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Four Best Assistance Exercises??

Big Mick

Big Mick

"2014 - Kunce of the year"
Starting this thread against my better judgement, but will see where it goes anyway.

I been following a VERY basic training system called 5/3/1, and I have only been doing four exercises per week.

I been doing the following:

MONDAY : Military Press

TUESDAY : Deadlift

THURSDAY : Bench Press

FRIDAY : Barbell Squat

I am looking at adding ONE and ONE only assistance exercise per training day (no ab work please).

I want bang for buck training, I have no time (or interest) to stuff around doing 35 variations of bro curls over 16 gym sessions per week.

I recon 8 exercises per week (extra four in addition to my other four) should cover it, I just want the best four bang for buck assistance exercises some experts here would recommend to add to my above workout.

Keep in mind I do Ab work and some conditioning work on my 'rest' days.

Let the discussion begin.:p
 
Mon: DB lateral raises or BB Upright rows
Tues: Glute Bridges or Stiffies
Thurs: DB flyes or RC strengthening
Friday: Weighted lunges or Leg press

2c
 
What do you feel is lacking most

I had great results with SLDL, but only until my hammie/glute strength caught up. Stopped bothering a year ago there

If it was me
-Dips
-rows (t bar or close grip)
-pullups
-pause squats or High bar

Maybe best to tailor assistance where it is needed for you
 
Micky, this is a serious suggestion so take it for what you will.

If you want bang for training as you've stated, ditch what you're doing and do full body workout 3 times a week
Add in there parallel bar dips, a rowing movement , overhead press and barbell curls.
 
Darkoz said:
Micky, this is a serious suggestion so take it for what you will.

If you want bang for training as you've stated, ditch what you're doing and do full body workout 3 times a week
Add in there parallel bar dips, a rowing movement , overhead press and barbell curls.
Click to expand...

I see what you are saying, but I have two problems with this approach:

1) Time spend in gym to do a proper full body workout is crazy, will just take too long for my liking, even if it's only three times a week.

2) Recovery, I benched on on Thursday before work, and my chest is still sore as I type this, I can still feel my muscles (back) from deadlifting Tuesday, and now is Sunday morning, I push myself fairly hard and recovery takes some time, plus I could not imagine benching, squatting, deadlifting and pressing all in one workout and repeating it two days later, may be when I was 21, not today.

5/3/1 seems to be a well thought out system and seems to be doing what I want it to do, I have no joint soreness, no injuries or odd pains, and I can get a basic workout knocked over in around 15 minutes if I am in a rush and still be adding weight to the bar every month.

Adding one extra exercise as I figure I can spare 30 minutes per day four times a week. I also do other training daily apart from lifting, as well as work full time, look after two primary aged kids, currently starting to build a house, set up my full time gym, rebuild cars, and train horses, probably too many hobbies, but stops me getting bored.

Another thing I have learned as I got older that for the average person who trains for health and wanting to look like they lift any longer that 20-40 minutes spend in the gym lifting is really wasting time, I am trying to figure out the point of diminishing returns for me, I am guessing for me it will be around the 30 minute mark, this point will be different for everyone and also dependant on your goals.

I work with a guy who spends 5 - 6 times the amount of time in the gym that I spend lifting, spends a fortune on supplements, is nearly 20 years younger than me, yet to me he does not look like he even lifts, he does not believe me when I tell him my total time spend training per week this year has averaged to be an hour to and hour and a half a week. Just a few days ago I told him I was thinking of upping my training to 30 minutes four times a week, and he did not believe me, he spends an hour and a half a day sometimes more……personally I have better things to do, just get in and get the job done IMO.

Using the words of Wendler,"Sometimes the things you don't do in the gym is what will make you succeed."
 
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Some great suggestions here

So far I have short listed Fadi's suggestion, I used to do them and they do work, so will add them in, dips, some sort of row or lat pulldown, pull ups, and BB Curls.

These will not be fixed, but will start doing one additional exercise starting Monday

MONDAY : Military Press & Dips

TUESDAY : Deadlift & Lat Pulldown or Rows or pull ups

THURSDAY : Bench Press & DB Pull Over

FRIDAY : Barbell Squat & BB or DB curls

These will not be set in stone and I might rotate them around every now and then. Ab work and push ups and pull ups might become my non weights day body weight session.
 
