The back squat, bench press and deadlift are thought of as the “gold standard.”

With that, you don’t have to do them.

You don’t need them to get strong, improve performance and change body composition.

When it comes to specific exercises, there are none that you have to do.

Whether one of these 3 exercises causes you pain, you don’t have the mobility or stability to do them or you’re cycling your exercises, there are plenty of other exercises that you can do.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do them or that they’re bad for you. I’m saying, don’t be married to certain exercises or think you can’t get the results you want, without them.

Now I’m going to show you two exercises that you can do, to replace and the squat, bench and deadlift and still produce the results that you want.

Squat

The 2 exercises that I like to use instead of the squats are: Bulgarian Split Squats and Front Squat Reverse Lunges.

I love the unilateral aspect, the ability to go heavy and the challenge to maintain good posture.

These exercises mainly work the glutes, quads and even the core.

Both these exercises are extra challenging because of the work your core has to do to stay upright.

When implementing these instead of back squats, use them as your first exercise and focus on using a weight that really pushes you.

For my athletes and myself, these 2 exercises usually have us walking funny and a little more sore the next 2 days.

Bench

The 2 exercises that I like to use instead of the bench are: Alternating Dumbbell Bench and Dumbbell Low Incline Press.

These variations can be a little easier on the shoulders, they build stability and have anti-rotation, rotary stability component built in.

With these exercises, you’re still targeting the chest, triceps and shoulders and you finish with a great training effect.

Use them in the beginning of your training session and start getting strong without the bench.

Deadlift

I love the deadlift but pulling from the floor, whether sumo or conventional isn’t always the best option.

If you don’t have the mobility to pull from the floor or want some variety, there are other exercises.

The two options I like instead of deadlifting are: Romanian deadlifts (RDL’s) and elevated sumo deadlifts.

These 2 exercises target the same muscles as the deadlift, the hamstrings, glutes and back and you get a great training effect.

What is also important, is the ability to continue to get stronger. These exercises will let you continue to push the weight and help you get strong and increase performance.

I like, “The Big 3” but it’s not the only way to train. You can use other exercises, like the 6 above, to get the same training results.

These exercises listed above are a little more friendly on the body and you can always go back when the time is appropriate.

Your goals aren’t dependent on any one exercise, unless you only want to improve these 3.

Today I listed 6 exercise options to get the same training affect but there are many more that you can use to get stronger, improve performance or change body composition.

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