The Big "3" Workout

When adding volume to your strength workout, going light on the weights does not always have to be an option. Selecting weights that are between 85-90% of your projected maximum can be efficiently performed in sets of three with adequate rest in between.

For this workout I wanted to hit some major strength areas as well as working in power, speed and a body weight movement. I had the luxury of having the entire gym to myself so i was able to monopolize all of the plate weights we have in our facility as well as two quality barbells and a prowler sled. I set the clock for 45 minutes and had a go at it.

The Workout:

Bench Press: King of the Gym. Admittedly I do not normally do much bench press but I have been incorporating more in my workouts in order to meet some of my current goals. This took care of my pressing movement for the workout.

Dumbbell Snatch: A great power movement, I performed sets of 3 in each arm. I may have chosen to use a barbell for this one but I’m more comfortable with the dumbbell and I had plenty to choose from.

Dead lift: Your classic strength lift. This lift pretty much calls on every muscle in your body when performed correctly and makes my list of the 4 exercises I would choose if I had to only perform four for the rest of my life.

Pull Ups: Strict and slow. Performing 3 pull ups isn’t a major feat of strength but I wanted a strict pull in the workout and and by the end of the workout I had performed 30 perfectly strict pull ups. Not too shabby.

Prowler Sled Push/Backward Drag: I loaded the remaining weights on a prowler sled and attached a strap to pull it back to it’s starting point. It was a short enough distance that I was able to go as fast as I could on the push and be very aggressive coming back on the drag. My quads burned the entire way back and I was glad I had this tool to work with.

At the end of the workout I had completed ten rounds with only enough rest to shake out the cobwebs after the sled work. I really didn't feel that any one particular movement really interfered with the quality of the others. The first two rounds were done at lower weights on the bench, snatch and dead lift to loosen up the movement and progressively got heavier after that.

Give this a shot and see what you can do. If you don’t have a sled at your disposal try mixing in some 40 yard sprints or weighted lunges. Another option would be to select entirely different movements and give yourself a great second workout option to grow strong on. Keep in my what your goals are when selecting the criteria for the movements.