Balancing SL with accessory lifts in 2nd cycle
kirabob
Posts: 481 Member
Hello lovely ladies!
I finish my first cycle of SL this week, and after a deload/break week I'm going to start a second cycle. This time I will do 3x5's on all the lifts, only adding weight once a week, but adding reps in between weight jumps (1 to each set).
I have some definitive goals that I would like to make progress on as well: By next March, I want to be able to do 10 pullups, 10 dips, 10 chinups and hold a free-standing handstand for at least 10 seconds.
I am finding it very true that to be able to do a movement, you have to train in that movement - so I want to add @2 accessory lifts to each SL workout that will help move me towards those goals. Please correct me if I have this wrong - but I should hold to the push-pull format, right? So doing dips and pullups together, and maybe something like inverted rows and pushups?
I was also thinking of adding in some extra booty building exercises (genetic flat butt syndrome that I am slowly overcoming) - maybe good mornings? Or back extensions?
I'd like to keep my workouts to an hour, and not be so drained that I can't do a little cardio. . .but I also want to get stronger and move towards the aformentioned goals.
So, please advise away!
For reference, here is where I am at right now:
5'4", 160 pounds
Squats: 165
Bench: 100
Rows: 110
OHP: 70
Deadlift: 160
I can do unassisted negative dips and little baby pullups and chinups, but that's it.
Thank you!
I finish my first cycle of SL this week, and after a deload/break week I'm going to start a second cycle. This time I will do 3x5's on all the lifts, only adding weight once a week, but adding reps in between weight jumps (1 to each set).
I have some definitive goals that I would like to make progress on as well: By next March, I want to be able to do 10 pullups, 10 dips, 10 chinups and hold a free-standing handstand for at least 10 seconds.
I am finding it very true that to be able to do a movement, you have to train in that movement - so I want to add @2 accessory lifts to each SL workout that will help move me towards those goals. Please correct me if I have this wrong - but I should hold to the push-pull format, right? So doing dips and pullups together, and maybe something like inverted rows and pushups?
I was also thinking of adding in some extra booty building exercises (genetic flat butt syndrome that I am slowly overcoming) - maybe good mornings? Or back extensions?
I'd like to keep my workouts to an hour, and not be so drained that I can't do a little cardio. . .but I also want to get stronger and move towards the aformentioned goals.
So, please advise away!
For reference, here is where I am at right now:
5'4", 160 pounds
Squats: 165
Bench: 100
Rows: 110
OHP: 70
Deadlift: 160
I can do unassisted negative dips and little baby pullups and chinups, but that's it.
Thank you!
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Replies
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For your booty I would suggest lunges and glute bridges.....those can do you good for lower body accessory, IMO. RDL are also good as are good mornings, but GM's focus on low back more-so than posterior chain. Although I love them anyway. Maybe alternate the 4 exercises on 2 different days, if you know what I mean? Or just build your booty with the first 2....that will work
For upper body, I would go push-ups, assisted pull-ups, inverted rows. I think that these are exercises that will help with your lifts as well as your end goals You could also go for suspended push-ups and rows. For the handstand, I would practice doing it against a wall even now. Even if you can't hold it, getting the motion down will be one of the challenges as I see it (Mini Vegas is a gymnast lol). 0 -
darn! you just made me realise I'm coming to the end of my first 12 weeks which pretty much means I have to take a week off doesn't it?!
I've done 32 sessions since 10 March (nearly 11 weeks but over 12 'real' weeks).
Do I have to take the time off in 4 sessions' time or can it wait until Mid-July when we go away for a few days for our anniversary?
can you keep going until you can't go any more or is a pause/deload really really important?
does this mean I'm going to have to do... *spit*... cardio for a week?! lol.. or just not the stronglifts?0 -
Lydia - I honestly don't know the answer to your questions! I'm taking a deload week because I'm already feeling worn out from the 5x5 format, and my lifting sessions are getting longer and longer - so I feel like a bit of a break will help my body and mind recover enough to jump in for the second round. Hopefully someone else will know the technical answer.
Vegas - oooo, I had forgotten about glute bridges - they are pretty much the same as a weighted hip thrust, right? I could totally get behind some of that action (haha, I made a funny!) I'm guessing I wouldn't want to do that on a DL day though. . .
