Assistance lifts - good or bad??
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ChocoCheeseaholic
Posts: 55 Member
I'm on week 2 of Starting Strength and the author is big on just keeping it to the 5 compound lifts (squat, deadlift, press, bench press, power clean). He does given some assistance lifts but recommends sticking to the compounds for quite a while. I get that compound lifts are the shiznizzle and have no intention of stopping those. But the target audience for this book is 18-30 y/o males who he expects to eat 3500+ calories - not me. The book is a great starting point but I'm wondering how to make a bit more well-rounded of a workout. Biceps and calves in particular seem under represented.
So - thoughts? Should I split into more traditional days of chest & tris, back & glutes, biceps & shoulders? Anyone have a routine they really like?
So - thoughts? Should I split into more traditional days of chest & tris, back & glutes, biceps & shoulders? Anyone have a routine they really like?
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Replies
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I thought this said "Abstinence Lifts"...and I was so confused.
Anyway, I can't help with this, but I'll bump it up for you.
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Stick to the compound lifts. Once you get more advanced, rip calls for dips and chin ups.
Although, you might like a program like GSLP better. It has roots in SS.0 -
Keep it simple. I have been lifting for 2 years and still stick to cthe compounds lifts....you still have everything to build....don't waste your time on assistance lifts0
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Your muscles want to be stimulated and need to be pushed to grow... one last rep with minimal assistance could make a difference over time. The problem is when the spotter is doing most of the lifting...0
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What's GSLP?0
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A typically spilt routine i generally like is Chest, Shoulders, Tri's on day, Back and biceps one day, and legs on their own. This seems to be a pretty well rounded routine. And I'm not huge into classifying any lift other than "compound" lifts as "assistance." I just call them exercises or moves. I think they're all important in their own right (for the most part).0
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Your muscles want to be stimulated and need to be pushed to grow... one last rep with minimal assistance could make a difference over time. The problem is when the spotter is doing most of the lifting...
I think you're misunderstanding. I don't mean a spotter assisting during a lift, but lifts other than the 5 compounds in SS (e.g. dips, bicep curls, pullups).0 -
Keep it simple. I have been lifting for 2 years and still stick to cthe compounds lifts....you still have everything to build....don't waste your time on assistance lifts
Yep.
When you get down to a low body fat percentage and you start to worry about making certain muscles "pop" or are finalizing your definition, then worry about assistance lifts.
Right now, you should be focusing your energy entirely on the compounds.0 -
A typically spilt routine i generally like is Chest, Shoulders, Tri's on day, Back and biceps one day, and legs on their own. This seems to be a pretty well rounded routine. And I'm not huge into classifying any lift other than "compound" lifts as "assistance." I just call them exercises or moves. I think they're all important in their own right (for the most part).
Yeah I put together what I think is a reasonable split routine like you mentioned. I used the word assistance b/c that's what the author refers to them as in SS. I too think they're important, and am wondering if I'm doing myself a disservice by not incorporating more lifts into my routine besides the 5 compounds he suggests.0 -
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Yep.
When you get down to a low body fat percentage and you start to worry about making certain muscles "pop" or are finalizing your definition, then worry about assistance lifts.
Right now, you should be focusing your energy entirely on the compounds.
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What do you consider a low enough bf%? Personally, I don't want to get all that low b/c I'd like to find a balance between building muscle and keeping my boobs. Granted, some of that is genetics, but I'd rather "pop" from the beginning if that makes sense.0 -
Yep.
When you get down to a low body fat percentage and you start to worry about making certain muscles "pop" or are finalizing your definition, then worry about assistance lifts.
Right now, you should be focusing your energy entirely on the compounds.
[/quote]
What do you consider a low enough bf%? Personally, I don't want to get all that low b/c I'd like to find a balance between building muscle and keeping my boobs. Granted, some of that is genetics, but I'd rather "pop" from the beginning if that makes sense.
