I have a tip. Next time you are feeling smug and self-satisfied, thinking that you have all of the facts.....just consider how in 10 years you are no longer going to believe most of the stuff that you currently consider as fact.

“How much you can Deadlift OR sumo deadlift.” This is a tacit admission by Mr. Enkiri that sumo ain’t a real deadlift.

Always an interesting and thoughtful take on things. I always come away with something new. Seriously, dude this channel deserves to be so much bigger.

I like how he finished the "extra risk" segment with footage of him jumping off a roof.

the grind through your sticking point on the 530 squat is insane, well done. that takes so much mental effort most people would have probably dumped it

Get strong at multiple exercises, not just 3. That’s what’s builds a well balanced physique

Couldn’t agree more that strength training has been conflated with pure powerlifting training. If anything the Pendlay/Starr total of high bar squat/push press, and clean probably offers a bit better more carryover for general strength

Listening to this actually helped remind me of my intended goals and purpose with my overall training program; that being general strength and conditioning and not necessarily the big 3. They still play a big role, but focusing on a diversity of lifts and being strong in many areas rather than only 3 lifts is far more appealing to me and I believe, actually leads to better long term strength and longevity since overuse in the big 3 isn't as much of a concern.

i Agree with everything you said here, bro. i much rather have general strength and improve on everything. I love boxing, running, i dont own a car so i have to walk, carry laundry and groceries back and forth why still working a shitty job. I have a plate in my hip from a car accident when i was 13. im 37 now and all this training i do gets more important as the years go by. As always, love your videos, thank you.

Never commented on your videos before but this is the number 1 thing alot of recreational lifters need to hear (especially naturals). Getting better at the Squat, Bench/ Deadlift is not the be all and end all unless you are a competitive powerlifter. Progress is progress no matter the exercise and will eventually lead to a more well rounded strength profile.

I was just thinking about this for the past couple of days. Thanks for the video. Now go recommend this to more people almighty algorithm.

Amazingly giga. So weird to me how everthing that wasn't hypertrophy was automatically powerlifting!

Yep, you can build strength without testing it every single session or week. You're also allowed to do more than 5 reps in a set and still promote strength haha. Loved this one.

This is a key message to the fitness industry that too many people need to hear. Keep preaching it man!

OG article enjoyer checkin 🤓 wondered why the topic was so familiar! 😂

A good discussion as always. I 100% agree that powerlifting training does not equal strength training; you especially sold this point in the last part of the video; you're right, strength does serve as the basis for many physical tasks. In order to perform such tasks, one needs to have sufficient strength for the muscle groups associated with that task (which may or may not be similar to powerlifting). Hell (this is more of am anecdote), I've also seen people who have not been able to do the lifts seen in powerlifting as well as I have, but are way beyond my strength overall. Ultimately, powerlifting pidgeon holes a person to three specific lifts and lowers the versatility of their strength (that is, if they don't do any other type of training), as you said in your video.

That 60” box jump is so great! So is your high totals. But love the snatch and overhead presses

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, using certain things like wide grip and arch in bench press isn’t getting stronger. It’s a form of specific strength that hyper focuses on the number rather then the strength of the muscle. It’s not about developing the muscle. Which helps with athletic endeavours and building general strength. It’s about developing the movement, the bench press. Of course that has its limit. So every powerlifter. Eventually has to go back to generalised training or a “hypertrophy” block to increase their general strength or their “base”.

Great video. Have learnt to focus on all lifts, while focusing on 8-15RMs

Thanks for making this bro.

Yea I really wish we as a community would stop saying training for size vs training for strength and start calling it training for size and strength vs Big Three One Rep Max Specialization, I think thats alot more accurate, especially when a massive amount of that specialization is technique and not actually just an increase in the raw muscular strength, doing curls for example you are specifically building size and strength in that specific muscle and to some degree theres probably motor unit recruitment adaptations as well. Powerlifting is similar to my training of box jumps while yes my muscles are increasing there ability to contract powerfully the progress is also largely do to perfecting the execution of the triple extension more and more. I hope I'm making sense here, but I consider general strength to be superior to Big Three One Rep Max Specialization, of course there also actual an increase in raw muscular strength but I think there is even more so with bodybuilding, especially if you train in lower rep ranges, and if I wanted to specialize on strength I'd choose strongman training over powerlifting 11 times out of ten, not to put down powerlifting, but the terminology we use seems to have created this misconception that if you bodybuild youll just be massive and weak, no you will be strong for sure, a lot of bodybuilders who can't fight is simple 1.) Their softies who like to lift they simply are not fighters mentally and thats ok 2.) They often dont have any stamina or agility or explosiveness which if you train directly you certainly will have 3.) This is also perpetuated by bodybuilders with no fighting training at all getting beat by martial arts master well no crap, just the reluctance that would be present because they dont know what to do is a huge factor, and the reason a lot of them suck at lifting objects is due to a lack of knowledge and maybe some underdeveloped stabilizing muscles and or tendons, anyway I'm sorry for the rant, I just think it'd be better for everyone if we started calling it Big Three One Rep Max Specilization instead of strength training

I care about strength milestones but only relative to the lifts and rep range I’m using to grow. I enjoy maxing but it loses appeal when you know volume work predicts your peaked strength and I don’t see the point of moving more weight if you have to use an easier variation to do it

Just another comment and a Like for the algo. Stay shredded brahs (and brahettes), we're all gonna make it. Peace.

