Tag: Training Tips

Benefits of Assistance Exercises And Why You Need Them

Enhance those big lifts by strengthening your weaknesses with assistance exercises.
We all focus on big lifts and high volume exercises to see growth in our strength and overall performance. But too often do we neglect the weaker muscles that tend to play a huge part in that growth and development. Ironing out those small details can be time consuming and as much as we want to focus on big lifts and huge progress, we must recognize that supplemental work can enhance this as well as provide for overall support and stability for bigger muscle groups. These are called assistance exercises and you should know all about them.
Typically assistance exercises work well for those in competition where you can train for a specific event without having to grind away constantly with the same workout. In efforts to not totally overload your muscles, assistance exercises can help with overtraining and keep you feeling refreshed for every single workout. Assistance exercises work to develop movements and muscle groups associated with certain big lifts or competitive events without actually having to train for that specific event. These exercises assist with what you need to get done in terms of strength training and aerobic capacity.

So, Why Do We Need Them?
Assistance exercises play important roles for not just muscle-building but also support and stabilization (1). By improving on weaknesses of big lifts, certain exercises can really work to enhance your progress and keep you seeing progress with personal gains. That dreaded plateau always strikes and no matter how much weight you put on, it may not be enough to get through the plateau. While drops sets and other supplemental ways to train can break a plateau, assistance exercises can really work to strengthen small muscles around larger muscle groups to give you that extra boost to plow through any plateau.

By working on stabilization and support, assistance exercises can also prevent injury and fix any muscle imbalances that throw off your desired physique. With weak stabilizer muscles, your body relies on other muscle groups to compensate for the lack of strength causing unwanted stress and strain (2). That can lead to injury and keep you out of the gym, really hurting your overall progress. For muscle imbalances, assistance exercises will build those stabilizer muscles to really round out a solid physique to give you increased confidence and strength once competitions come around.
Supplemental and accessory exercises are often misunderstood and not used to their full advantage so understanding how they can benefit you can provide for great progress when the time comes. These will enhance the body’s capabilities to do much more and perform much better.

How To Choose The Right Assistance Exercises
When it comes to choosing the best assistance exercises to perform, find ones that complement each other as well as ones that work in tandem with the lift you are working on. If your main lift is the bench press, you may assist that workout with dumbbell flys and an incline dumbbell press. This will work all aspects of your chest in order to offer total coverage to build your pecs and ultimately support your bench press. You can also choose to work with what are called antagonistic exercises to work opposing muscle groups while also getting the same benefit (3). These will work to counter your main lift while also providing support and stabilization to assist it at the same time.
With that said, it is best to choose those that mimic the same movement pattern but that work to emphasize different motions and amount of load and tension provided. These will also work to improve range of motion but also partial range of motion. Instead of doing a full deadlift, you may consider doing a rack deadlift to strengthen that area of the full lift for maximum benefit.

Types Of Assistance Exercises
Barbell Glute Bridges
The barbell glute bridge is a great way to enhance strength, power and performance and works as a great correction exercise. It targets the gluteal muscles to increase glute activation and muscle hypertrophy. This will assist well with posture and alleviate pain in your knees and lower back. This is a great assistance exercise for the deadlift because it works the last phase of the full lift so you have full control of your pelvis through your glutes and hamstrings.
Box Squats
Box squats will work to enforce proper technique, improve mobility and range of motion and build power and strength as a safe and effective lower body exercise. The increased focus on power to propel yourself from the ground onto the box will increase lower body strength and reinforce the explosive drive needed at the bottom of a back squat. This will also work your core to stay engaged and serves as a good assistance exercise to the back squat.
Dips
While often associated with the triceps, dips serve as a great chest exercise and really work well to complement the bench press as an assistance exercise. It activates many muscle groups and provides for wider chest development and functional movement. For the bench press, dips are beneficial for working your range of motion.
Push Press
For a solid assistance exercise for the overhead press, a push press will incorporate many muscle groups and work to build strong shoulders. It also provides for increased overhead stability to make overhead lifting more comfortable. It can increase hip drive to provide for greater power and allow more weight to be lifted overhead.
Wrap Up
Assistance exercises are really great supplemental exercises to add into your training regimen to improve bigger lifts and offer support and stabilization. Working in tandem with a big lift can provide for much needed support to see more personal growth and increased performance with workouts or competition. Look into what you want to get out of big lifts and try assistance exercises to really elevate your overall performance.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
*Images courtesy of Envato
References

