Coach Nicks Weekly Workout - Lower Accessory Work

So we have covered various types of accessory exercises for mostly upper body workouts and I hope many of you have taken the time to watch the videos to practice proper form. It is now time for us to cover exercises that can be used to maintain and develop strength, speed, and power within the lower body.

Compound lifts such as the squat and the deadlift have many types of variations but these compound lifts can only do so much. Just as the bench press is a compound lift that uses variations as well as accessory work, lower body compound lifts need some accessory exercises as well. It is important to make sure your accessory exercises are working each area of your lower body. This means you need to cover both the quad dominant exercises such as the stationary lunge and also some posterior chain exercises like the 45 degree hyperextension.

It is important to remember the key components of these exercises when performing them each workout. During the lunge you want to make sure that your knee never passes your toe as you lunge forward. Doing so will relieve some pressure off your knee and keep it focused on your quadriceps. To make sure you stay in proper form it helps to drop that back knee. With the 45 degree hyper extension or RDL’s it is essential to keep your back as flat as possible and a slight bend in your knees. Follow the simple cues of “Head up, butt back, Chest proud, and back flat”. These few cues will help you remember to execute with proper form.

If you are serious about training and being in the best shape of your life, you need to be training your body correctly. That means following the past few weeks blogs and incorporating the right amount of accessory exercises throughout your week within your program. Stay tuned next week for a compilation of different Olympic lifts and power movements!

A few examples of some lower body accessory exercises:

- Stationary lunge
- Walking lunge
- Bulgarian Lunge
- Step ups
- 45 degree Hyper extension
- Romanian Dead lifts (RDL’s)

- Reverse Hypers
- Good Mornings
- Eccentric Glute Hamstring Rolls (with BOSU ball)