Four Best Assistance Exercises??

[Big Mick]

Honestly I think you're looking at the wrong thing
Curls or triceps
Dips or not
Who gives a fuck
You're doing 5/3/1, ok. One set leaving a rep in the tank once a week? That's why you're fat and weak man, no work ethic or impulse control

If you want a minimalist, no fuck around workout that will actually drive progress and make you not so much of a fat slob because you're actually exercising then do something like this:

Monday
Squat, 5x10 followed by 5x5 paused
RDL, 5x20

Wednesday
Close grip bench, 5x10, last set rest paused
Dips, 10 sets with body weight

Friday
Deadlift, 5x10, deficit 5x5
Rows: 10x10

Saturday
Press, 5x10, ramp up to heavy triple
Dips, 10 sets

Pull-ups done every day for 5 sets

Again I think you are missing the point of what I am trying to achieve, I train by myself for myself, not for comps or to lift more than the next guy, I train for general health and well being, avoiding injury and making slow progressions, maintaining muscle mass and generally adding to my general well being, not to break and records and stress myself.

 

[Rugby88]

Again I think you are missing the point of what I am trying to achieve, I train by myself for myself, not for comps or to lift more than the next guy, I train for general health and well being, avoiding injury and making slow progressions, maintaining muscle mass and generally adding to my general well being, not to break and records and stress myself.

If your just training for general fitness, putting on abit of size strength, maintaining etc....I would just have your basic plan - and then just keep it real simple and mix things up abit with your "assistance" stuff

MONDAY : Military Press (Chest/tricep exercise)

TUESDAY : Deadlift (Some form of back/bicep exercise)

THURSDAY : Bench Press (chest/tricep)

FRIDAY : Barbell Squat (Hamstring/quad)

Just mix it up every week/every workout - have your set template for the "main" lifts and then for "assistance" lifts just do whatever - high reps/low reps/light weight/heavy weight, supersets, drop sets, circuits etc etc - this will allow you to have abit more fun in your sessions and training more by feel...of course have a basic idea of what you will do - i.e don't train triceps everyday....but take all these "assistance" exercises that people have mentioned and rotate them in your plan...

 

[steveP]

If you're training for general health, I would avoid heavy compounds and just do an hour walking everyday. Less chance of injury or progress.

 

[bozodos]

From someone who actually DOES 5/3/1 (and have for quite some time) and who's read Beyond 531 (just as important as the first one IMO).

Use your 5/3/1 reps as a minimum, do a heavy single or 2 after the work sets if you're up to it. Keep chin ups, dips, row (I prefer DB or bent over). I also do lunges, curls, hamstring curl, good mornings and ab wheel, as well as some band pull aparts. I've started doing all the lifts twice a week to get more volume into the program (with 5x5 or 5x3 sets, somewhat like BBB but higher percentages), but that's probably not relevant for what you're wanting to do.

Personally I find that lying triceps extensions with an EZ curl bar give my elbows pain.

Wendler also states that you should cut down from deloading every cycle to ever 2 cycles in Beyond 5/3/1.

 

[Big Mick]

If your just training for general fitness, putting on abit of size strength, maintaining etc....I would just have your basic plan - and then just keep it real simple and mix things up abit with your "assistance" stuff

MONDAY : Military Press (Chest/tricep exercise)

TUESDAY : Deadlift (Some form of back/bicep exercise)

THURSDAY : Bench Press (chest/tricep)

FRIDAY : Barbell Squat (Hamstring/quad)

Just mix it up every week/every workout - have your set template for the "main" lifts and then for "assistance" lifts just do whatever - high reps/low reps/light weight/heavy weight, supersets, drop sets, circuits etc etc - this will allow you to have abit more fun in your sessions and training more by feel...of course have a basic idea of what you will do - i.e don't train triceps everyday....but take all these "assistance" exercises that people have mentioned and rotate them in your plan...

More or less what I will be doing, Wendler recommends running the same exercises for at least 4 weeks (one training cycle) before changing them. Not that it would really matter for my purposes anyway, as he recommends tracking progression on the assistance stuff as well, again probably not that important for my purposes.

My exercises will be swapped around, as I also want to be doing some rows, may be Bend Over BB Rows, or seated rows on my lat machine (It does both lat pulldowns and seated rows with various attachments) I also still have a Pec dec set up I can be using.

If you're training for general health, I would avoid heavy compounds and just do an hour walking everyday. Less chance of injury or progress.

May be when I am 90.

 

[Big Mick]

From someone who actually DOES 5/3/1 (and have for quite some time) and who's read Beyond 531 (just as important as the first one IMO).

Use your 5/3/1 reps as a minimum, do a heavy single or 2 after the work sets if you're up to it. Keep chin ups, dips, row (I prefer DB or bent over). I also do lunges, curls, hamstring curl, good mornings and ab wheel, as well as some band pull aparts. I've started doing all the lifts twice a week to get more volume into the program (with 5x5 or 5x3 sets, somewhat like BBB but higher percentages), but that's probably not relevant for what you're wanting to do.

