Powerlifting Accessory Movements I Find Myself Programming Most Often

A big thing that seems to differ from coach to coach is their use of accessories, and I fall in the category of being a big proponent of accessory work. While there are many reasons for this, my main 3 reasons for programming a larger amount of accessory work than most is…

1.) The obvious reason, and why most program accessories, is for the hypertrophy benefit. I may even lean more to this side than others as well, as I am not a fan of high repetition squats and deadlifts, and typically keep squats at 7 reps or less and deadlifts under 6 repetitions at most. Even for bench I rarely go over 8 repetitions, so accessory work allows us to increase volume through higher rep schemes, leading to hypertrophy benefits.

2.) The less obvious reason I program accessories is that I use it as a progression model for building volume tolerance. After a meet, I use high volumes of accessories to build tolerance to higher workloads, and then as blocks progress I will slowly bring down the accessory work and allocated that volume now to the competition movements. Rather than just immediately adding 1 or 2 sets to squat, bench press, or deadlift when I feel the time is right to add volume, I first add that volume through accessories. Typically if I add an extra 3 sets of accessory work, that will eventually translate to 1 or 2 added sets to the competition movements down the road.

3.) Leading back to both points, accessories can be used to help with reducing injury risk. Rather than doing super high rep squats and deadlifts, or immediately adding more sets to heavy barbell movements, accessories can accomplish similar tasks with significantly less loading requirements. This in return reduces risk of injury and increase longevity in the sport.

So with that being said, I want to list the accessory movements I find myself currently programming most frequently. I could easily go in depth with each exercise, but to save you time of having to read another essay from me, I am going to try to a bit more simple with the explanations. With that being said, here are the 8 accessory movements I am currently programming the most (listed in order of the videos HERE):

1.) Weighted Dips- Especially when done as pictured using a belt squat machine for the loading, the angle of weighted dips can be adjusted to mimic the bench press position of someone who tends to have a larger arch and elevated rib cage. Which for as a coach tends to be most of my athletes.

2.) Belt Squats- This one has been becoming very popular lately, and for good reason. It’s a great way to get added squat volume without the same fatigue on the back. Barring that someone has access to a Pit Shark, I have found that I actually like the free hanging loading pin belt squat more than most of the other belt squat machines.

3.) Dumbbell Single Leg Assisted RDL- I absolutely love these and for good reason. You can provide a fairly large overload stimulus unilaterally to the hip extensors without nearly as much strain on the lower back as regular RDLs. This “assisted” version also helps to take away the stability demands of regular single leg RDLs.

4.) Back Extensions- When it comes to building the lower back for the deadlift, I have found back extensions to be the best bang for the buck. They do a great job of building the lower back without seeming to create excessive levels of fatigue.

5.) Nordic Curls- This is a very challenging exercise to perform, but when done correctly I find many benefits to it. Sprinters have long been known to use them for reducing hamstring injury risk. Also, I find that the demands on the knee flexors are similar to that of a deadlift, where those knee flexors are fighting against the urge of the knee to want to lockout too soon.

6.) BFR Leg Accessories- Blood Flow Restriction has been shown time and time again within research to display excellent hypertrophy benefits while using significantly less load. BFR is very commonly used for arms, but I think is greatly underutilized for the lower body.

7.) Alternating Dumbbell Pendlay Rows- I really like these due to the added contralateral stabilization demand, as well being a bit easier on the lower back that a regular barbell pendlay row.

8.) Copenhagen Planks- Powerlifters rarely do direct adductor work, yet we also have high frequencies of adductor injuries. I have found that copenhagen planks more than anything seem to do a good job of limiting adductor issues. And for those with adductor injuries, it can be a great rehab exercise.

Why and When You Should Try Squatting Barefoot

One of the more effective corrective variations I have found for the squat is going barefoot. The issue with shoes, especially as the heel gets higher and higher, is that it is hard to find the connection between your foot and the floor. When improper foot displacement occurs, the shoe masks the potential issue due to the larger surface area. So instead of receiving negative feedback from improper rooting and weight distribution of the foot, shoes many times hide the apparent issue. And the fact is, many issues with the squat lead directly back to the foot. Things such as knee valgus, chest fall patterns, anterior vs posterior weight distribution bias, improper knee vs hip flexion rates, and more. I am not saying these issues are always caused by the foot, but with the foot being the only part of your body actually being connected to the floor, it often times is the culprit. It is the first item in the chain of force production, making it many times the first item to address.

