Hey there! It's Lazar. In my previous tip to you I stressed the big importance of motivation.

Without i t we are doomed to FAIL, numerous times. But what happens when you become so motivated to bring out the best in you? So m otivated that you decide you are a winner who never gives up until successful? Let me tell you this...In every aspect of life our success is determined not onl y by our talent and work ethic, but mainly by the foundation that we have built at the very beginning of our career. In sports the importance of building a strong base is even more important especi ally when considering the fact that it takes years to build a strong foundation. When it comes to power-oriented sports and especially bodybuilding it's the BIG 3 that count as the "bread & butter" of a solid groundwork. The squat, the deadl ift and the bench press - these are the lifts that ultimately determine the powe r that a sportsman is able to generate. These main lifts are the core of every successful bodybuilding and powerlifting routine, as they engage the maximum number of muscles, cause extreme central ner vous system activation and eventually trigger the greatest release of anabolic h ormones. Stimulus is what causes us to adapt and grow. When it comes to generating stress and stimulus, there is nothing beating or coming close to the BIG 3. The squat is often cited as the most challenging and growth spurring exercise no wonder it is considered as the king of all exercises. The squat targets the m uscles of the legs and it is the best exercise for overall mass gain. When performing the squat (front or back) the body indirectly uses numerous othe r muscles called lift-assistants in order to perform the lift - these include th e arms, shoulders, back and abdominal muscle. As a result of this the cumulative stress caused by performing the squat puts th e body in an extremely stressful situation, which leads to a stress-reaction-ada ptation response mechanism. The body reacts by producing increasingly large amounts of anabolic and stress h ormones like Growth Hormone, Testosterone, Adrenaline, Cortisol and numerous oth ers. In turn these hormones facilitate muscle growth and promote not only the increas e in size of targeted muscles like the legs, but also better muscle growth in al l other body parts. This comes as a result of the bettered hormonal environment and metabolic stress indicators. So next time you hear the saying "Squat for bigger biceps"- take it for real. The deadlift, often called the "man's lift", is the heaviest free weight exercis e that can be performed. It's you against the barbell on the floor, no way of ch eating gravity. Similar to the squat, the deadlift engages all muscle groups in performing the l ift, as a result of which the body is stressed to an extreme degree and forced t

o produce copious amount of anabolic hormones. The deadlift is the staple of every successful back routine and often cited as t he exercise that ultimately determines the outcome in powerlifting competitions. The bench press is the most compound exercise for the chest, triceps and shoulde r muscles. Compared to the deadlift and squat it is relatively easy, but when it comes to building upper body mass - there is nothing coming close to it. "How much do you bench" is one of the most widespread questions that one may hea r in a gym and no wonder, because everybody does the bench press. Just go in a r andom gym on Monday evening and you will see how popular it is. Performing the BIG 3 creates an extreme anabolic stimulus, which over time incre ases your growth capacity. The implementation of those exercises in a routine al so makes you much stronger on the other lifts and let's you perform more repetit ions on secondary lifts.

Theory into practice SQUATS The best way is to incorporate the Squat at the beginning of the leg routine whe n one is strongest. Start with 2-3 warm up sets for 10 repetitions and gradually build up to a worki ng set weight. Perform 5 working sets of 5 repetitions at 80% of your 1RM. Rest for 2 minutes between working sets. This will help you increase functional hypertrophy, so you will gain muscle mass that is functional, so you will be as strong as you look.

DEADLIFT Start the Deadlift at the beginning of the training by performing 3-4 warm up se ts to prepare the back and hamstring muscles for the heavy weights. Start with 12 repetitions, then 10, then 8, and at the final set do between 3 an d 5 repetitions for max weight at approximately 85% of your 1RM. After this your back will feel much stronger and will help you perform rows with heavier weights, which will result in greater back muscle development. If you choose to perform the deadlift at the end of the training, do 3 sets of 8 -10 repetitions with controlled motion and focus on squeezing at the top, rather than just lifting maximum weights.

BENCH PRESS The Bench press is best performed first in the chest routine, as one will be abl e to lift maximum weights.

Start with one set for 20 reps to get the blood flowing and then perform two mor e sets for 10-12 reps to warm up. After this perform 5 working sets of 5-6 repetitions at 80% of your 1RM, after c ompleting the last set, drop the weight by 30% and do a drop set to failure to g et a good pump. Rest for maximum 2 minutes between working sets.

Remember that those three exercises are primarily power-oriented, so one should always be striving to lift weights above 80% of 1RM in order to cause maximum mu scle fiber recruitment and growth. Last, but not least, performing the squat and the deadlift demands superb whole body coordination and improve the athleticism and explosiveness of an athlete, w hich leads to better performance in all sports.

For everyone who is serious about packing muscle, getting stronger and becoming better in his sport - there is no way around it - you MUST perform the BIG 3!

However the BIG 3 are the only things we need to succeed. There is a lot more. A nd my next tip is just about that - what to add on to the Big 3 so we never stop progressing.