And for all these accessory lifts, I'm guessing I should be looking at higher reps (10-15) and lower weights?
I've been practicing my kick-ups - that's largely mental for me. I know I'm strong enough to hold the handstand next to a wall - but I have to get over my fear of kicking myself up in to that. I'm hoping that my husband can help a little when he gets back from this trip. I have this same issue in yoga whenever we do really inverted poses. . so I know it's mental, but you have to progress through mental challenges the same as physical, I'm guessing. 0 -
darn! you just made me realise I'm coming to the end of my first 12 weeks which pretty much means I have to take a week off doesn't it?!
I've done 32 sessions since 10 March (nearly 11 weeks but over 12 'real' weeks).
Do I have to take the time off in 4 sessions' time or can it wait until Mid-July when we go away for a few days for our anniversary?
can you keep going until you can't go any more or is a pause/deload really really important?
does this mean I'm going to have to do... *spit*... cardio for a week?! lol.. or just not the stronglifts?
if you still feel good, you don't need to take a week off. you should play it by how you feel. There's no hard and fast rule requiring a deload.0 -
Lydia - I honestly don't know the answer to your questions! I'm taking a deload week because I'm already feeling worn out from the 5x5 format, and my lifting sessions are getting longer and longer - so I feel like a bit of a break will help my body and mind recover enough to jump in for the second round. Hopefully someone else will know the technical answer.
Vegas - oooo, I had forgotten about glute bridges - they are pretty much the same as a weighted hip thrust, right? I could totally get behind some of that action (haha, I made a funny!) I'm guessing I wouldn't want to do that on a DL day though. . .
And for all these accessory lifts, I'm guessing I should be looking at higher reps (10-15) and lower weights?
I've been practicing my kick-ups - that's largely mental for me. I know I'm strong enough to hold the handstand next to a wall - but I have to get over my fear of kicking myself up in to that. I'm hoping that my husband can help a little when he gets back from this trip. I have this same issue in yoga whenever we do really inverted poses. . so I know it's mental, but you have to progress through mental challenges the same as physical, I'm guessing.
Yes to the higher rep and lower weight accessory stuff in general. And yes to the push pull, in general.
Buuuut - in a way, because your goals are those movements, they aren't really accessory lifts. they're your main lifts. Sooo ... its a little trickier. I'm thinking...supersets.
Squat first like normal.
then work your dips/pushups/whatever in with your other lifts.
So like, you can superset bench press or overhead press with the pullups, for example. (superset means you would do 1 set of exercise a, then 1 set of exercise b, then back to A, etc)
Don't superset things that work the same movement - so don't do bench + pushups for example.0 -
Ah- I think I get it. And that makes a lot of sense. Guessing I should probably write all this out so I don't confuse myself.
Thanks, Tameko!0 -
I didn't make it fast enough lol
What Tameko said.....put I will just throw out there for future that I still think Beautiful Badass would be a great program for you....in 3 months when you're sick to death of SL just like I am now :laugh:
I'm seriously counting down workouts.....and well all now it's not because I don't like working out :sad:0 -
Bumping! Pull-ups and handstand are two of my goals as well.
If going upside-down is a mental nervousness issue for you, as it was for me, you may want to start with headstand. I found that the extra base allows me to go up a little slower so I feel more controlled and am not afraid of kicking over. Plus my head was already on the ground so I felt like I wasn't going to fall on it.0 -
Oh so many accessory lifts I have stuck in my head, but I think you would be best to start with the supersets that Tameko suggested.
For dips, maybe start with bench dips while you build up tricep strength.0 -
Don't superset things that work the same movement - so don't do bench + pushups for example.
What's the rationale for that, since that's exactly the combination my PT (ex-competitive powerlifter) has me doing? I'm happy to ask her the same thing.0 -
Don't superset things that work the same movement - so don't do bench + pushups for example.
What's the rationale for that, since that's exactly the combination my PT (ex-competitive powerlifter) has me doing? I'm happy to ask her the same thing.