Respectfully, I think point one is off base. An all-out max and a training max are completely different things, and doing max effort singles at around 90% or so to attenuate upper threshold muscle fibers before moving on to hypertrophy-based work is not inherently dangerous. Certainly not any more dangerous than triples, fives, or 10s, and it’s only neurologically draining if the lifter is too psychologically aroused before performing their training maxes. They shouldn’t be. They should be approached calmly, in a business-as-usual fashion. These maxes can be rotated every max effort day to whichever accessory the lifter chooses and realistically set a PR every time they do max effort. And the changing of exercises, bars, grips, etc, to utilize different joint angles help stave off overuse injuries or overreaching. I see no reason why intermediate or advanced lifters can’t use conjugate-style training year-round for hypertrophy and strength training, which are necessarily linked. If a powerlifter has a meet coming up, they can simply hyper-focus on peaking their big 3’s in a brief prep, take a break after the meet, and then resume their normal strength training. Powerlifters don’t need special snowflake programs lol. They SHOULD be doing general strength training for musculoskeletal balance and longevity and overall health. Sport-specific prep should only comprise a very brief time in any given year

My reaction to the title=FINALLY

I did Powerlifting for about 2 years, but trained perhaps 9 months, due to injurys on hips and shoulders. I completely fcked up my shoulders due to benching. Powerlifting destroyed me completely. Before i trained Powerlifting i did mostly calisthenics, i was healthy and really fit and especially shredded and had a lot of muscles. Powerlifting got me fat and unhealthy and i felt most of the time tired. So i stopped Powerlifting and got back into calisthenics and more functional Training and now my shoulders are finally healing, i loose bodyfat and become healthier. I would say Powerlifting is Not a Sport to get fit and strong, its just a specific competition Sport, If someone wants to be healthy and fit, just do other Sports

Amazing video

Great perspective

Is there anywhere a systematic analysis of what parts of the body are not strengthened by bench/squat/deadlift and so what supplementary exercises are needed alongside these 3

A much needed video that I will be referring people to in future discussions.

Hmm if your point is that strength training and power lifting is different then yes I'd agree. But if you're saying that powerlifting style training can't build up " everyday" strength then I disagree. Powerlifting is the expression of maximal strength in 3/4 exercises ( conventional vs sumo) if you can sumo dead lift say 625 at a weight of 160 you'd be pretty useful in taxing the groceries to the front door or moving a couch. Why does someone need to be strong in a seated pin press or zombie squat when you can be strong in the bench or back squat? Outside of goals of course. Every sport has a level of specificness that can lead to overuse / boredom power lifting is no different. Lastly even if you take out the super technical powerlifting stuff ( arch, wide stance etc) these lifters are still stronger than 99.9% of the population and they are using said methods to be the best of the best not uncle Phil I'm having a hard time seeing the " ineffective" nature of a sound PL training system. This sounds like a CrossFit argument from 2011. ( Be functional) Functional is different for everyone.

Most excellent video!

Great vid Alec. Was wondering could you do one for squatting in heel shoes vs flats? Thanks

Really spot on !

Heavy singles terrify me

I guess the biggest difference between powerlifting and strength training is the incorporation of weighted bodyweight exercises especially weighted chin ups.Most powerlifters don't focus on getting brutally strong at the weighted chin up

What are your thoughts on using Louie Simmons 5x5, 6x6 replacement for dynamic effort? Ie 60-70% with 1 minute rest periods? Would this be a good tool for power, density, and strength development?

Biggest issue with this take is that if I listen to you I won't be able to answer the most important question in training: "How much ya bench?"

One problem is that strength is specific to the task which you are performing. Squat Bench and Deadlift strength isn’t even enough of a constraint. We must also set a rep and intensity value to determine the relative strength of that lifter under those conditions at that moment in time. The idea of “General Strength” is a bit of a misnomer.

powerlifting doesnt mean jack shit in real life, telling u from what i see and i powerlift so

I have seen the light! I'm now a high bar squatter!! Mostly due to the fact it's easier on my low back, hips, and my tweaked knee, which surprised me.

People dont understand this

It's the same thing.

Powerlifting is hideous unless we're talking about high bar squat, close grip bench and conventional deadlift.

Does powerlifting actually help with MMA, wrestling, etc.?

Nah you are still nobel natty, and be proud of that!

can you try to deadlift and squat with a car

I like your videos

Specialising early on is killing your gains? 😅

Did you ever respond to vegan gains tearing up your client for raising his arse on that four plate bench?

All I learned is that Alec can outrun a truck, and purple laser beams help your deadlift 🙏🏼

I completely disagree , because i consider u as one of the Noble Natties

Solid video

Algo

This is controversial? 😳

Damn, that music gets annoying really fast. It's a shame, because it starts distracting me from what you're saying.

Not really controversal for me. Maybe for overly proud powerlifters XD .

Nothing like getting accused of hiding your strength by not doing arched benche sand wide stance squats deliberately done to create a rebound 1 inch below parallel by yanking on your adductors and hip sockets for elasticity! How about sumo lifters making a big deal about straps because that's clearly a crutch! Bromley was right: powerlifting is where people who couldn't do other things - including strongman and bodybuilding - can congregate and circlejerk about how great they are as no one cares or watches them! Maybe I'm caricaturizing too much... it's really those online faux powerlifter wannabes that are like this really, actually strong powerlifters say it like it is!

Once you take many of these powerlifters out of the regular planes they train in they’re weak as hell