Assistance lifts - good or bad??

the compound lifts should hit all the major muscles. there is no right or wrong answer. Personally, I like to add isolation exercises after the compound.

All of your muscles are still being worked with the main compound lifts. With that being said, I don't see a problem with adding in some assistance work at the end of a workout. Keep the volume low (like 2 sets of arms at the end of a workout or something) and if you are carrying over fatigue into your workouts and progression halts, this should a place to cut back on.

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?

Squats will hit calves and bench (and OHP) will hit biceps to a degree. However, if you want more definition or more focus on biceps, there is nothing wrong with adding some iso work in, just be sensible and not add too much as it will impact recovery. Add them to the end of the workout.

ETA: chins are a good add.

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?

Squats will hit calves and bench (and OHP) will hit biceps to a degree. However, if you want more definition or more focus on biceps, there is nothing wrong with adding some iso work in, just be sensible and not add too much as it will impact recovery. Add them to the end of the workout.

ETA: chins are a good add.

actually, bench hits chest and triceps... the wider your grip- the more chest. the shorter your grip- more tri's. Also you could be hitting a little shoulders, especially on an incline

I'm not sure I want to follow the program. My goals are not to continually increase my deadlift weight and become very strong. I recognize that the book is written for people who want that. I bought it because I knew it would be great for teaching form and getting me started. I've done that. Now I'm wondering if there is a better option with perhaps some isolation exercises that will help me achieve the goals I do have.

Thanks for understanding and not just jumping on me to follow SS as the holy grail of lifting.

SS is a good program but it's not ideal for everyone... I didn't use it myself, although I've read the book at least 3 times and review occasionally. What are your specific goals? It's not bad to work towards them as long as you're not skipping something else that's more core. Be careful about completely changing a program, but generally adding a bit of assistance work at the end of your full body workout is fine. I would recommend rows and/or chin-ups for bicep work, and your favorite choice of calf torture machines. You also mentioned abs, and a strong core is never bad. Just keep in mind that every time you pick up the barbell for any of the major compound movements, your core is required to stabilize that weight. You might be getting more core work than you already realize!

While you may not be interested in getting very strong and always increasing your deadlift, doing them will mitigate lower back issues, increase core strength, and also help increase your bone density. For many people, building a good base of strength isn't a terrible idea. Once you have enough strength to move a decent amount of weight, you can move on to other goals - such as hypertrophy, explosive power training for an athlete, or endurance/conditioning type work. Having the strength gives the ability for you to explore any of those other areas more thoroughly, if that makes sense. This is one of the main reasons that a program like SS tend to be recommended to beginners.

Not trying to preach, just giving some food for thought.

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?

Squats will hit calves and bench (and OHP) will hit biceps to a degree. However, if you want more definition or more focus on biceps, there is nothing wrong with adding some iso work in, just be sensible and not add too much as it will impact recovery. Add them to the end of the workout.

ETA: chins are a good add.

actually, bench hits chest and triceps... the wider your grip- the more chest. the shorter your grip- more tri's. Also you could be hitting a little shoulders, especially on an incline

I said to a degree. I probably should have been clearer and said 'small" degree. You have some engagement - just not a lot.

The term you're looking for is accessory lifts, not assistance lifts.

Here is the bottom line: Regardless of your goals, until you reach an intermediate to advanced level with your lifting, you won't see much benefit at all from the "accessory lifts." Doing a program that has you training 3 days a week focusing exclusively on compound lifts will take you farther toward your goals--whatever they may be--until you reach a far more advanced level than you are currently at. Because it is how you build the strength needed to carry you through more advanced programs that involve splits, or placing a greater emphasis on accessory lifts. And even then, whether or not you need to depends entirely on your goals. Working in splits has its benefits for more intermediate to advanced users, but, to be honest, the way the knowledge has filtered down to beginners who think they're doing themselves favors by doing it as opposed to compounds is just silly as it served virtually no purpose.

well, this went well

My conclusion after reading the replies is that there are really two different groups of people on here, which is fine. I can see the benefits to sticking with the compound lifts, and why people choose to do so. But it's not for me. Like you, I think there's benefit to incorporating accessory/isolation lifts and making a program that covers it all. Thanks for validating this.

I think the majority of people did not validate it...