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This was @Lora... not sure why it didn't quote0 -
check out "New Rules of Lifting for Women" It focuses on the "Big 5" and gives some ideas on other lifts that compliment them, but doesn't go all the way to (what I refer to as) accessory lifts (like curls, tricep extensions, etc). I love the book and know others like it as well. It also has some good recipes in it as well.0
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When you get down to a low body fat percentage and you start to worry about making certain muscles "pop" or are finalizing your definition, then worry about assistance lifts.
That would be isolation, not assistance.
If you have weak spots during your "big" lifts, then add in assistance lifts as necessary. For instance, if your hamstrings and/or glutes are weak during your squats, add ham-glute raises to shore up those weak spots. If you find yourself having trouble with your triceps during bench press, add some triceps dips.
If everything is running along smoothly, don't worry - for the time being - about assistance exercises.
However, if you really insist on doing some - work on pull-ups or chin-ups. Those will work your biceps very well. If you can't do pulls or chins, then you can do lat pull-downs until you build the strength to do pulls and/or chins.0 -
Yep.
When you get down to a low body fat percentage and you start to worry about making certain muscles "pop" or are finalizing your definition, then worry about assistance lifts.
Right now, you should be focusing your energy entirely on the compounds.
What do you consider a low enough bf%? Personally, I don't want to get all that low b/c I'd like to find a balance between building muscle and keeping my boobs. Granted, some of that is genetics, but I'd rather "pop" from the beginning if that makes sense.
This was @Lora... not sure why it didn't quote
Well, I guess I meant that when you get to a certain level of lifting and a lower body fat percentage (typically in the low teens for women - when you start to have visibile abs) that's when people start worrying about isolating muscles. To produce results like larger biceps, more definition in the calves, etc.
The compound lifts will do plenty to make your muscles "pop" and give you definition.
And yes, I had my vocabulary mixed up - I was reffering to isolation exercises. Sorry for the confusion!!0 -
Assistance work is useful but is not required for a beginner. If you change the program to a bodybuilding split, YNDTP.
That might not be a bad thing, but just don't expect to get the same results as if you are doing the SS program.0 -
Stick to the program. Assist are just that...to assist with the main lifts. You only need them if you need to work a specific muscle to help with the main lifts.0
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I am doing starting strength as well. I am 36 and overweight. I am doing it on a calorie deficit and making good strength gains and losing weight. Granted they would be better at a surplus but I got enough fat on me. I am going to stick with the program till i maximize it and then move on to other things. For now i would alternate the deadlift with power cleans and pullups. That should work arms nicely.0
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When you get down to a low body fat percentage and you start to worry about making certain muscles "pop" or are finalizing your definition, then worry about assistance lifts.
That would be isolation, not assistance.
If you have weak spots during your "big" lifts, then add in assistance lifts as necessary. For instance, if your hamstrings and/or glutes are weak during your squats, add ham-glute raises to shore up those weak spots. If you find yourself having trouble with your triceps during bench press, add some triceps dips.
If everything is running along smoothly, don't worry - for the time being - about assistance exercises.
However, if you really insist on doing some - work on pull-ups or chin-ups. Those will work your biceps very well. If you can't do pulls or chins, then you can do lat pull-downs until you build the strength to do pulls and/or chins.
I apologize, I think I'm using the wrong terminology and that may be confusing people. At this point I agree I don't need assistance lifts. I'm doing fine with the compounds so I won't waste my time/energy on the. However, I do think I might benefit from some isolation exercises in addition to the 5 compounds. In particular, biceps and calves seem to be underrepresented in SS. I also think I could use more abs. So... thoughts on that?0 -
The main compounds should be at the core of any program but I think most people can handle more volume. Doing accessory work can actually improve the big compounds by helping to strengthen lagging parts and improving mobility.
Watch the videos on youtube called "so you think you can squat" and he talks about identifying weak areas and exercises that can strengthen them.
Here is a program that I really like. The 5x5 programs remains the core of the program but adds in more core and accessory work.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1480360630
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