Personally I find that lying triceps extensions with an EZ curl bar give my elbows pain.

Wendler also states that you should cut down from deloading every cycle to ever 2 cycles in Beyond 5/3/1.

I have done the BBB template and found it quite useful at the time, just not what I need at the moment.

I will be running the basic 5/3/1, then adding something along the lines of 'first set last set' template as well as one additional exercise to fill in some possible gaps left.

I have read and own both books as well, they have some useful information and an almost unlimited amount of training templates, however I am not a fan of some of the exercises he recommends, but even in the book Wendler clearly states that these are HIS exercises that HE uses, and that everyone should be finding their own exercises or use his if they want to, it does not really matter.

I can see the benefit in dips and pull-ups obviously, but I am not a fan of DB rows, never have been, same with SLDL, or Good Mornings. I first tried all three of those exercises back in the 80's as part of the Joe Weider programs back in the day, did not like them then don't like them now, too old now to do exercises I don't like doing.

 

[0ni]

You don't want to train hard because you don't want to progress?
What?

 

[Big Mick]

You don't want to train hard because you don't want to progress?
What?

Who says I don't train hard?? I probably train harder than most people, as a matter of fact I can't really find a training partner around here as most think I train way too hard and they don't like it. Last potential training partner I had I put through a bench session with me and he never came back for dead lift day

And I constantly progress, nearly every single training session I progress from the last, that is the whole point of it.

Every day adds an extra bit of weight or an extra rep, progress has been constant.

 

[Big Mick]

Wendler also states that you should cut down from deloading every cycle to ever 2 cycles in Beyond 5/3/1.

Yes, I agree with this as well, depending on how you feel. This month I did not run a deload, after three weeks I am straight back into week one of the next cycle starting this arvo.

Did not feel like I needed a deload (which is supposed to be this week) feeling ready to keep training.

 

[0ni]

Who says I don't train hard?? I probably train harder than most people, as a matter of fact I can't really find a training partner around here as most think I train way too hard and they don't like it. Last potential training partner I had I put through a bench session with me and he never came back for dead lift day

And I constantly progress, nearly every single training session I progress from the last, that is the whole point of it.

Every day adds an extra bit of weight or an extra rep, progress has been constant.

You train harder than most people?
You're doing one set to nowhere near failure once a week, followed by 5 sets of something else to nowhere near failure

 

[Goosey]

 

[Headley]

0ni you will never train harder than Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

[Big Mick]

You train harder than most people?
You're doing one set to nowhere near failure once a week, followed by 5 sets of something else to nowhere near failure

???

Not sure what you are talking about, but anyway think what you like, I know what I do, and I guess unless you been with Bazza 20 looking over my fence you don't know what I am doing.

There are as many different ways to train as there are people who train. Some people train for an ego boost, others like to compete in strength comps or body building comps and some just train for better long term health. I am probably twice your age and could have kids older than you, happy to listen when you give sensible advice, happy to ignore when you shoot your mouth off talking rubbish.

At my age injury prevention is probably the biggest and most important part of training, smashing myself with maximum weights and training to failure is probably the worst thing I can do to my ageing body, especially when it puts me out of training, achieving the exact opposite as what I have set out to do.

I rather dead lift 160 to 180kg every week that 240kg once and then spend the rest of the year recovering from my fucked back. Which one would be more beneficial to my long term health and well being and ability to part take in life???

No need to train to failure to be training hard, training to failure in a lot of cases can be detrimental to optimum gains and progress, but that's another topic all together.

 

[Bazza20]

Why not just deadlift 240 for reps every week.

 

[Stiffy]

This thread is retarded. The thread title is "Four Best Assistance Exercises". Assistance exercises are for Powerlifters, 5/3/1 is a general strength program, yet Mick doesn't want to lift to get strong just for "general health". I wouldn't think a Strength program like 5/3/1 is designed for "health", particularly joint wise.

Mick asks for best Assistance exercises, yet choses BB curls for Military Presses, Pullovers for Squats. Even Lat Pulldowns are a dodgey assistance exercise for Deadlifts.

Mick rejects the 3 day routine similar to what Silverback does which seems appropriate for the purposes Mick has now stated he wants to achieve.

 

[Jungnaut]

To be honest I think you need to give age specific advice Oni, plus factor in if the trainee is natty or not.

 

[Goosey]

I think you posted for help mick.

What you could do, if you are genuine is post a video of a typical workout, (that you do) so that everyone here can get an idea what you're on about, we are dumb folk and need more info so we can legitimately help.

at the moment, someone make a comment and you reply along the lines of; you don't understand.

this happens everytime you post something related to your workouts.

 

[Stiffy]

Starting this thread against my better judgement, but will see where it goes anyway.

I think its against OUR better judgement that we reply to Mick or his threads.

NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

 

[Bazza20]

Might be hard for mick to increase strength while using his zimmer frame.

 

[Big Mick]

To be honest I think you need to give age specific advice Oni, plus factor in if the trainee is natty or not.

Finally a man who talks sense.