Morton, Robert W.; Colenso-Semple, Lauren; Phillips, Stuart M. (2019). “Training for strength and hypertrophy: an evidence-based approach”. (source)
Han, Kap-Soo; Kang, Seung-Rok; Kwon, Tae-Kyu (2020). “Analysis of Muscle Strength Effects on Exercise Performance Using Dynamic Stabilization Exercise Device”. (source)
Robbins, Daniel W.; Young, Warren B.; Behm, David G.; Payne, Warren R. (2010). “Agonist-antagonist paired set resistance training: a brief review”. (source)

9 Leg Day Mistakes You Might Be Making

9 Leg Day Mistakes You Might Be Making
Your legs make up half your body. Ignore them and you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Correct these 9 leg day mistakes and turn your twigs into tree trunks.

Skipping Leg Day

This seems redundant to say, but it’s true. Unless you’re going for the lightbulb look, stop skipping legs and start squatting. You don’t want to be the Johnny Bravo of your gym.

Not Training Legs Frequently Enough

Most people train their legs once a week (actually, probably once every quarter). Even still, it’s usually not enough to elicit any real adaptation.
Yes, Dorian Yates was known to train each body part once a week. But no, you are not Dorian Yates. His legendary workouts were so intense that his muscles needed adequate rest before the next session. Nothing personal, but you’re (probably) not training with the intensity and weight to justify needing a full week’s recovery. And sticking to one leg day a week may be holding you back.
All things considered, adding a second leg day to your weekly split can make a huge impact on your progress. It’s simple math.
One leg day/week amounts to four workouts every month. Two leg days/week totals eight workouts every month. That’s a difference of 52 workouts by the end of the year!

Not Lifting Heavy

Your technique is the foundation for heavy lifts. One shouldn’t be sacrificed for the other. And more often than not, folks will throw their technique out the window if it means slapping on another plate to impress their gym crush.
That said, stay true to your form while lifting some heavy ass weights and the results will show.
The heavier you lift, the more high threshold motor units (HTMU) you’re engaging. Motor unit recruitment depends on the load and intensity of the exercise being performed. Low intensity exercises recruit your slow twitch fibres (type I fibres). High intensity and heavy loaded exercises recruit your fast twitch fibres (type IIa and IIb).
If you’re always lifting with lighter weights and low intensity, you’re never engaging those type II muscle fibres. And if your goal is to build dense, long-lasting muscle, your program should have a healthy dose of heavy lifts.

Too Much Isolation/Machine Exercises

Piggybacking off the last point, you may be overemphasizing isolation exercises and underemphasizing compound lifts.
With this in mind, it’s no coincidence that it’s harder to find a free leg extension machine than it is to find a free squat rack in most gyms. Too many people are isolating muscles they haven’t even built yet.
While isolation exercises are great, they’re your dessert. Heavy compound lifts are your main course.

Too Little Hamstring and Glute Work

Everyone loves training their “mirror muscles” (pecs, arms, quads) for obvious reasons. This often leads to an underwhelming amount of posterior chain work (aka your “functional muscles”).
Most of the classic lower body exercises you see in the gym are quad-dominant. Hack squats, split squats, leg extension, and leg presses generally emphasize the quads over the glutes and hamstrings.
Your glutes are the biggest muscles in your body. So if your goal is to build bigger, stronger legs…why ignore them? It’s kind of like wanting bigger arms and only doing curls. Meanwhile if you did more triceps work (which is roughly 2/3 of your arm), your arms would be popping out of your sleeves.
Keep doing your quad work, but add more glute and hammie exercises into the mix too. Hip thrusts, deadlifts, and leg curl variations are all great options.

