{"id":13456,"date":"2020-12-01T09:15:01","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T09:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/?p=13456"},"modified":"2023-10-30T17:03:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T17:03:47","slug":"accessory-exercises-for-stronger-compound-lifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/accessory-exercises-for-stronger-compound-lifts\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessory Exercises for Stronger Compound Lifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

With such diversity in the ever-growing land of fitness, it\u2019s clear everybody has different goals. Some people want legs that could crack coconuts, while some want to be fast enough to catch the train we almost <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> nearly miss \u2013 we all have our own goals. However there is one goal that is unanimously shared amongst us all; strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the three key exercises in gaining full-body strength are the Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press. Beginners will see their lifts progressively improve for about a year. Whereas intermediate and advanced lifters will eventually plateau. This is where accessory lifts become important because not only will they assist in improving your main lifts, but also by highlighting where your weaknesses lie and help you break out of that plateau.<\/span><\/p>\n

SQUAT<\/b><\/h2>\n

Pause Front Squat<\/span><\/h3>\n

In my experience, the main thing that will improve your squats is\u2026doing more squats. Don\u2019t be fooled by the leg press or those glute kickbacks, just get yourself under the barbell more often. Practise, practise, practise!<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are looking for a particular exercise though, the Pause Front Squat would be top of my list. It\u2019s very simple (in theory \u2013 it\u2019s harder to do than you think!) all you do is load up a barbell with about 60% of your 1RM, front rack it (a quick google search will help if you\u2019re unsure about positioning!) and squat. Instead of \u201cbouncing\u201d back out of the squat, you pause at the lowest position. This forces you to keep your entire body tight because (as you\u2019ll realise\u2026) if you don\u2019t, the barbell will pull you forward, rounding your back and ultimately cause you to fail the lift.<\/span><\/p>\n

As well as teaching you to maintain full body tightness, by removing the \u201cbounce\u201d at the bottom position it also forces you to use your glutes <\/span>a<\/span><\/i> lot more<\/span><\/i> than the traditional squat. This will directly impact your back squat as you learn to <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> recruit more of your glutes (basically ingraining good form into the movement!).<\/span><\/p>\n

Clean Pulls & Pulls<\/span><\/h3>\n

This one you may not have seen as a \u201cSquat Accessory Lift\u201d before. It works. Also, this one is great as an alternative to squats if you have any knee issues (possibly from squatting too much) as it focuses more on the posterior chain than the quads. Any pulling movement (such as a barbell row) or a Clean pull will help develop strength. Clean pulls will add power and force to the often neglected posterior chain. Strong hamstrings and rhomboids are KEY in maintaining a stable core while performing the squat. Quick note: If you\u2019re doing a lot of back work, remember to stretch it well- a rhomboid in spasm is possibly one of the worst pains ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

BENCH<\/b><\/h2>\n

Seated Row<\/span><\/h3>\n

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of a strong and stable scapula while performing the bench press. If you don\u2019t retract your scapula when benching, your shoulder joint doesn\u2019t have any means to stabilise itself, which can lead to a rotator cuff injury. To engage as many muscle fibres as possible, really squeeze your shoulder blades together after each rep; you will feel the difference. It\u2019s <\/span>these<\/span><\/i> muscles you want engaged when bench pressing. Mimic this scapular retraction when benching and you will put yourself at <\/span>less<\/span><\/i> risk of injury and push <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> weight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paused Incline Dumbbell Bench Press<\/span><\/p>\n

Any powerlifters out there know that the pause at the bottom position of the bench press makes the movement A LOT more difficult. However, most powerlifters are fairly strong. The correlation? The pause! Adding in a pause at the bottom position removes momentum, forcing you to recruit as many muscle fibres as possible to press the weight back up. Try performing the exercise with dumbbells and a 3-second eccentric (lowering the weight to your chest). It also makes your chest, triceps, shoulders and rhomboids (everything!) work harder to control the weight and stabilise the shoulder joint. A stable chest is a strong chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

DEADLIFT<\/b><\/h2>\n

The deadlift is a classic and fundamental compound lift for all gymgoers. If you want to learn how to increase deadlift<\/a>, see our detailed guide.<\/p>\n

Pendlay Row<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Pendlay Row is basically a barbell row but harder. If you want a strong, powerful deadlift you need to train the muscles involved in that movement to be fast acting and powerful. The pendlay row not only builds back strength but also explosiveness \u2013 a key driver in completing those high intensity lifts. Remember Newton\u2019s Second Law of Motion (or maybe you don\u2019t so here\u2019s a science lesson)<\/span><\/p>\n

Force = Mass x Acceleration<\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, the more explosive your lifts are, the more weight you will be able to lift.<\/span><\/p>\n

Science!<\/span><\/p>\n

Pause Deadlifts<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another favourite amongst powerlifters but will benefit everyone. Set yourself up as you would a normal deadlift, but instead of pulling the weight straight up, pause about 3 inches off the floor, hold for three seconds and then complete the lift.\u00a0 These are tough but they really help in building back stability and strength; the key muscle groups of the deadlift. Most people struggle with the middle portion of the deadlift (between the first pull and final lockout) and this exercise targets that specific weakness. As an added bonus, is a great one for grip strength, too!<\/span><\/p>\n

For more info on the difference between a Romanian deadlift and a deadlift<\/a>, check out our blog which explains all.<\/p>\n

USE YOUR HEAD<\/b><\/h2>\n

So technically these are not exercises but they are definitely required for improving any aspect of your training. A solid diet with plenty of carbohydrates<\/a> (carbs are NOT the devil), sleep and recovery are crucial in maintaining progress. Heavy lifting is extremely draining on the central nervous system (CNS) and if that\u2019s tired, it won\u2019t let you lift heavy! Use the Tap App (available on Android and iOS) to check up on how the CNS is coping with the lifting and if you are tired, REST! It\u2019s very difficult to deadlift and yawn at the same time \u2013 and also makes for some <\/span>very<\/span><\/i> odd lifting faces.<\/span><\/p>\n

TAKE HOME MESSAGE<\/b><\/h2>\n

It goes without saying that as with all techniques, the best way to really improve anything is to just do them more often \u2013 Occam\u2019s Razor! If that isn\u2019t cutting it though, try implementing some of these exercises into your training programme and you\u2019ll be cracking coconuts in no time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who else thinks \u201cleg\u2019s that could crack coconuts\u201d is the best phrase ever, by the way?<\/span><\/p>\n

It should have its own hashtag.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related articles<\/h3>\n

Eager to learn more? We believe every person, with support, has the right to transform their lives through fitness. That’s why we’ve put together hundreds of articles with expert advice, all to help you on your fitness journey. From muscle growth, shoulder exercises and other training-related articles, check out some previous blogs below:<\/p>\n

Push Day Shoulder Exercises<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0How to maintain a good physique when travelling<\/a>
\nAlcohol and Muscle Growth<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Leg day exercises<\/a>
\nMore Reps or more Weight<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Can you Eat Carbs and Lose Weight?<\/a>
\nFull body split<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Building Muscle Mass<\/a>
\nBest Macro Split<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Difference between Powerlifting and Weightlifting<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With such diversity in the ever-growing land of fitness, it’s clear everybody has different goals. Some people want legs that could crack coconuts, while some want to be fast enough…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":13460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1975],"tags":[68,69,1379,1465,1466],"class_list":["post-13456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitnesstraining","tag-bench","tag-squat","tag-deadlift","tag-stronger-compound-lifts","tag-accessory-exercises"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13456"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23533,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13456\/revisions\/23533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}