Accessory plans/routines?
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threnjen
Posts: 687 Member
I'm an intelligent human and can research various exercises, but for some reason my brain leaks out my ears when I try to devise an actual accessory routine. I just can't seem to chain together a group of tasks that feel synergistic.
The only thing that I do sometimes as an accessory routine is supersets of walking lunges w/barbell, good mornings, and pullups (assisted). I learned a few other things when I had a trainer but I find I don't really do them. And I hate machines (except the pullup machine I guess).
Anyone have good mini-routines or supersets of free weight or bodyweight accessories that they like to do after SL? Like 10-20 minute accessory routines. I'd like to get more consistent about doing additional work after SL.
The only thing that I do sometimes as an accessory routine is supersets of walking lunges w/barbell, good mornings, and pullups (assisted). I learned a few other things when I had a trainer but I find I don't really do them. And I hate machines (except the pullup machine I guess).
Anyone have good mini-routines or supersets of free weight or bodyweight accessories that they like to do after SL? Like 10-20 minute accessory routines. I'd like to get more consistent about doing additional work after SL.
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I don't have anything to add except "Yeah, I want to know that too!"
C.0 -
i just got into core work (basically planks) this month. at the start of the month i put a bit of a twinge in my upper back doing squats, and i was starting to notice that my body seemed to want to fold over in the middle on my way up out of the hole as the weights i was squatting went up. so it felt like ab strength was turning into my limiting factor on squats and i didn't want that. atm i start every workout with rolling and stretching unless it's one of my sloppy days, so i like to throw the planks in with that routine, almost more to wake up my core and get it ready than as a workout in its own right.
i also do roumanian deadlifts sometimes. in my mind, i'm mostly thinking of these as a good glute/hamstring move . . . for whatever that's worth. and since i'm a little obsessed with the upper back recently, i keep meaning to do flys with dumbbells, and/or some of those straight-arm dumbbell raises. sometimes i actually get them done too.
lunges . . . just eugh. i've tried them in various ways and really never could keep my knees from going nuts after them, so me and lunges do not get along. but there's the farmer's carry with kettlebells . . . i kind of like that one for in between lifts.0 -
When I set up the number to do madcow on the website I used it listed barbell curl, tricep extension, bench dips, sit-ups and decline sit-up as accessories.0
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I just found this that someone linked on the Fitness forum. It's basically SL with accessories.
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout
Anyone like the look of this?
So many isolation moves but I guess that's what accessories are.0 -
Should we be doing everything "heavy", including accessories?
So for example if I'm doing some random tricep accessory like a tricep kickback with dumbbells should I be using a weight where I can only do 5-6 between rests?0 -
I do like doing lunges with a bar on my shoulders, and good mornings. Maybe I'll do some romanian deadlifts, I do know how to do those. Hrm hrm hrm.
Barbell curl, tricep extension, bench dips I know also. I guess I just need to suck it up and write something up that hits some isolation spots after my big workout.0 -
i know it's been recommended by one of the experienced lifters, even quite recently. i made all kinds of resolutions based on it, and then kind of let it all slide
personally, i kind of wait until some random obsession or project hits me. you may have a better work ethic than me, but i know for myself i'm just not going to remember the details of something i'm not invested and interested in. and i've been finding that as time goes on, ideas start suggesting themselves to me just based on how my sl lifts are going. so you get me going 'huh, think i'm going to need some more core for these squats', or glutes for deadlifts, or fill in the blank. so then i have something i want to work on, and i go off and find myself something to work on that area with.
i'm impressed if you lunge. i LOATHE lunges. never ever have figured them out. i don't even really know how they're done, and they ruin my knees so it's pretty obvious i'm not doing them right.0 -
I followed the ICF template for a month and a half or so! It IS a lot of volume.
Be honest I think about doing isolation work these days but rarely get it in. The conditioning circuits I do are more than enough as accessory.
But by my experience I'd suggest the following with SL (all in basically a 3 sets of 6-10 fashion. Aiming for a weight where you can hit 8 reps per set is good, too. This is accessory, not strength work):
Workout A (in no particular order, really):
- Rope face pulls (rear delts. You just hammered the front ones with the BP) - make these higher rep work though, 12-15 range
- Triceps pushdowns
- RDL variation - the single legged with a weight offset ones are awesome for core work as well if you can work up to that
- Hollow rocks, sitouts, hanging leg raises, toes to bar (or knees to elbows)
Workout B:
- Chin-ups, or a vertical pulling motion
- Dips, the bar type (assisted or not). Or close grip bench. Please do not do bench dips. The damage it's done to my shoulders (and many others)... I can't even begin to tell you guys. I can't do them anymore. Do close grip push-ups instead, okay? Just trust me? lol.
- Lunges, any variation. Or hip thrusts, if that's your thing.
- Planks, ab wheel rollout, KB swings
That's it, really. Anything else would be fluff. You have your biceps and triceps work cut out for you. Some good variations of core work. RDLs will hit your hammies. The lunges will cover that bum. And you don't need to hit every exercise every week. Rotate it out. And hey, if you feel like throwing in biceps curls, why not? lol.
Which, btw, I hate lunges and they used to give my knees a really hard time. You want to focus on staying as upright as possible and pushing through the heel of your front foot. Not only does that make your glutes do most of the work, but it also offers a more solid base so that your knee is not wobbling about and making it harder than it needs to be. In order of progression from easiest to hardest (BW only, only add weight if you can do them all) I'd go static split squats, drop (back) lunges, walking lunges and then front lunges. If you still wobble a lot, widen your stance (legs hip width apart) and maybe move your stride length in a bit.