Tameko probably has a better explanation to this, but my understanding is that when doing supersets, because the rest period between the two exercises is short or non-existant except for transition, it is important to focus on two different primary muscles to provide a "working" rest for the muscles. So if you do bench then push-up, you are working the same muscle and mostly just adding reps without a true rest period. If you do bench then inverted rows, you are shifting focus from the chest to the back even with both exercises calling on the other muscle, the primary muscle groups are different and the secondary muscles are allowed to rest a bit despite being active. If your PT has you doing bench and then pushups with no rest between, you may want to just ask her personal rational for that. I think there are training points where that would be useful, like in powerlifting where you need to maintain explosiveness with fatigued muscles. Neither way is inherently wrong. It depends on training goals so your PT may have valid reasons for that or it could just be the way she was trained.0 -
Oh so many accessory lifts I have stuck in my head, but I think you would be best to start with the supersets that Tameko suggested.
For dips, maybe start with bench dips while you build up tricep strength.
Hmm, bench dips - you mean just dipping off the bench with my feet on the floor?
And are you going to share all your accessory ideas? You know I want to hear them! 0 -
Don't superset things that work the same movement - so don't do bench + pushups for example.
What's the rationale for that, since that's exactly the combination my PT (ex-competitive powerlifter) has me doing? I'm happy to ask her the same thing.
Tameko probably has a better explanation to this, but my understanding is that when doing supersets, because the rest period between the two exercises is short or non-existant except for transition, it is important to focus on two different primary muscles to provide a "working" rest for the muscles. So if you do bench then push-up, you are working the same muscle and mostly just adding reps without a true rest period. If you do bench then inverted rows, you are shifting focus from the chest to the back even with both exercises calling on the other muscle, the primary muscle groups are different and the secondary muscles are allowed to rest a bit despite being active. If your PT has you doing bench and then pushups with no rest between, you may want to just ask her personal rational for that. I think there are training points where that would be useful, like in powerlifting where you need to maintain explosiveness with fatigued muscles. Neither way is inherently wrong. It depends on training goals so your PT may have valid reasons for that or it could just be the way she was trained.
^^^ all that was a great explanation. Supersets mean that you are using your rest periods to do something else. Which means, if that something else is too similar to what you are theoretically recovering from, you're not really resting. People use them for the sake of efficiency - you can squeeze more exercises into a single workout this way. Its not *quite* the same as fully resting -- because ANY activity is more taxing than none -- but its a sacrifice of a bit of strength on your main movement for efficiency in the overall workout.0 -
Oh so many accessory lifts I have stuck in my head, but I think you would be best to start with the supersets that Tameko suggested.
For dips, maybe start with bench dips while you build up tricep strength.
Hmm, bench dips - you mean just dipping off the bench with my feet on the floor?
And are you going to share all your accessory ideas? You know I want to hear them!
Yes, place your hands on the bench with your feet on the floor ahead of you. The more bend in your knees, the easier it is. If you can do 20 with your legs mostly extended, you can up the intensity by lifting one leg for 15 reps and then switching legs for another 15. There are additional variations where you have your feet on another bench and you can always throw a plate on your lap for added weight.
ALL my accessory lifts....Hmmm....how do you want them listed? By muscle group, equipment, iso vs. compound......
Well, I will start with my go-to exercises first:
Core (I'm a big core fan):
Russian Twists
Leg lifts
Mid range situps (never going all the way down and not going all the way up)
Planks
Plank Jacks
Bicycle crunches
Woodchoppers
Toes-to-bar (advanced move)
Pikes with a exercise ball
Spiders (where one knee comes up to the elbow while in a plank)
Back extensions
Upper Body:
Bent Arm Dumbbell pull overs (hits chest and tricep)
Band pull-apart -- shoulders & back
Upright row -- shoulders
tricep (close hand) push-ups -- chest/tricep and whole core
Tempo pushups with a 5 second hold at the bottom -chest/back and whole core
Pullups - back/shoulders
tricep extensions with a band -- tricep (can be done in a squat for increased fun)
Swimmer stroke with a band (holding arms straight ahead, pull them down to your side, keeping the arms locked out) -- shoulders/triceps
Flys -- chest
Single arm lat pull downs -- lats, shoulder/bicep
Lower body:
Single leg squats
Kettlebell swings
Single leg stiff leg deadlifts
Jumping lunges (plyometric)
Jumping squats (plyometric)
Good Mornings (more a lower back, but I can feel them in the hamstrings as well)
Push-presses with full squat
Burpees (everyone's favorite!)
