So i am thinking about trying a program I really like, but it says to do no assistance work. Is this okay? Will I get an injury?
Wendler has a “jack shit” where you don’t do any accessory stuff because you don’t feel like it, have time or don’t want to… You wouldn’t want to do this all the time cause then your whole training program would be worth… wait for it… JACK SHIT.
So are we supposed to know WTF it is that you are doing?? how can anyone tell you it’s ok and even if you will get hurt?
I’ll go ahead and just say that any program that doesn’t have you doing accessory work to bring up weaknesses is probably bullshit. What program is it and can you intelligently discuss what about it that you like?
[quote]uNbroken wrote:
So i am thinking about trying a program I really like, but it says to do no assistance work. Is this okay? Will I get an injury?[/quote]
What’s the program? Korte 3x3 uses no assistance work and lots of people have had success with it.I don’t think that a lack of assistance will cause an injury. I think injuries come from not listening to your body when it hurts, lack of proper nutrition, lack of recovery, no pre-hab/rehab work.
i def think theres something to be said for leaving some in the tank and i believe that so many people out there do so many exercises that theres litttle rhyme or reason to it and it could be detrimental to your success, that being said, i wouldnt make it a habit to always do zero assistence work unless your doing a lot of training of some form outside the gym
I apologize, but in my first post i put a link to the program and it got deleted by mods. It is Doug Hepburn’s 8x2. Monday and Thursday is Bench and Squats, Tuesday and Friday is Deads and OH press. First half of the workout is these 8x2 and then after you do the same exercises 3x6 (kinda like Wendlers boring but big option). There is a little more detail in the rep scheme that I wont get into. It specifically says not to do ANY extra excercises. Just wanted the OKAY from more experienced lifters or advice so I dont hurt myself.
Hepburn’s programs are definitely legit. I was going to do that program at one time, but I decided to try madcow instead as it seemed more suited to making novice type gains. Madcow you add weight every week on Hepburn it is only every month.
Quite a few lifters do this.
Not exactly NO assistance work but if you look at some Russian stuff they do very little assistance and mainly focus on the 3 lifts. KK doesn’t do that much assistance either.
Many don’t do much. I think it’s fine for lower body. For upper you would probably want to do something for back and shoulders (OHP etc.) but apart from that there’s no reason why you “need” it.
Monday
Squats, 8 sets x 2 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
Bench Press, 8 sets x 2 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
rest 5 minutes
Squats, 3 sets x 6 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
Bench Press, 3 sets x 6 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
Tuesday
Deadlift, 8 sets x 2 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
Seated Overhead Barbell Press, 8 sets x 2 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
rest 5 minutes
Deadlift, 3 sets x 6 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
Seated Overhead Barbell Press, 3 sets x 6 reps (2 minute rest between sets)
I assume that’s the workout you’re talking about. Add a rep on the last set each week, after all sets are +1 rep, add 10lbs? In which case, it’s progression, and using 6+ reps after a lot of heavy doubles. Sounds like assistance to me. Don’t know how the hell you’re supposed to do deadlifts the day after squats though.
I think it is fine to do for a cycle of a few months…but I wouldn’t do it long-term.
I have trained the same way for over a year and made great, consistent progress. It has involved bench, squat, and deadlift about 90% of the time, and maybe 60 minutes of assistance each week. Training this way can work very well IMO. That being said, I think that it is dependent upon you training with proper form, training with restraint, and starting with a decent base. The thing that I have found though, is that the minimal assistance I do (pullups, OHP, and variety of rows) is actually essential.
My thesis: I think trainign should be MOSTLY the big three, but completely ignoring assistance is a mistake. Again, a million ways to train that are effective but this is just my method.
Try this version, -your shoulders will thank you for doing pullups and rows