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Keep it Simple Stupid Part 2: Assistance Work

In part one of this series, I discussed the need f or athletes and lif ters to be simple in their selectionof max ef f ort exercises. As a competit ive lif ter it is crit ical to be a master of the competit ive lif ts, andraw lif ters need to be perf orming them on a regular basis. For athletes, there are two reasons why it iskey to be simple in your exercise selection. First, you do not want to use your bioenergetic stores onthe development of lif t ing technique because you need to reserve that f or the technical development of yoursport skills. Second, the less f requently you change your main exercise, the less soreness you will incur, whichis key when having multiple sport practices per week. There are many benef its to perf orming the competit ionlif ts exclusively as your main exercises. However, there are risks as well. One risk is the development ofmuscular imbalances, which can lead to developing weak points. Your body wants to allow its strongest moversto handle the weight and will transf er the stress there. So, if you have strong quads and weak hamstrings, yourbody will f orce you into being a quad dominant squatter. Over t ime, this will limit your potential. To avoid thisf rom occurring, you need to be smart about organizing your assistance work.

Assistance work should be divided into two groups. The f irst group is supplementary work, these arevariations of the competit ive lif ts designed to address specif ic weakpoints or sticking points;. The secondgroup is assistance work, which is training f or specif ic muscle groups that will increase hypertrophy andmaintain muscular suppleness. This will help avoid overuse injuries by bringing balance to the physique.

Supplementary Work

Supplementary work consists of using variations/varying intensit ies of the competit ion lif ts to addressdif f erent weak/sticking points and build special work capacity. However, while supplementary work is important,it does not take precedence over competit ion lif ts and the loading strategies should ref lect that. Similarly toyour main lif ts, it is crit ical not to rotate supplementary work too f requently because will not have enough timeto let them serve their desired purpose, nor will you be able to truly gauge their ef f ectiveness on your strength.Let’s take a look at some of my f avorite supplementary exercises and the f unctions they serve.

Squat

Speed Squats - For the raw lif ter, speed/dynamic ef f ort work should be done at a higher percentage than the45-60% normally prescribed f or geared lif ters. A good range is 60-75%. Focus on locking in your technique andpushing the bar with maximal f orce. Make sure to keep your rest periods short during your speed work (45-90seconds). A great way to build special work capacity early in a training cycle is to use speed sets used af teryour main lif t. I perf ormed as many as eight triples of speed work af ter my main work sets. Chains and bandsare acceptable to use during speed work, but should be reserved f or when straight weight is no longer yieldinga posit ive training ef f ect.

Dead Squats – Dead squats are the best way to build power out of the hole and are a staple in my trainingprogram. Dead squats should be done f or singles. Depending on where you are in the training cycle, two to 12sets should be perf ormed. When earlier in the training cycle, lighter weights and short rest periods (30-75seconds) should be used. Once the weights increase, take the necessary rest intervals to perf orm the work.Read more about Dead Squats in Josh Bryant’s article, “How to Win Meets and Inf luence Squats andDeadlif ts.”

Safety Bar Squats - A common problem among squatters is f alling f orward because of upper backweakness/lack of t ightness in the setup. The saf ety squat bar will remedy this problem quickly because of its

ability to accentuate any lack of t ightness or weakness in the upper back due to the f orward bar posit ion. Makesure you are pushing your head back into the yoke as hard as possible to keep your head and chest up. Staybetween three and eight reps per set f or two to three sets. Your ability to keep a good posture through yoursquat should really improve.

Bench

Speed Bench – Good bar speed is the number one way to avoid sticking points. The f aster the bar is moving,the less likely you are to stall at any point during the lif t. Triples are the best option here, and varying yourhand posit ion is also advisable. Follow the same percentage guidelines that I outlined f or the speed squats.

Paused Widegrip Bench – If your shoulders are healthy, paused widegrips are a great way to build power of fof the chest. Just move your grip one inch out f rom your competit ion grip and perf orm the same way that youwould a regular bench. Do not go below f our reps in this exercise

Dead Bench – Another great exercise f rom Josh Bryant, which you can read about in detail is “Bring YourBench Press Alive with the Dead Bench.”

Closegrip Board Presses – The closegrip bench is a staple in all big bencher ’s programs to build lockoutpower. A 2 or 3-board coupled with the closegrip board press is a great way to overload the triceps even more.You can put your thumbs on the smooth part of the bar, or pinkies on rings. Reps should be singles to sets ofeight.

Seated Military Press to the Top of the Head - Strong shoulders are crit ical to a powerf ul raw bench. Soare healthy ones, which is why I pref er to perf orm my military presses to the top of the head, as opposed to inf ront or behind the head. The seated military press will build great shoulder strength/stability and tricepstrength. Use sets of one to 10 reps, depending on where you are during your training cycle, f or two or threework sets.

