every week, no matter what.

Strike 2.

What never occurred to me was when my clients’ body composition goals weren’t being met, and all they were getting was a longer injury list, I didn’t think I was to blame. I didn’t listen, or pay enough attention.

Strike 3.

It was only when my own body came crashing to pieces that I got the wake up call I needed. Despite working on ‘perfecting’ my technique on the big 3 and sensibly building strength throughout those years, my knees, shoulders and low back just kept getting hurt.

Now, this doesn’t mean I don’t think anyone should squat, bench or deadlift. Far from it. They’re great exercises, and many people have built impressive physiques focusing on them. But they come with a caveat:

You need to be built right and have the right leverages to use them progressively over time, and have your efforts reflect your results.

Instead, I like using variations, or exercises which complement similar movement patterns of the big three to help get the training effect desired.

Remember, if body composition is the goal – which is the case for 99% of PT clients, you need to find exercises that work for their body type, and will be the money makers in driving change in their physique.

Everyone has different structures, muscle insertions and injury histories, so these big lifts, or ‘indicator lifts’ as I like to call them, don’t need to be limited to just the regular squat, bench and deadlift.

In fact, it’s now rare I ever prescribe the traditional big three, and always look at ‘better’ alternatives that fulfil the following criteria:

• Is it pain free

• Can it be loaded progressively?

• Can they feel the right muscles working?

When you find the lifts that work best, now’s the time to apply progressive overload with perfect form over time.

Establishing these key ‘indicators’ and then getting brutally strong on them is what will have the biggest impact on your physique.

The Assessment

When you’ve been training people for a long time, you can develop a quick eye for how someone will perform in basic movement patterns just by looking at their posture and their levers/structure.

But when you’re starting out, it can be easy to think everyone can squat, bench and deadlift safely. Which is why a great assessment tool can be the humble bodyweight squat. It’s an extremely simple test which can tell you almost everything you need to know about the body’s ability to move in less than a minute.

All you need to do is ask the client to perform 10 super slow squats, while varying reps between having their hands out in front and hands behind their head.

If you have someone who can perform a perfect squat in both positions, he/she might be a good candidate to perform the big three.

But if you have someone who looks like a train wreck when squatting, it’s likely that all three are out of the question.

Of course, it’s not as black and white, and in many cases will require some trial and error, but this is a good starting point.

Shut Up and Squat?

I’ve always enjoyed squatting, and for years I back squatted twice a week at the absolute minimum. Sometimes I tried 3,4,5, even 6 times a week.

I squatted in all rep ranges: 3s, 6s, 10s and even did a few cycles of 20 rep ‘widowmakers’.

I pushed them hard but the results never reflected my efforts. It wasn’t until an upper back injury forced me out of squatting for a period that I realised what I’d been missing out on with other exercises.

More importantly, I realised what clients had been missing out on too.

Before this, I had the mindset of answering every question with ‘squat more’.

I want to lose fat.

Squat more.

I want to build better glutes.

Squat more.

I want bigger legs.

Squat more.

Whatever the goal, my answer was always the same.

I want to make more money.

Squat more.

You get the idea… My injuries have been some of my biggest teaching lessons as a coach, and if it wasn’t for them, it wouldn’t have forced me to think outside the box with exercise selection, and general programming.

I now rarely, if ever, program a back squat for a client. There’s far too many variables that need to be in line for it to be done safely. And for the general population client, these don’t often stack up.

Which is why the split squat, and all single leg work for that matter, are such valuable exercises. Given the sedentary nature of our culture now, the split squat actively works to both strengthen and loosen all the muscles which have become weak (glutes, hamstrings) and tight (hip flexors) as a result.

You can do them in a wide variety of ways, including:

• Front foot elevated split squat

• Bulgarian split squat

• Reverse lunges

• Walking lunges

They all work well, and which variation you use will depend on the level of the client, their injury history, coordination and muscle imbalances. To begin with though, you can’t go wrong with the front foot elevated split squat.

Perfect Form Vs. Leverages

If you want to add another dimension to the assessment I described above, a good strategy is to squat with a dowel stick on your back, which closely emulates a back squat.

What you’ll see now is the effect your leverages have on the execution of the movement. And how even if your form may be clean, the exercise may not give you the changes in body composition you’re after.

If you look at the comparison in leverages above, you’ll see a clear difference.

The person on the left has perfect leverages to squat with (long torso, short femurs). If this person has no injury or mobility restrictions, you want to use the squat as part of their big 3 – it becomes a great way to build their legs .

The person on the right is a little different. Because of his/her long femurs and short torso, they’ll typically be more bent over with their hips shot way back if they want to hit parallel. They’ll build strong hips and a lower back, but there won’t be much quad growth.