Going Too Fast

Tempo is one of the most overlooked variables when it comes to building size.
Rather than dropping to the bottom of a squat like it’s a race to the floor, focus on loading and contracting the muscles you’re targeting.
Slowing down the eccentric phase of an exercise isn’t always warranted, but at times can be very effective to increase your muscles’ total time under tension.
Regardless of the exercise you’re performing, think of which muscles are the prime movers and focus on contracting them as much as possible.

Not Squatting to Depth

Whether it’s a lack of mobility or an abundance of ego, the average squat performed in the gym fails to achieve full depth. While performing quarter squats with weight you can’t handle might add some false confidence, you’re usually better off squatting through a full range of motion for greater muscle fibre recruitment and total time under tension.
What’s a full range of motion squat? That depends. Generally speaking, it’s when your hip crease is slightly below your knee (so your thigh/femur is at least parallel with the floor, if not slightly lower).
Achieving such depth requires adequate mobility, which brings us to our next leg day mistake.

Not Enough Mobility Work

Mobility is your joints’ ability to actively travel through their intended ranges of motion. Yes, it’s pretty boring stuff…but it’s a necessary evil.
I know, you’d rather be getting after it in the weight room. But if you can’t devote 5-10 min to mobility work every time you’re in the gym (at the very least), you’re doing yourself a disservice.
With mobility comes better positioning during the big lifts, better recovery, better posture, increased ranges of motion, and reduced risk of injury/pain. All of which are vital in the pursuit of bigger, stronger legs.

Not Enough Single Leg Work

The average leg workout consists primarily of bilateral lifts like the squat and deadlift with little to no emphasis on unilateral (one-sided) exercises. But don’t let this fool you.
You can get way more out of single leg exercises than you might think. Here’s why you should do them:

Minimal stress on the spine: Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to load a barbell behind your neck and squat every leg day. The common limiting factor and weakest link during back squats is the lower back. Single leg exercises allow you to bypass the spine and place all of the load on your legs.
Loading potential: The ceiling of loading potential is high. As mentioned, you can bypass injured or weak areas, unlike squats. Many lifters can’t squat to their legs’ potential because their upper/lower backs can’t handle the load. With many single leg exercises, you can increase the load solely to your legs while minimizing back involvement.
Core work: Single leg exercises minimize your base of support and increase your core engagement.

Summary
Start training your legs and stop doing these nine common mistakes. You’ll get bigger, stronger, and look better because of it.
Did you find this leg day article helpful?

Why Boxing Can Improve Your Overall Fitness And Mental Health

Boxing is a great exercise for both physical and mental development.
Boxing has developed into a fitness trend that many have begun to gravitate towards. While some see it as a workout for hard core athletes, you don’t have to fight in the ring to get the great health benefits boxing has to offer. Seeing a boom in recent years, this fitness trend is only continuing to grow as people look to add a new level of intensity to their workouts.
With many people starting to see their health and fitness as more of a lifestyle than just a hobby, that self-awareness and focus towards personal health, both physically and mentally, has sparked interest in unique ways of training. Boxing has been around for centuries and while we all associate it with big names and pay-per-view fights, the benefits of boxing go far beyond just a good workout.

Instead of spending so much time in the gym lifting weights and hitting the treadmill, although those are still great options to improve your fitness, a boxing workout can offer different solutions to your training regimen. By increasing your heart rate and working on strength, you not only develop physical gains but mental ones as well in order to lead a good lifestyle both inside and out of the gym.

Boxing Basics
While this sport is intricate and requires advanced training once at higher levels, the basics are important to understand to make this as efficient as possible. Learning a combination of punches will allow you to enhance your overall speed and endurance to continue to thrive in the ring.

