Building Your Training Program: Don’t Neglect Accessory Work
Ah, the dreaded accessory work. We get into this sport because we love heavy barbells, not training like Bodybuilders, right?
While this is very true- bicep curls, leg presses, etc., are admittedly far more boring than a heavy deadlift max, the value of accessory work cannot be denied.
Heavy barbell lifts & their variations make up the base of your program. Yet, filling the missing gaps is also essential- to stay healthy, become a better lifter, and continue making progress (while looking more jacked in the process).
Accessory movements supplement your barbell lifts. They are incorporated in damn near every day of your programming. Read more below to find out why & how to apply this fact to your training.
“Accessories” basically mean the additional fluff work on top of your main movements. As a Powerlifter, this consists of squat, bench press, and deadlift variations- so accessories make up movements outside of that realm. Examples include exercises such as barbell rows, lunges, overhead presses, dead bugs, hip thrusts, Face pulls, etc.- often more “functional” or “bodybuilding” type lifts.
Why are they important-
It’s a common trope in the strength world for Powerlifters to avoid accessory work, stating that it “doesn’t matter” and SBD is “all you need.” While specificity is important, and you can get stronger doing the main barbell lifts- it’s far from optimal and can sacrifice gains in the long run.
If you’re committed to being the best athlete possible and prioritizing longevity, you’ll quickly see the benefit of performing these smaller movements.
Staying Healthy
Because we want to be in this sport for a long AND good time, right?
When we only train the same three lifts, other muscle groups and movement patterns can get neglected. The human body is designed to move in many different ways, directions, and planes of motion. SBD are fundamental patterns, but they’re not ALL you need.
Plus, when weaknesses occur, technique can be more likely to falter. Addressing these muscle groups with accessories can help improve proprioception and therefore technique.
By incorporating more corrective exercises, training other motions & directions, and building a variety of movements; your chance of longevity increases. It’s better to be more well-rounded and have at least a base level of strength in most exercises than only 3. You’ll be able to handle more down the road.
The body is a kinetic chain, and a weak or underdeveloped area impacts the entire unit. While we can't always guarantee injury prevention, the ability to handle more load & have overall strength development will make you more resilient and capable.
Strengthening supportive muscle groups can improve work capacity and movement quality. For example, the bench press primarily trains the “push” muscles- chest, shoulders, triceps, but building your upper back (which can get neglected) creates more balance between the anterior & posterior chain, provides a strong base for your press; and improves shoulder health. All of these are positive results- making you a more resilient athlete.
2. Building Up Weaknesses
As humans, we all have weaknesses and strengths. With time in the sport, these become more apparent as progress slows down and plateaus ensue.
One of the most noteworthy benefits of accessory work is helping to improve weaknesses & decrease strength deficits.
Weak points in the lifts can occur for three reasons: technical, physical, or mental. They are often a combination of the three.
If technique falters, address it in the primary lift or variations that inherently improve your form/body awareness.
If a weakness is mental- proper coaching, repetition, and practice with the main lift can help.
But if they’re physical: say more lat strength is needed, achieving adequate hip mobility is difficult, the triceps are underdeveloped, etc., accessory work comes into play.
Accessories allow you to emphasize and attack your weaknesses, seemingly having a carryover to your main lifts.
If your weak quads impair your squat strength, incorporating more Lunges, Bulgarian split squats, Hack squats, etc., along with more quad-focused squat variations, can help target this weakness.
Accessories supplement your program and can help give your strength the extra boost you need.
3. Putting on Muscle Mass
We are not Bodybuilders, but using hypertrophy training principles benefits you.
Size and strength support one another. A muscle with a larger cross-sectional area can produce more force, which is the expression of strength. There is a point of diminishing returns-your entire training doesn’t need to consist of hypertrophy, and always chasing more mass can take away from heavy lifts, but putting on some muscle will certainly help you as a lifter.
Accessories are the gateway to do this. While volume SBD phases can help, there’s a reason Bodybuilders don’t only train bench presses and deadlifts. More isolated movements allow you to target the muscles you need to build. A combination of compound and isolation exercises rather than either alone is better for hypertrophy.
So, if you want to move more weight & look jacked, don’t skip out on your accessories.