I think that covers most of it? [/wall of text]0 -
I love you Krokador, you always have the best info! I have been doing some accessory work and wanted to incorporate some more/new moves. Thanks for asking this question threnjen!0
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Krok rocks. Seriously.0
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thank you for this. Extremely helpful.
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Awesome! I will be using these with my 3x5 plan. Thanks @krokador0
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For me, I'd really like to add in more glute and hamstring stuff... I'm thinking weighted hip thrusts or Romanian (stiff leg? anyway, the one where your legs are straight but you stick you butt back and keep the bar on your shins). My bum and hamstrings are really what I want to visually build up and so far in SL, I haven't really felt them working.
If I were to add these exercises (or one of) my questions are these:
1) Would you add both exercises or just one? If just one, which one?
2) When would you do them? For example, if I decided on Romanian deadlifts, I'd be inclined to do them right after my other deadlifts. But I don't know where I'd do hip thrusts. I guess on squat, bench, row day... since it's less leg workout than deadlift day?
3) How many sets would you do of them? I'll do 5 reps, but if Romanians, just 1 set? or more? Should I try 5 sets for hip thrusts?
Thoughts?0 -
I do the occasional accessory but not much really. I do leg press sometimes on deadlift day either before lifts because I need to do something while I wait for the squat rack or spot to deadlift, or after just for the fact that I like that one. I do dumbbell bench on same day as regular bench as an accessory. It was advised to me by both trainers I had sessions with and both had different reasons for it. Sometimes that day I will also do rows with dumbbells to try and feel it more cause that way I can pull a little further as the chest isn't blocking the path of the weights. I tend to do 3 sets of 8 reps on accessory and dumbbell weight is based on what my weaker side can handle. Every now and then I move up on those. I'm now at 27.5 for db bench and might move up to 30's soon.
Though weighted hip thrusts do seem interesting. One of these days I'm going to give that a try. hmmm0 -
For me, I'd really like to add in more glute and hamstring stuff... I'm thinking weighted hip thrusts or Romanian (stiff leg? anyway, the one where your legs are straight but you stick you butt back and keep the bar on your shins). My bum and hamstrings are really what I want to visually build up and so far in SL, I haven't really felt them working.
If I were to add these exercises (or one of) my questions are these:
1) Would you add both exercises or just one? If just one, which one?
2) When would you do them? For example, if I decided on Romanian deadlifts, I'd be inclined to do them right after my other deadlifts. But I don't know where I'd do hip thrusts. I guess on squat, bench, row day... since it's less leg workout than deadlift day?
3) How many sets would you do of them? I'll do 5 reps, but if Romanians, just 1 set? or more? Should I try 5 sets for hip thrusts?
Thoughts?
Romanian deadlifts are the ones where you only bend down as far as you can until your knees start to bend. Stiff legged will have you use a rounded back a bit to reach the weight at the bottom. They both have a similar recruitment pattern as far as i know, but I haven't done either in a while, so maybe not.
I think I'd recommend 1-legged romanian deadlifts, as they also build the core, and either lunges (any variation) or bulgarian split squats (with your leg up on a bench behind you) as glutes/hamstring developpers. The one thing I think SL really doesn't do well is developing unilateral strength. Those are great for that.
Any day you'd want to add them in would work depending on how you feel. You might wanna do them last. 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps tend to work ok (if you start with bodyweight 1LRDLs you might even wanna get all the way up to 20 per set)
Hip thrusts I guess also have their place, but they are awkward a bit (esp if you don't have bumpers cuz you gotta get that bar up onto you), and will leave bruises on your hips, so there is that to consider. I'm personally not a big fan.0 -
I'm doing this: http://scoobysworkshop.com/pullups-for-total-beginners/
Because I can't do either a full pull-up or chin-up yet.0 -
I know I asked this once before, and Krok was awesome enough to answer it, but now I can't find it --
When should I be doing good mornings?
xo,
C.0 -
I know I asked this once before, and Krok was awesome enough to answer it, but now I can't find it --
When should I be doing good mornings?
xo,
C.
Not as the last thing before bed at night, that's for sure! (That one just begged for the lame joke, sorry!)
It depends what you wanna do with them. I personally tend to use them as a warmup with light weight for the most part (just the bar, and sometimes even just bodyweight).
As an accessory you can throw them in at the end of your workout. If you're feeling adventurous, they're GREAT to superset with OHP or bench press, especially the bench press because the back tightness carries over to the whole small arch shoulders back you want to have to be stronger/protect your shoulders.
You don't wanna go too heavy with those if your technique is not 100% spot on, because it'll put a lot of stress on your lower back. It's good practice for keeping the back tight during squats, tho!
Also, forgot to say this, but if you have a GHD in your gym (that thing that looks like a hyperextension bench, but has a rounded pad
), Glute Ham Raises are THE BOMB for that butt. They're hard though, so you might wanna bring your resistance bands along for the ride to help at first.0 -
For hamstrings I have been doing Good Mornings along with OHP using the same weight. So I do my reps of OHP then get under the bar and pick it up and do good mornings, then rest.
It works AWESOME. This is my permanent go-to for OHP accessories since I can do it in the same spot.
First few times I could barely walk the next day my hammies hurt so bad, and I still get pretty major DOMS doing this and sometimes have to take a 2 day rest.0 -
For hamstrings I have been doing Good Mornings along with OHP using the same weight. So I do my reps of OHP then get under the bar and pick it up and do good mornings, then rest.
It works AWESOME. This is my permanent go-to for OHP accessories since I can do it in the same spot.
First few times I could barely walk the next day my hammies hurt so bad, and I still get pretty major DOMS doing this and sometimes have to take a 2 day rest.
I will have to try this. Been playing around with accessory work but still find myself a little lost after my 5x5 or 3x5 is done.
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