THE "BIG THREE" LIFTS-DO THEY STACK-UP?

Do you ever wonder where local, or for that matter, worldwide strength & fitness trends are taking us? Does genuine innovation truly exist? And when it presents, is it recognised and embraced? Or do we still prefer the convenient options, and cling to old standards? As a long-time dedicated Fitness Professional, one who has lived the “Fitness Industry” and seen trends come and go, and then come again, these are the burning questions confronting us today. Of some of the recently recognised advancements, most have turned out to be passing fads ("Slide" training for example), and in many instances are a "re-jigging" of what has been tried before. The mountain climber’s exercise is one of these. Once upon a time, during the "fitness revolution" of the late 1970's early 1980's, they were known as single-leg treads. Even today's "HIIT" classes, are simply a re-branding of the common gym run circuit classes of the same era. Whilst alarmingly, many of the most inspiring, relevant and beneficial strength, fitness and range/motion techniques like Yoga and Pilates, are even now not included within the context of everyday gym programming, even though they have been employed with overwhelming success for a great number of years, and as such remain on the periphery of accepted mainstream practices.

Similarly, the Bodii system has been forged on alternative strength & fitness training principles, which deliberately oppose the traditional obsessions with support and stability, so as to better deliver unique strength, fitness, balance and range/motion outcomes. Cutting edge training advancements focused on graduated “progressive adaptations”, which are derived from strategic applications of load, based around thoughtful adjustments to the participant’s posture and position, through constant variations to included instability. Not, as is the case in traditional strength training, where the singular determinant to improvement is increases in applied weight. Often ill-considered increases at that. And as logic will tell you, eventually something has to give, and injuries will and do occur.

Modern strength training attitudes can only compound this very serious issue. A compulsion to lift more and more resistance, and to "smash-out" PBs has become the manic norm. A movement which has developed around the so-called "big three" power lifts of bench press, squats and deadlifts, that have now become the in-thing. A tendency, this presenter believes, brought about by a decided lack of innovation in an industry crying out for something genuinely new, but which at the same time is somewhat sceptical that anything new is even possible. After all, as a huge percentage of naïve fitness professionals would have you believe, most likely because they believe it themselves, what else can possibly be out there waiting to be discovered? Unfortunately, the old adage of “you don’t know, what you don’t know” is very much in play in this situation.

The ascendancy of the “big-three” lifts is in reality a "bit odd", as even in traditional circles, powerlifting itself was once upon a time on the periphery of standard practice, and was only followed by a select group of strength, 1RM fanatics. A group which often included dominant personalities, who over the years, have acquired higher profiles, enabling them to exert some influence over the direction strength & fitness would follow. And is not a focus necessarily based on sound industry progression and practice. Consequently, this about face is quite possibly the reason why the power lifts gained their impetus towards industry saturation. All recognised commercial strength training facilities will currently have an area devoted to the 3 lifts, amongst other popular current movements (sled push, box jumps) and are most often referred to as the “Functional Training Zone”.

Lifts labelled as "functional", a conclusion based on the effects they are reputed to have on the core and balance/stability outcomes, but which on closer scrutiny simply don't stack-up. As indicated in the immediately preceding blog on this site entitled “Core Strength & the Phases of Engagement”, the core can be subjected to differing levels of inclusion/activation, which in turn elicit varying outcome possibilities. Therefore, just because the core is in acquired mode, as it is at a minimum in each and every move we make, doesn’t mean that it is going through a strengthening process, and that the core is gaining real strength benefits. This can be likened to sitting down to a meal, where just because I am using my upper body muscles to cut up the food and deliver it to my mouth, doesn’t mean these upper body muscles are actually increasing in strength. They are in “acquired” mode. A situation which is identical to the role the core plays in the so-called big 3 lifts. Furthermore, the degrees of functionality can be best assessed by diligently employing the following criteria:

1. An exercise’s direct relationship/transference to practical everyday movements, as determined by an individual’s lifestyle demands.
2. The positive outcomes an exercise produces within the concepts of Dynamic and Ballistic core.
3. The direct impositions on, and resultant benefits to balance/stability.
4. Contractile strength in target muscle/s.
5. Contractile range in target muscle/s.
6. Contractile endurance of target muscle/s, as governed by the duration a muscle has the capacity to hold a single contraction and is not merely the number of contractions per sequence.
7. The capacity for the participant/athlete to initiate, control, and complete all facets of the exercise without external assistance.