Accessories are essential for a multitude of reasons- but a) what are some solid examples? and b) how do you incorporate them?
These lifts don't need to be ridiculously complicated- intentionally programming the main work is far more important than splitting hairs over which tricep extension is better- but here is a general guideline & the reasoning behind it.
Upper Back Work-
This is the stuff that Powerlifters benefit a lot from. The upper back supports each lift of the Big 3 yet is often neglected.
For this reason, I like to program upper back stuff 2-3x a week, whether you squatted, benched, and/or deadlifted that day.
Upper back stuff encompasses pulling movements- Barbell Rows, Pendlay Rows, Face Pulls, Lat Pulldowns, Chin Ups, Pull-Ups, Cable Rows, Pullovers, Single Arm Rows, etc. Incorporate both vertical and horizontal pulling movements for maximum gains.
For more info on back strength & how it can benefit you, check out this article:
2. Posterior Chain Stuff-
Instagram has popularized the glute-and-hammie workouts As a Powerlifter, you need it, too. For both Squats and Deadlifts, extra hinge stuff will help you out.
I program posterior chain work about 2x a week, often on Deadlift-focused/pulling days- since it directly supports those movements.
Some great options are barbell hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, GHR, Back Extensions, Good Mornings, and Reverse Hypers. Make sure to incorporate some single-leg stuff, such as SL RDLs or SL Hip Thrusts- to address imbalances and decrease strength deficits.
3. Lower Body Work-
For raw squatters, well-developed quads are one of your best assets for unlocking PRs. Additionally, strong quads can help improve deadlift strength. Plus, training knee-dominant movements can help improve joint health and stability. Extra quad volume supports your lifts, so incorporating some lower body, “push” focused accessories is a great idea.
I like to include it 1-2x a week, typically on squat-focused days. There are countless options, from Goblin Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Step ups, Walking Lunges, Reverse Lunges, Static Lunges, Cossack Squats, Lateral Lunges, Single leg Squats, and Hack Squats. Plenty of single-leg work here will provide a good bang for your buck. Incorporate frontal-plane exercises (Cossack Squats, lateral lunges, etc.) to build different strengths- and improve mobility.
4. Upper body Work-
For a monster bench press, upper body hypertrophy is damn near essential. Especially for female athletes, additional upper body volume will improve your pressing strength. The triceps are the primary movers of the Powerlifting-style bench, but the pecs and delts are also important. Train your specific weaknesses.
I like to program upper body accessories 2-4x/week, depending on the phase and what the athlete needs- often after a pressing movement during the lift session.
There are many options to choose from- Overhead presses, push-ups, dips, tricep pushdowns, JM presses, Skullcrushers, Lateral raises, etc. Train a variety of rep ranges, get jacked, and get strong.
5. Abs, Corrective-
The final main category is ab and corrective work. While the core is worked during primary lifts, supplemental exercises may improve proprioception, neuromuscular control, and performance. I like super-setting ab work with main movements or putting it at the end of a session, 2-3x a week. Find different ways to challenge the core: Farmer Carries, Earthquake marches, Body Saws, Ab Rolls, Copenhagen planks, Paloff Presses. Core work could be a separate topic, but briefly, include a variety of motions a couple of times a week.
Corrective exercise should be individualized based on a conversation with your Coach/PT, but for athletes with specific weaknesses or past injuries, including isolated work on those areas can help improve overall movement quality and performance- focused on the knees, hips, rotator cuff, etc. Prehab stuff can be part of a warm-up or additional accessory work. Frequency, rep ranges, and exercise selection will depend on the individual.
Primary lifts are performed first in the session. Accessories may be supersetted with a Compound lift or done after you’ve gotten the “important stuff” out of the way.
Generally, 3-5 sets of 5-15 reps is a good range for most exercises.
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Accessory work. It’s the less exciting, often overlooked aspect of any training program. However, it’s vitally important to your success as an athlete. If you want to be the best possible version of yourself and unlock your highest potential, putting intention into your supplementary movements is how you get there. Once the newbie gains wear off, PRs are harder to come by, and every little detail makes a difference. Accessories make you a better, stronger, more developed, and more well-rounded lifter. Prioritize them, and reap the benefits in size, strength, and longevity.
