Time to put it all together! We have discussed the importance of having a compound lift in your daily program. Now it is time to figure out what else to include with your compound lift to complete your ultimate workout. These exercises that will be discussed are called Accessory Exercises and are meant to supplement your compound lifts, not replace them. If you are going Max Effort, BALLS TO THE WALL on the cable crossover machine at your gym then good for you. You look like an idiot. I bet if you are one of those people then you also think drinking a protein shake after workout is all you need even though a protein shake is a supplement as well, not a replacement for real food!
Sorry to rant a little but that just drives me crazy. An accessory exercise is meant to add variation to your program where you wouldn’t get it just from your compound lifts alone. An example would be something like a dumbbell front raise. This exercise is used solely for an accessory lift and should not be performed in replacement for an Overhead Press or any other Max Effort lift. It is meant for building strength in other areas that are not directly hit when performing a Max Effort exercise.
Now I can go on all day listing the different types of accessory exercises that you may perform during your workouts but that is not going to help you at all. You need to understand the importance of variation between your exercises and also what they look like when performed properly. When I note the importance for variation I believe it is a simple thing to comprehend. If you are performing a Bent-over Row as one of your Compound Exercises, you should not be attempting another horizontal pulling exercise as an accessory lift. If you are a bodybuilder looking for more volume in that particular area, then go for it. If you are lifting to be fit, get strong, or just be badass, you need to switch some things up. A great variation would be the inclusion of a Lat Pull down, Pull-up/Chin-up, Dumbbell Pull over, or possibly a one arm row. A one arm row may still be horizontal but it is a great variation due to its need for core stabilization and proper use of single arm movement.
These are all great examples of upper body “Pulling” Accessory Exercises. I like to choose one or two of these on a Max Effort Upper Body day to supplement with my main Push and Pull compound exercises. I will be conducting a series of Accessory Exercises over the next few weeks that will cover all of the basics for each body part. Tune in next week for a video on and blog discussing the importance and proper usage of “Pushing” Accessory Exercises.
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