What are the big four lifts, and why do we do them?

By Dena Mellick, Coach, Atlanta Women’s Barbell Club

What are the big four lifts?

The Atlanta Women’s Barbell Club focuses on the big four lifts: squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. 

Why do we focus on these four lifts? 

These lifts are compound movements, meaning they use multiple muscle groups. Essentially, these lifts give you the biggest bang for your buck when trying to get stronger and put on muscle.

The big four lifts are also replicating movements you do in everyday life. Do you pick up items off the floor? That’s a deadlift.

Ever put your luggage up in an overhead compartment on a plane? That’s an overhead press, and who couldn’t use a little bit more strength (and height) there?

Have you played with your child on the floor and pushed them off your chest? Bench press!

Do you, ahem, go to the bathroom? Yep, we squat every day!

Not only are these movements functional, but because they are compound and utilize more muscle groups, they are a potent stimulus to grow muscle and prevent sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is age-related muscle loss, and after age 30, you can lose 3% to 5% per decade. Less muscle mass means an increased chance for serious falls and injuries as you age. So it’s essentially a battle to maintain, much less add, muscle after the age of 30!

The 2020 paper “Nutritional Supplements to Support Resistance Exercise in Countering the Sarcopenia of Aging” in the journal “Nutrients” found that “RT [resistance training] is the most potent non-pharmacological stimulus to increase skeletal muscle mass, strength, and improve physical function, and is therefore undoubtedly the single most effective countermeasure for age-related sarcopenia.”

So while resistance training definitely gives you those admiral muscles, being strong is so much more than that. The big four lifts are an investment in a future you.