Therefore, true functionality of any adaptive exercise, or program of exercises, must encompass each of the above defining standards.

So, let’s now examine each of the lifts themselves:

1. The Bench Press: An exercise performed lying on the back, supported along a standard gym bench. Quite simply, once support has been introduced in this manner, the core is no longer required, not even at the acquired level. And let’s face it, when post training muscle soreness occurs, it is never felt in the core, and if the truth be told, in traditional circles this is not an area where this result is sought. As resistances are increased, participants will often arch their back and brace their legs on the floor to provide extra support (which in reality creates counter and increasing non-functional pressure) against which to perform the required movement. There is very often a spotter standing behind to ensure one or two extra repetitions are achieved (in some cases there is more than one spotter). A totally non-functional scenario. Lifters must be able to achieve max reps using challenging resistances, but which do not necessarily bring participants to a point of muscular failure. The bench press is performed with a wide grip at the bar, which seriously reduces range of motion, and as a result activates muscle fibres through a restricted "bulking" movement only. The movement itself does not emulate any actions lifters need to master for real, every day, practical purposes.
2. The Barbell Squat: Another example of a non-functional movement given functional credits. Especially true in circumstances where extravagant PB resistances are being attempted, yet again with spotter/s, in some cases with knees strapped for added support and protection, and with the bar positioned at the neck and across the shoulders that has been delivered from a squatting rack or cage. True function is determined by the participant’s own ability to place the resistance in the required position across the neck and shoulders and is a component that needs to be included when assessing real capacity to achieve PBs. With that in mind, Bodii variations to barbell squats add spice, where increases to load are implemented through strategic and deliberate adjustments to support and stability and are maximised by using manipulations to posture and position. Thereby positively affecting functional adaptations to Dynamic/Ballistic core strength, noticeable synergistic functional strength improvements in Quadriceps and Gluteals, with an antagonistic outcome role in Hamstrings, and also to integral balance/stability objectives. The core, as defined and demonstrated in Bodii Program I, must be the primary consideration in all strength & fitness training considerations. If it is not, even though the peripheral muscle zones (arms & legs) seemingly increase in strength, because the central structure from which all movement radiates, and exercise and functional stability is based (the “core”) is not gaining true inclusive and homeostatic strength, injuries will and do occur.
3. The Deadlift: An exercise lauded for its benefits to core strength and the posterior chain, especially Hamstrings, but which on analysis also falls short of this target. As for one thing, the calf muscles are not required in this restrictively ranged exercise, and in Bodii training principles, the calves are a crucial component in the posterior chain, and from there, overall balance/strength adaptation outcomes. Once again support and stability are the starting point, and in truth, the movement barely attacks Hamstrings with any significant range of motion. A problem exacerbated when resistances climb, and plates with large diameters are used instead of opting for smaller plates for similar loads, which consequently will have the effect of at least increasing movement ranges (but then more directly mimicking the squat!). There is no functional alteration to the length of the hamstrings throughout the range of motion, and in fact they are held in what can best be described as an isometric contraction. Which when translated into athletic/sporting pursuits is contra-indicated, as Hamstrings are required to both lengthen and shorten at varying levels of inclusion, intensity and range. And for the purposes of this blog is an exercise targeting Quadriceps and Gluteus Maximus, while using Hamstrings and the lumbar spine as stabilisers. (When performed employing traditional techniques, this is the exercise which this presenter believes is contributing to the spate of Hamstrings strains/tears in current day sports - a power exercise that in its present format has no functional place in any sports training!). The Dynamic/Ballistic core is not included to any greater extent than in any other standard exercise when performed with good form. Functionality is further disproved when wrist straps are used as back-up to insufficient grip strength.

All in all, it is not entirely about the “big three” lifts in isolation, it is more importantly about the prevailing, and unrelenting traditional approaches to strength and fitness training generally which need to be re-assessed, so that room is made to include the practicalities and benefits of advanced core strength, balance/stability and universal postural load considerations. Well and truly beyond the extents to which it is currently practiced!