Some basic movements include jabs, crosses, uppercuts, and hooks and once you nail these, you can add different combinations to activate your core and look good doing it. Adding a bag to your workouts will provide for resistance and will work to strengthen your muscles as well.

Benefits of Boxing
Improve Cardio
The challenge with a continuous movement like boxing is that you place added stress on your heart and lungs to power you through the workout. As a result, you increase aerobic capacity and strengthen your heart and lungs to handle more (1). Keeping your heart rate elevating is key to improving cardio and really working to enhance overall endurance.
Promote Total Body Strength
With such a complex movement, the constant strain on your arms, legs, and core makes boxing a great total body workout. Through quick movements, pivots, and advanced foot work, your legs will feel the burn as you use them to move from your opponent. The repeated stress your upper body takes by hitting the bag, which is providing resistance, forces your upper body muscles to work and an engaged core will provide for balance, stabilization, and solid form to fire up all muscles (2).
Develop Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is important to develop one’s fine motor skills and works to target faster reaction times and better reflexes (3). Whether you use a speed bag or spar with an opponent, watching a fast moving target and working to strike effectively will not only develop hand-eye coordination but exponentially enhance it.
Burn Calories
Between your increased heart rate and the amount of fuel it takes to power a boxing workout, you will start to shed calories as you head towards that desired physique. By creating a calorie deficit, you are well on your way to getting that shredded body. With help from your metabolism, which is surely fired up as it looks for continuous fuel, your weight loss goals become closer than you think.
Relieve Stress
Those who box tend to feel that their stress levels decline. Any form of physical activity can really enhance mood since it releases endorphins to make you feel good (4). On top of that, you know you did something to better yourself and your overall health. But something about boxing really lets you release built up frustration and punching a bag, albeit an inanimate object, gives you an empowered sense that you are taking down whatever causes you stress in the first place.
Boost Self-Image and Confidence
By burning calories, increasing muscle mass, and working on cardio, your overall body composition will change and your self-image will improve. The way you view yourself matters and you want to be proud of who you are. With that increased level of self-image, your confidence will surely improve and your overall mental health will be greatly enhanced. Boxing is also a difficult sport and by doing this as exercise, you will prove to yourself that you truly can do it.

Finding The Right Gym
Many boxing gyms exist and there are two kinds: those who train competitive boxers and those who train everyday people looking to get fit. There are also studios which offer classes that may be formatted slightly differently than a workout in a gym. If you are someone looking to learn more advanced techniques to get into the ring with someone else, find a gym that works for you in that regard. But if you just want to learn the craft and get fit doing so, make sure you look for the right gym near you so you don’t accidently end up in the ring.
Wrap Up
Boxing is one of those fitness trends that shows no signs of slowing down. The physical benefits of weight loss, increased muscle mass, and improved cardio are equally matched by the mental benefits of stress relief and increased confidence. If you are looking for a challenge or a way to mix up your workouts, look into boxing gyms near you to start your new journey into this centuries old sport. The process of getting fit should be challenging but also fun, and with boxing, you will surely find the best of both worlds as you seek to achieve whatever your desired goals are.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
*Images courtesy of Envato
References

El-Ashker, Said; Chaabene, Helmi; Negra, Yassine; Prieske, Olaf; Granacher, Urs (2018). “Cardio-Respiratory Endurance Responses Following a Simulated 3×3 Minutes Amateur Boxing Contest in Elite Level Boxers”. (source)
Ruddock, Alan D.; Wilson, Daniel C.; Thompson, Stephen W.; Hembrough, Dave; WInter, Edward M. (2016). “Strength and Conditioning for Professional Boxing”. (source)
Harvard Helath Letter (2015). “Punch up your exercise routine with fitness boxing”. (source)
Jackson, Erica M. (2013). “Stress Relief: The Role of Exercise in Stress Management”. (source)