Micky, there seems to be a misconception that doing a full body workout takes hours in the gym, not true at all, you can be in and out in 45mins.
Overtraining is not an issue, not just for 21 year olds, I myself am 53 and currently do 4 intense full body workouts a week, I'm yet to see real overtraining in lifters of any age.
If someone can spend two or more hours each workout then your right, it's a waste of time and it tells me that the intensity of work is low.
 
Darkoz said:
Micky, there seems to be a misconception that doing a full body workout takes hours in the gym, not true at all, you can be in and out in 45mins.
Overtraining is not an issue, not just for 21 year olds, I myself am 53 and currently do 4 intense full body workouts a week, I'm yet to see real overtraining in lifters of any age.
If someone can spend two or more hours each workout then your right, it's a waste of time and it tells me that the intensity of work is low.
Click to expand...

Would love to see a sample full body workout I can do in 45 minutes.

I am not saying full body workouts don't work, I would personally recommend them to some people. Personally after I have done a set of dead lifts I am in no mood to squat, I could probably bench and deadlift or squat and press in the same day, I am not really suggesting it's overtraining, but I think I under recover, rather than over train.

I think the quickest I used to do a full body workout was just over an hour, which is acceptable if done three times a week IMO, currently does not suit me schedule though, but would still be interested in seeing your full body workout.

I used to do a full body workout, but each workout would consist of different exercises, so I might do squats on Mondays, and leg extension and curls on Wednesdays and leg press on Fridays for legs, and similar variations for other body parts, found it quite effective and might go back to it in a year of so when my work and personal schedule allows, once I have my full gym set up (still about a year and a bit off, probably July/August next year), I can get a full body workout done faster as everything will be set up and easily accessible. Most of my gym equipment is currently in storage and the basics are set up on my back verandah. This style of workout also stopped me from having to squat and deal lift the same day.
 
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OK here is my 2c worth.

Firstly a full body workout 3 times a week doesn't mean, squats, dead lifts and bench press each day 3 times a week, although this is subjective as well, but I would have thought you do a range of exercises which cover the whole body 3 times per week, so you might BN bench one day, incline DB press the next and say dips or flyes on the third day, for legs it might be squats, sldl and calves, lunges or front squats and you rotate these though.

But to answer your original question I would think something like.

Dips, sldl, pull ups and maybe leg press or lunges.
 
MONDAY : Military Press (DB Laterals/DIPS)

TUESDAY : Deadlift (Rack Pulls/DB Row)

THURSDAY : Bench Press (DB Flat or Incline/ Any Tricep extension movement)

FRIDAY : Barbell Squat (Stiff legged deadlifts/reverse hyper/lunges)


This is my 2c - I honestly couldn't do just 1 assistance exercise but that is just me....
 
C'mon Mickey Mantle Piece. What does Wendler say????

Db Rows (number fucken 1.) , Chins
Dips

Front Squats coz they are awesome, but I think Wendler prefers Leg Presses
Db Presses and Laterals ......... juz do Arnold Presses EDIT: Side and Rear Laterals as BB assistance for Presses.
 
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The trouble I see with limiting yourself to just one or two exercises, is injury, the core exercises you've chosen could lead to joint issues quite quickly, you have a emphasis on push, and the term assistance would indicate you would like to add exercises to improve on the core ones?

bad idea.

what Darkoz is suggesting is not only a proven template but a safer option, especially for an older trainee.

but if you insist on your current template;

heres sometinhg to ponder

MONDAY : Military Press/pull

TUESDAY : Deadlift done on its own

THURSDAY : Bench Press/pull

FRIDAY : Barbell Squat/SLDL


AND rather than working on set days, monitor your recovery and workout every third day

Monday
Thursday
Sunday
Wednesday
Saturday
Tuesday
Friday
Monday
Thursday
follow this and you'll be full of beans.
im doing this and I have found my fresh strength is back 100% after 3 days rest from exercise.
 
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