Adam is a great example of this (Click here to see videos). He has long suffered from fairly extreme leg shakes, and as can be seen in the 2nd video, he also suffers from a case of the twinkle toes. Adam had an issue with heavily biasing the weight towards his heels, not only on his squat but also his deadlift, which can be seen in the 3rd video. This forced a more posterior dominant squat and deadlift, but when the weight got heavy and his quads needed to be more involved, his legs started to shake back and forth to try to find that happy medium of quad vs. hamstring tension that he was missing. It was almost hard to tell at times though because the shoes masked the issue. When you rock back onto your heels with an elevated heel squat shoe, the surface area and stability of the shoes helps to prevent the negative feedback that this heel bias should produce. But once you take the shoes off, you’ll notice that it is immediately uncomfortable to displace all that weight on your heel. Even just standing without a barbell on your back, rock back barefoot onto your heel and notice how uncomfortable and unstable it is. So for Adam, taking the shoes off and requiring proper rooting and weight distribution of the foot almost immediately changed his squat. Without even adding in any extra cues, he started to more evenly distribute the weight of the barbell over his mid-foot, as naturally that was the most comfortable thing to do.

So should everyone squat barefoot? No, but I do think in certain situations it is one of the more effective variations you can do to improve your foot’s weight distribution. Below are some examples of times I’d recommend giving this variation a try:

1.) If you notice that you tend to either bias towards your heel or your toes, going barefoot to relearn proper rooting and mid-foot weight distribution can be highly beneficial. For those who bias towards their toes, other issues could be at play, specifically ankle mobility. But surprisingly at times, I have athletes who had heavy pronation of the foot and what I thought was apparent ankle mobility restrictions, then squat barefoot and be able to keep their foot perfectly planted. As for those who bias towards the heel, this is my go to exercise to get a lifter to redistribute that weight over their mid-foot. It works almost immediately and with little to no cueing, as biasing towards your heel barefoot is very uncomfortable and that immediate negative feedback corrects your positioning quickly.

2.) When looking at side and and rear views of the squat, one of the main things I look for is what the ankle is doing. If someone is consistently pronating at the ankle at the bottom of the squat, this could be a sign of either ankle mobility or foot rooting issues. Going barefoot can help decided which of these is the case, as if it is ankle mobility it usually will be come even more prominent once someone goes barefoot. If it stays the same or actually improves though, they very well likely have an issue with rooting and weight distribution of the foot, and squatting barefoot may be a great variation for them.

3.) In general when teaching someone how to properly root their foot, have a nice stable arch, and 3 points of contact, doing this barefoot will be a great teaching tool. Once they can master the positioning barefoot, then it’s time to add the shoe and use the same cues and connected feel to keep the foot stable and planted.

4.) Going back to point 1, some people do more of a rocking pattern, where they start by biasing towards the heel then shift towards the toes at the bottom, then back to the heels. This pattern would like up exactly with the notorious hip shoot and chest fall issue, so trying a barefoot squat variation will help to provide better feedback through this back and forth loop the lifter is going through.

5.) If you go back the blog “Why A Hip Circle Won’t Fix Your Knee Cave” I made a week or so back, I talked about the downfalls of excessively driving the knees out. If someone is in a bad habit of this, a barefoot squat can help to force them into a more natural position of the knees tracking between the external vs. internal rotators.

There are other scenarios as well, but these 5 sum of the majority of the circumstances of when I may program a barefoot squat variation. Trying a barefoot squat is very much like going back to the basics. It’s building a foundation of stability and support at the foot, which therefor creates improved stability and support up the chain of the prime movers within the squat. Its also hard to say exactly when a variation like this should be used, but in my experience there is very little drawback to implementing this, especially far out from a meet, as it will inevitably improve your foot support and weight distribution, or at a minimum reinforce the good patterns you already have achieved.