Here’s a look into one of my deadlift training sessions. Notice the wide variety of supplementary work I use toaddress different portions of the lift.

Deadlif t

Speed Pulls – As with the squat and bench, speed is the best way to avoid sticking points and missed lif ts.Utilizing speed pulls with sets of two to f our and short rest periods are a great way to build your special workcapacity, dial in your technique and increase lower back strength. I perf ormed as many as 10 sets of f our repsof speed pulls with 500 pounds (about 70%) af ter my heavy deadlif t sets.

Deficit Pulls – Def icit pulls are a great way to build power of f of the f loor in the deadlif t and accommodateyour body to the longer t ime under tension that max singles of ten require. They will also f orce you to improveyour hip mobility, which will allow you to get into better posit ions to start your pull. Sets of three to eight in thedef ecit pull will build your strength f rom the f loor.

Pulls against Bands – For athletes who struggle at the top of the lif t, add accommodating resistance. It is agreat way to both overload the top portion of the movement, and to teach the athlete to impart maximalvelocity to the bar through the entire movement. Bands can be set up in a number of ways. They can be quadedaround the base of a power rack/platf orm, stretched between dumbbells, or simply wrapped around the bar andthen placed under your f eet. Reverse band pulls are also a good option here.

Isometrics - Isometrics are a powerf ul tool in your training that must be used with great discretion, as they arevery taxing to the CNS. To set up an isometric, just set the pins in a power rack wherever your sticking point is,and then pull the bar loaded with 50-60% of your max. Hold this against the pins f or f our to 10 seconds. I

and then pull the bar loaded with 50-60% of your max. Hold this against the pins f or f our to 10 seconds. Iperf orm these during my last three weeks bef ore a meet, and then deload all pulling f or two weeks bef orecompeting.

That covers my f avorite supplementary exercises f or each lif t. Assess your weak points and pick an exercisef rom this list to attack them. I will use two to f our variations of a given lif t within a single session, which f ar outf rom a meet can add up to 20 work sets between my main lif t and supplementary variations of it.

Here’s a look at my bench training template f rom May 29.

1. Bench: worked up to 425 x 3 (paused)

2. Speed Bench: 325 f or 8 sets of 4 (one minute rest)

3. Widegrip Bench: 320 f or 2 sets of 8 (paused)

4. Dead Bench: 335 f or 8 sets of one (45 seconds rest)

5. Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Now that we’ve covered supplementary work f or the “Big 3,” let’s take a look at assistance work. As Imentioned above, assistance work is to bring up lagging muscle groups and retain muscular suppleness.Assistance work should promote blood f low into the muscles and be relatively easy work. Don’t worry aboutsetting PRs in assistance work each week because it will detract f rom your ult imate goal, which should be toimprove the “Big 3.” Perf orming one to f ive sets of eight to 20 reps f or a f ew of the exercises f rom each of thef ollowing lists, should suf f ice f or assistance work. I of ten like to set my watch f or 15-20 minutes and perf ormall the assistance work I can during that t ime period to avoid dedicating too much time to this relativelyinsignif icant aspect of training.

Squat

Single Leg Squats

GHRs

Single Leg RDLs

Walking Lunges

Barbell/Dumbbell Step Ups

Bench

Dips (I go heavy here and below eight reps)

Front Raises

Lateral Raises

Flies

Curls (Yes, these matter. Look at the training and guns of any old-time powerlif t ing stud).

You’ll notice that I didn’t list any back work here. Back work is tremendously important f or a big bench, but I liketo perf orm my back work af ter my deadlif t sessions or dedicate a separate day to it. Chest supported rows, latpulldowns, pullups, chinups, reverse f lies and band pull-a-parts, are my pref erred back exercises to improvethe bench.

Deadlif t

Bentover Rows (I go heavy here and below 8 reps)

Pullups/Chinups

GHRs

Shrugs

Back Extensions

Glute Bridges

Band X Walks

Obviously ab strength plays a huge role in excelling in powerlif t ing.

My f avorite ab exercises are:

Ab Wheel

Hanging Leg Raises

Side Bends

Decline Situps

Situps on GHR

Spread Eagle Situps

There’s my simple guide to supplementary and assistance work. Stick with an exercise f or a f ew months andreally start pushing some weight with it on your supplementary lif ts. Don’t let your accessory work take on sucha priority that it detracts f rom your max ef f ort work. Getting crazy strong is about dedication, consistency andpatience…not magic exercises. To learn more about how Chad built his U.S. No. 1 Powerlif t ing total check outThe Juggernaut Method and the soon-to-be released “9 Day Work Week.”