Assume machines and dumbbells are open
What are your alternative exercises for squats, bench presses, and deadlifts?
- Goblin squats
- Pistol squats
- Lunges
- Reverse lunges, or that kind where you elevate the back foot.
- Flies, all kinds
- Dips
- Suitcase carries
- Farmer’s carries
- That one where you hold a dumbbell and bend over while extending a leg straight behind you and then come up and bring the leg in at the same time.
That one where you hold a dumbbell and bend over while extending a leg straight behind you and then come up and bring the leg in at the same time.
This is the technical term.
Wouldn’t you just do the dumbell or machine version of those lifts?
Squat: Bulgarian split squat and lunges does the trick for legs
Bench: dumbbell bench press is a great replacement and can switch to shoulder press after each set
1+ for Bulgarian split squat, it immediately showed me how bad my muscular imbalance was.
I have a home gym, so don’t have this issue. But if I couldn’t get my workout in because of time constraints, I’d honestly just shift my days around.“Welp, today is gonna be a cardio day, I’ll lift tomorrow”
Those exercises are too important to me to skip so here’s what I do
- Survey the landscape and try to figure out who might be finished the soonest. If someone is warming up, probably not them
- Ask how many sets they have left
- If they have less than two, ask if I can have the rack next
- If more than two, ask someone else
- After doing this, find a spot in eye shot of the rack but not like right next to them staring them down
- Do some warm ups - if squats I’ll do goblet squats or just squats holding a 25lb plate. If bench I’ll warm up with light dumbbell bench or pushups, etce
- Thank that person after they’re done
If all the racks are taken… I’ll ask to work in. Deadlifts are the easiest, two bars on one platform isn’t the end of the world.
