[quote]tuchavito wrote:
well, it seems you’ve been going great with your training, and that you know your stuff.
Man i got a couple of stupid questions?
how do you choose your accesory exercises?
i wanna start west side training
in bench i get stuck off the chest, in deadlift a few cm off the floor, and in squat well, a little past parallel,
and, i’ve noticed that back and shoulders don’t get real heavy training, i mean heavy rows and overhead press, how am i supossed to increase those poundages?, i want a big row and a big overhead press[/quote]
Okay, first thanks for posting here, I’m always glad to help so keep the questions coming.
The great thing about the Westside style of training is there is no set program. You know where you’re weak and you know what you want to achieve, so we can tailor the system to suit you.
First I’ll address the weaknesses you mentioned, because those can be tackled both with your primary movement and accessory work. Then I’ll talk about choosing accessory movements.
- Bench
I’ve had exactly the same problem, my weak point is about an inch off my chest. There are definitely exercises you can do to help with this, for example the dynamic bench work which is part of a Westside program is designed to increase your starting strength and rate of force development. As far as max effort movement are concerned, stick to fairly basic movements. My suggestions would be:
- Incline Bench
- Decline Bench
- Regular Bench
- 1 or 2 board press
- Floor press
These will certainly help if you’re weak off the chest. However I also sought out some expert advice on this, in the form of Shawn Frankl. He said that if you’re weak off the chest it’s probably because your setup isn’t good enough. I can only comment on yours if you’re prepared to post a video on youtube, but it is really important to make sure your shoulder blades are really pinched together, you have a big arch with your back really tight, and make sure to use leg drive to get the bar off your chest. My starting strength has improved significantly by improving my set up.
- Deadlift
This is probably the easiest one to fix. My advice would be loads and loads of platform deadlifts, from platforms of various heights. This is where you stand on something (we normally stand on plates) and deadlift from there so you’re having to pull the bar further. You can lift standing on something 1" high, to something so high your feet touch the bar as you set up.
While I says loads of these things, make sure you don’t overdo it, as you’ll end up overtrained. Remember that with Westside you always rotate max effort movements.
I would also suggest front squats if you pull conventional, since these replicate the initial leg drive of that movement. I prefer to do them with a box but that’s not essential. If you have a harness that would be ideal, but if you don’t (like me) then you can do them for slightly higher reps (say 6s).
Also some dynamic work, with lighter weight against bands, to develop your initial rate of force development and help you really blast the weight off the floor.
- Squats
In general, the way to fix a squat is to box squat. I never do free back squats in training, and I don’t seem to have a sticking point in my squat (if I fail, I never even get out of the bottom of the movement). In general you should box squat from a box that is below parallel, but if you know exactly where a sticking point is you can use a box at that height as well to really isolate that part of the movement. Do these with a wide stance, even if you don’t squat that wide. That really brings your hips and glutes into the movement, which are weak on most people.
To get the most out of a box squat you have to do them right, and a huge number of people don’t. If you’re able to post a video I will comment on it.
Also if your sticking point is above parallel it could be that your hips and glutes are not firing through well enough. This could be a technique thing. It could also be a weakness, which can be worked on with GHRs and plenty of good mornings (my favourite movement).
- Accessory Movements
In general you pick your accessory movements to work on your weaknesses, however the first accessory movements (sometimes called the complementary movement) should be:
A heavy tricep movement on bench day.
A heavy hamstring movement on squat / deadlift day.
This is because regardless of what your weaknesses are, if these muscles get stronger then those lifts will go up (assuming you’ve got good form).
After this it literally is a matter of working on your weaknesses. However I try to do some form of row on every bench day, and shoulder press once a week. I’m not a big fan of barbell rows, my lower back is usually too tired from other movements, but if you’re able to do them then go for it. A strong back is extremely important for a good bench, and it is important to keep your shoulders and rotator cuffs strong both to move heavier weight and to prevent injuries.
If you have any more questions then feel free to ask, it’s getting late here and I wrote this in a bit of a hurry. I will write some more about how to pick your accessory movements tomorrow, with some sample workouts.