If you are in the Boston are, join us at TPS this Saturday from 9:00 am until noon for our Grand Opening celebration. All the details are on our Facebook page.
Now, let's get into this weeks thoughts on training.
I am going to give you 3 Ideas on Making Assistance Work Less Boring and Stupid in a minute. First I am going to explain why you need to do assistance work!
So we all know that assistance Max Effort work displays strength and accessory/ assistance work build strength and size right?
Before you get your underpants all bunched up because you are way smarter and know more about training than me and can quote studies on things and stuff and read an EBook by some internet coach, listen up:
I stole this explanation from Jim Wendler years ago and it really is true. When we perform Max Effort work (all out sets of 1-3 reps for the heaviest weight) we are displaying strength.
Yes, they build strength, but they are more of a display of it.
We all should know that VOLUME makes you strong too, right?
Let me explain it this way:
You hit 315 on the bench for a Max Effort triple.
On the way up to that you did a set of 275x3, 295x3, 305 x3 and finally 315x3.
That works out to the following for total volume:
275x3=825
295x3=885
305x3=915
315x3=945
Total Volume=3570 pounds
If you did a few pushdowns and some lateral raises after that and called it a day, your bench probably will not go up too much.
You simply have not done enough work to get stronger.
If you add in a few accessory exercises and load up the volume, you’ll get stronger by default right?
For example, you add in Floor Presses as a 2nd exercise and do 5 sets of 8 with 265 you have added a 10,600 pounds more volume. I am not going into programming here, but even a dolt can see that lifting 10,600 more pounds in a training session will make you stronger!
Volume makes you stronger period.
So, how can you make assistance/accessory more fun and less boring and stupid?
Pick a number:
I love this, especially with body weight and bands.
Pick a number for an exercise like Average Band Pushdowns. Let’s say it’s 100 total reps.
Do as many reps as you can without hitting complete failure, write the number down, then continue until you have hit the total reps. Let’s say you did 35 reps the 1st set, you have 65 to go.
The next week, you can do the same exercise and either increase the volume or reach the same number of reps in less sets.
This can be done with virtually any exercise from Glute/Ham Raises, Dumbell Bench Press with a pre-determined set of dumbells, Blast Strap Rows or whatever.
Pick a number and get after it.
The Old Deck of Cards Trick
Grab a deck of cards and choose a body weight exercise like pullups or pushups.
This is a big one in prisons. Inmates are limited in what they can do in a lot of facilities and they are very resourceful. A lot of them are also very big and strong. This is done all over and it works.
You’ll use the cards to pick your reps. A 2 is 2 reps, a 3 is 3 reps and so on. A face card is 10 reps and an Ace is a wild card. You can pick any number. It’s better if someone else chooses on the wild card for more of a challenge.
Flip a card, do that many reps, rest about a minute and go through the whole deck. It’s not easy, but it is fun. It also will smoke you.
Give it a shot.
If you add up the total volume lifted on the deck of cards trick using your bodyweight as the pounds lifted per rep, your volume will be sky high. I don’t suggest doing this all the time as it could affect your recovery but tossing it in every now and then will get you strong.
Reps for Time
Choose and exercise and a weight and a number of sets. Let’s say it’s Tate Presses and you are using 50’s.
Get your stopwatch out and go for a predetermined amount of time, say 30 seconds the 1st week and 60 seconds on the same exercise the next week. Smash as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, rest the same amount of time (30 seconds) and do another set. Keep going until you get all of your sets done.
Increase the time next week and get after it.
Ask me a question-Be sure and Type to Murph in the header
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#bostonsstrongest
Vincere vel mori
I enjoy mixing up the exercises designating each suit to a different one. Works out to 77 reps each exercise. Good for adding BW exercises, assistance, conditioning exercises etc to a workout as a finisher or a standalone workout. Good competition amongst small groups as well, racing through a variety of exercises attempting to finish the deck.
I enjoy your log. Lots of good info. Gym also looks great. Congrats on the grand opening.