What Are the 3 Main Workouts Everyone Should Do?

If you walk into any gym and look around, you’ll see people doing dozens of different exercises. Bicep curls, leg extensions, lateral raises, machines with confusing names - it’s overwhelming. But here’s the truth: you don’t need all of them. In fact, most people waste time on exercises that don’t move the needle. The real power lies in just three main workouts. These aren’t fancy. They’re not new. But they’re the foundation of every strong, capable body - whether you’re 18 or 58.

The Squat: Your Lower Body King

The squat isn’t just a leg exercise. It’s a full-body movement that builds strength, mobility, and stability. When you squat properly - feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, hips back - you’re working your quads, glutes, hamstrings, core, and even your upper back. It’s the closest thing we have to a natural human movement. Think about it: you squat to sit, to pick something up, to stand from a chair. Training it makes everyday life easier.

Barbell back squats are the gold standard. Start light. Focus on form. Don’t chase weight. A 135-pound bar with perfect depth is better than 300 pounds with a rounded back. People who squat regularly notice they can climb stairs without breathing hard, carry groceries without back pain, and stand for longer without getting tired. That’s not magic. That’s the squat.

The Deadlift: Your Posterior Chain Builder

If the squat builds the front of your body, the deadlift builds the back. It targets your hamstrings, glutes, lower back, traps, and grip. And unlike the squat, it teaches you how to lift heavy objects safely - which is why it’s one of the most practical exercises you’ll ever do.

Real-life example: I’ve seen people in Dublin’s gyms struggle to lift their suitcases, move furniture, or even pick up their kids. They think it’s a lack of strength. It’s not. It’s a lack of training the posterior chain. The deadlift fixes that. Start with a conventional deadlift - hands outside your knees, back flat, drive through your heels. Don’t yank. Don’t round. Lift with your legs, not your back.

After six weeks of consistent deadlifts, people report fewer lower back aches, better posture, and a surprising boost in confidence. They feel like they can handle anything. And honestly? They can.

The Bench Press: Your Upper Body Anchor

Yes, you can build chest and arm strength without the bench press. But if you want to know how strong your upper body really is - and how well your shoulders, triceps, and core work together - there’s no better test. The bench press isn’t about looking like a bodybuilder. It’s about functional pushing power.

Think about it: pushing a heavy door, lifting a child over a fence, shoveling snow, even resisting a tackle in rugby - all require pushing strength. The bench press trains that. Use a barbell. Keep your shoulder blades retracted. Feet flat on the floor. Lower the bar to your mid-chest. Press up like you’re trying to crush it. Don’t bounce. Don’t lock out violently.

Men and women alike benefit. A woman who can bench 70% of her body weight can push a stalled car, carry heavy boxes, or stabilize herself during a fall. A man who can bench 1.5x his body weight? He’s got serious functional strength. It’s not about ego. It’s about capability.

Why These Three? The Science Behind Them

These aren’t random picks. They’re compound lifts - meaning they move multiple joints and engage many muscle groups at once. Studies from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research show that compound exercises like these trigger more muscle growth and hormone release than isolation moves. They’re also more time-efficient. One squat session can replace three leg exercises. One deadlift session replaces two back and two glute moves. One bench press replaces two chest and three tricep moves.

And here’s the kicker: they’re measurable. You can track progress. Add 5 pounds to your squat each week. Hit one more rep on your deadlift. Increase your bench by 10 pounds in a month. That’s motivation. That’s progress. That’s real.

What About Other Exercises?

You can still do pull-ups, rows, lunges, planks, and shoulder presses. But those are supplements. The squat, deadlift, and bench press are the core. Think of them like the foundation of a house. You can paint the walls, install fancy lights, and add a garden - but if the foundation cracks, everything else fails.

Most people skip these three because they’re hard. They think they’re too intimidating. Or they’ve been told they’re bad for your knees or back. That’s misinformation. Done correctly, they’re some of the safest movements you can do. Done poorly? Any exercise can hurt you. The key isn’t avoiding them - it’s learning them.

How to Start

• Start with just the barbell. No weight plates. Just the bar.
• Do one set of 5 reps per exercise, twice a week. Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.
• Focus on form, not weight. Record your reps and weights in a notebook or phone app.
• After four weeks, add 5-10 pounds to each lift.
• Don’t do more than three sessions a week. Recovery matters.

It takes patience. But within three months, you’ll notice changes you didn’t expect: clothes fit better, you feel stronger walking up hills, and you stop dreading physical tasks. That’s the power of these three lifts.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Going too heavy too fast - form breaks before strength grows.
• Skipping warm-ups - cold muscles lead to injury.
• Ignoring breathing - hold your breath on the way down, exhale on the lift.
• Doing them every day - muscles grow when they rest.
• Comparing yourself to others - your progress is yours alone.

There’s no shortcut. But there is a simple path. And it starts with these three workouts.