What if the press became the 3rd lift at a meet?

[Albert1]

Rip,
Given your strength training experience, I'm curious to know what your take would be if the following happened. What if the press officially replaced the bench press as the 3rd main lift at a a meet. What if all of a sudden the question at every gym was..."how much do you press?" How would training change or would have to change at every gym in America?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Wow. What a thing to consider. Maybe someone will start such a meet, write up some rules, and promote it within an existing organization that appeared at one time to possess the ability to appreciate strength training as the key to the rest of athletics that it actually is.

[abenn]

Haha. Awesome reply. But Rip, it takes years to understand the intricacies of the programing. Maybe in 10 more years the mighty and mysterious paradigm will reveal itself. Along with a 700# dead.

Albert - it's called the Crossfit Total. And yes, it would be sweet to see it around more.