Walking lunges0 -
^^
You.
Are.
A.
Beast.
Seriously, that is some hardcore work - are you doing all of those in your current series of workouts? I know not all at the same time, of course. . .but still, hardcore.
And thank you for writing out the list - part of my problem figuring out what to do is in just not knowing all the available options.
Y'all are awesome, as always!0 -
I like to rotate through them. I don't do all of them on a set schedule, more like what I feel like at the time (and often what I think of). Since I'm only doing two lifts and then accessory on the "lift" days I'll get through them a bit more since I'm adding them into cardio days as well. I like variety and have found that is okay to use a variety of equipment beyond just dumbbells and barbells.
I wouldn't call them all hard core, but they can all have their intensity levels increased or decreased as needed. I still know a lot of different things and variations on most of the lifts. I've only been back at the gym for a year, but I have what feels like a lifetime of fitness knowledge crammed into my head. Some good, some bad, some ridiculous, and some absolutely hard core.0 -
I figured it was something like that - I'm just still working on my "mental menu", so seeing it all laid out like that is pretty cool.
In a quirk of the universe, GGS posted about why we deload today:
http://www.girlsgonestrong.com/deconstructing-the-de-load/0 -
Here is a booty blaster for ya! I bookmarked this one so that I can give it a go at some point in the near future
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/training/workout-tips-advice/tight-and-toned-butt-workout/
Edit to add link :laugh: oops!0 -
Here is a booty blaster for ya! I bookmarked this one so that I can give it a go at some point in the near future
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/training/workout-tips-advice/tight-and-toned-butt-workout/
Edit to add link :laugh: oops!
Ooo, that's awesome! Thanks, Vegas!0 -
Started fiddling with what my program will look like tonight (aren't you all envious of my social life?)
It's my understanding that I don't want to superset the same movements week after week - is that correct? Too taxing or something?
So I am playing around with supersetting benches and rows in one week, then OHPs in the second week then back to the bench/row supersets, etc. - Does that sound like a solid plan of attack? I'm just trying to balance my goals with strength gains and fat loss.
I was also thinking that after every 4 weeks I would change what accessory I was supersetting with my main lefts for the next 4 weeks, then go back to the original. . .
I might be making this too complicated. . .help! 0 -
I don't think it's a problem to be supersetting the same exercises 1x/week. In the BB program I will be following that's exactly what happens.....one main lift followed by 2 accessory lifts which are done as supersets.0
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I don't think it's a problem to be supersetting the same exercises 1x/week. In the BB program I will be following that's exactly what happens.....one main lift followed by 2 accessory lifts which are done as supersets.
Okay, okay. . .maybe I should just do BB. If only I hadn't already spent my funny money for the month. . . 0 -
Also, I should clarify:
I wouldn't superset benches WITH rows, more like benchs/pullups, rows/lat pulldowns. . .0 -
lol Well luckily it's only $34 and a good value so maybe it will work out next month I do think you would like it though haha
But you know I think that doing the program as you've designed for a bit will be a good thing 0 -
bump0
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Also, I should clarify:
I wouldn't superset benches WITH rows, more like benchs/pullups, rows/lat pulldowns. . .
Hmmm....
Pullups and lat pull downs are working the same muscle group and are okay paired with the bench, but I would consider something else with the row. Something like dumbbell flys or dumbbell pull overs. That will take the focus off the back and put it on the chest.
And you will be fine for a month :laugh: BB will be waiting for the both of us!0 -
Also, I should clarify:
I wouldn't superset benches WITH rows, more like benchs/pullups, rows/lat pulldowns. . .
Hmmm....
Pullups and lat pull downs are working the same muscle group and are okay paired with the bench, but I would consider something else with the row. Something like dumbbell flys or dumbbell pull overs. That will take the focus off the back and put it on the chest.
And you will be fine for a month :laugh: BB will be waiting for the both of us!
Good point. I was having a little trouble figuring out what to pair with the rows - I like the idea of dumbbell pullovers a lot. Yep - figure if this isn't working for me, I can always adjust. 0 -
I really like the pull overs. If you start with arms straight, bend and you go over and behind your head and then push them straight again on the return you hit the triceps a bit as well.0