This is the camp I’m in, and it’s why I started to make much better gains when I was forced to switch to different exercises.

If you have a client in this camp, you have a few choices.

• If they have good mobility stability, and enjoy free squatting, opt for front or safety bar squats.

• If they have poor mobility and stability, opt to include more machines such hack squats, leg presses and Smith squats, while staying on a healthy diet of single leg work too.

Machines work great here as it takes out the limiting factors of the core and lower back, which can be the limiting factor in load being lifted when back squatting, given the angle of the body.

How Much Ya Bench?

Everyone loves to bench press.

Chances are, if you’ve got a male client, he’ll want to bench press for a bigger chest.

But when we break it down, very few get the chest development they so badly crave from the beloved bench press.

A combination of leverages, shoulder / tricep dominance and poor mobility is why very few of my clients flat barbell bench press.

Instead, I much prefer dumbbell alternatives (where you’re able to move naturally), or if wanting to incorporate barbell work, the use of incline presses. These are much easier to teach, safer and for body composition purposes, will give you more bang for your buck.

The biggest problem with bench presses is having the required mobility and stability to maintain correct shoulder position. Arguably the most common cue you’ll use on the gym floor is ‘shoulders back and down’. Almost every move requires it, and none more so than the bench press, if you plan to avoid pain and injury.

The bench press is one of the hardest exercises to execute this on, given the angle and the use of the barbell. Which is why shoulder pain is rife, and well-developed chests are a rarity.

For the average client, they’d be far better off focusing their attention on various incline dumbbell and barbell presses. There’s less scope to go wrong, the flexibility requirements are reduced, it targets an area often under developed (upper chest), and you can be very progressive with it from the offset.

Death of the Deadlift?

If your goal is to build overall strength, deadlifts are great.

But for muscle building and body composition goals, there are better alternatives.

I’m a natural deadlifter (long arms, short torso), but I haven’t done a traditional conventional deadlift off the floor in 5 years, and I don’t plan to again. I also can’t remember when I last programmed my clients to do the same.

They’re arguably the most overrated exercise for body composition, and the risk-reward ratio is rarely worth it.

I’ve seen more injuries come from traditional deadlifts than just about any other exercise. It’s by no surprise either. Most people just don’t have the flexibility to get into proper deadlifting position, and nothing makes me cringe more than watching PTs force their clients into deadlifting with a back that resembles the letter C. There’s just no muscular benefit to
this, and all that’s happening (if it hasn’t already), is preparing the client for a disc bulge! Instead, if developing the back and posterior chain is the goal, I’d much rather use variations such as the Romanian deadlifts (where you can maximise the stretch component), sumo deadlifts (which can allow for a more upright stance) and rack deadlifts (which shortens the range of motion).

All these variations will be safer than the traditional conventional deadlift, and much easier for your clients to learn.

The Power of the Indicator

Whenever I write a training program for a new client at the start of their transformation, the first part I’ll establish in my head is what their ‘indicator’ lifts will be, or their own ‘big three’.

These are the lifts that I’ll use to track strength progression over the course of the months, and the lifts I want them to invest extra mental energy into.

I’ll also add a fourth lift in the form of an upper body pull, such as a chin-up or row, as this is neglected in the ‘big three’.

If we take the average male client who wants to get into shape, typical indicator lifts could include:

Upper body press: low incline dumbbell press

Upper body pull: one arm row

Posterior chain: Romanian deadlift

Quad dominant: hack squat

No Attachments

I’d like to finish by reiterating that the traditional squat, bench and deadlift are not bad exercises.

Instead, the key takeaway I want you to extract is to question whether they’re the most optimal exercises for your clients’ goals.

Unless they’re built well for it, have good mobility, stability and flexibility and have strong coordination, chances are they’re not.

And this will be 90+% of your clients.

It’s important to never be attached to any one exercise choice, principle or methodology. What separates the OK trainer from the great trainer is the ability to take what you’ve learnt, and apply what’s best for your client.

When you can find the exercises that best suit your clients’ goals, needs, and individual body types, and double down on making them as strong and technically proficient on them as possible, you’ll see their results go to the next level.

Written by ACA Contributor Akash Vaghela

Akash Vaghela specialises in transforming the bodies of city executives, CEOs, actors, physique athletes, and regular people who want to be in the best shape of their lives. He blends scientific knowledge, evidenced by his first-class sport science degree from the University of Birmingham, with the practical experience of successfully competing in both powerlifting and bodybuilding, to generate maximum results in minimum time for his clients. Akash can be best found on Instagram (@akashvaghela), on Facebook, and on his website ( www.rntfitness.co.uk ) You can contact him directly via email ( [email protected]. )