Who here lifts weights?

I went to school and when I got my B.S. in science I was very interested in athletic performance and training so I got a minor in exercise science and nutrition and what I learned is keep the process as simple as possible. It can become very complicated and comprehensive if you want to take it to extremes but very often it isn't necessary. You guys are right the diet and adequate rest is just as important as how you train. Those three exercises you talked about squat, deadlift and bench press are the three most effective compound exercises. But other movements should be incorporated to balance your body. Think of it like this: everyone sees the guy that trains upper body but never does abs or lower body. Well that individual has a much greater chance of getting injured due to an inbalanced body. I would keep those three exercises as the main staple but ad in other important movements to work other important areas of the body. E.g. Back, Tricep, Bicep, Shoulders, Calves, Abs. General rule of thumb if you muscles hurt from being sore wait until they are mostly healed to train. By not allowing adequate time to heal you are not getting the best bang for the buck. Variety is the spice of life. Meaning training 5 X 5 in the major lifts will work quite well initially but for the long haul you will have to make changes to continue to make progress and keep the body guessing. What works very well for many if beginning to weight train is 3x week. 2 days spent on upper body movements and 1x week concentrate on lower body. After 2 or 3 months change up the exercises and introduce different movements. It is true you can train calves and abs more frequently than other muscle groups because they usually heal quicker but don't train them when sore. Vary your reps on your exercises doing 5 reps all the time will not have the same benefits as somtimes doing 6-8 reps and somtimes doing 12+ reps. This will prevent your body from adapting. Remember over time doing the same thing repetively becomes easy and the results diminish. Fat will never turn to muscle and muscle will never become fat. Two totally different tissues. You can loose fat and build muscle at the same time however. I graduated high school as a wrestler 135 lbs 5'10". 6 yrs later 24 yrs old 215 lbs 10% bodyfat same height by practicing what I learned and experimenting (no steroids). I'm now 41 and way about 210 still live very healthy active lifestyle just always fighting to keep the fat off dilema. Not a spring chicken anymore. Not trying to be a know it all just passionate about this stuff. Also used to also be a nationally certified strength coach and help rehab athletes yrs back before my current job.

Carl