Why A Hip Circle Won’t Fix Your Knee Cave

Whether it be in the squat or deadlift, a very common issue is that of knee valgus. The degree to which the knees may cave can vary, whether it be very slight or extreme. But the one thing I can tell you is that the common fix of throwing on a hip circle and doing endless abduction work is rarely, if ever, the fix. Weak abductors more times than not are not the issue, and a better understanding of how the internal versus external rotators work will show this. Above is @_hmcg, and what we can see specifically in the video on the left is the internal rotation that occurs when she breaks the floor. The typical cues you will see for this is to push the knees out more and maybe add some of that magical hip circle work in as a warmup, but I can tell you it won’t fix the issue. The reason being is that you cannot stop the adductors from doing their job. When someone forces themselves into overly externally rotating, by either going into a stance that is too wide for them or ducking their toes out too far, they are ignoring the fact that the adductors are a primer mover of hip extension within the squat and deadlift. So what you are seeing with Haley in the video on the left is not weak abductors, it is an over reliance on the abductors, and as she pulls and the adductors engage, they pull her slightly into internal rotation causing her knees to slightly cave. The fix was fairly simple and maybe not even noticeable at first, but we brought her stance in maybe a 1/2-1 inch on each side. And as you can see on the right, there is no caving at all. We just needed to put her into a position that allowed her to optimally use her internal and external rotators cohesively, rather than forcing herself into abduction. So my recommendation for those who struggle with knee valgus is rethink what the issue might be. If your current fix is to jam your knees out as far as you can during the squat and deadlift and doing endless hip circle work to no avail, weak abductors are probably not the issue. The issue is not a simple as weak glutes, but rather a list of possible positioning errors that lead to this unwanted movement. I am being careful not to give some specific “fix” for this, as its an issue that is too individual to truly address in a broad spectrum. The aforementioned issue for Haley is just one of many reasons knee cave may be occurring. Stance width, foot position, foot rooting, ankle mobility (this and rooting probably is the #1 cause), knee extensor vs hip extensor tensioning, differences in low bar vs high bar, and lateral shifts are just some of the reasons knee valgus may occur, but weak abductors and glutes is rarely one of them.

Why I Don’t Like The Cue “Sit Back” And What To Use Instead

One of the most used cues in powerlifting through the years has been “sit back”. And while I am sure it has worked for many people, or else it probably wouldn’t still be used, it also tends to develop bad habits when that cue is taken out of context. Yes the hips do need to have some movement backwards, but there should never be movement backwards that doesn’t also coincide with movement down. Above are side by side videos of Abbee (Click this link to view video). On the left we have the typical negative outcome that I see from the cue sit back. The lifter pushes their hips back at the start and the knees breaks late, which then usually leads to some type of anterior pelvic tilt and eventually the lifter shifting forward at the bottom to compensate. The pattern created from “sit back” becomes “back then down”, which is incorrect. Any movement back should be accompanied by movement down, which in my opinion is better achieved through the cue “sit behind your heels”. Cues such as these work because it gives the lifter a frame of reference and target for how their body should move. The “sit behind your heels cue” takes the context of sitting back, but now adds the element of downward movement. This will naturally force a more even break at the hips and the knees, as it is impossible to “sit behind your heels” if the legs stay straight. The same cannot be said about “sit back”. On the right you can see what is achieved when using the “sit behind your heels” cue, as well as the directional movement that these differing cues promote. By now cueing with the proper directional movement in mind, the hopeful out come will be more efficient and consistent squat technique. As with all cues, everyone internalizes them differently and one size doesn’t fit all. But I do believe for those who struggle with the aforementioned issue from the “sit back” cue could very much benefit from implementing “sit behind your heels” instead.

Why/When You Should Be Doing Tempo Squats

In my opinion, probably the most versatile and the variation I utilize most in powerlifting is the tempo squat. Name just about any issue you could have with your squat, and the tempo squat could be used in some manner to help that issue. Above (CLICK HERE) we have both Shane and Nik performing tempo squats. Both have found great benefit from this movement, but for different reasons. I have beginner lifters utilizing this movement all the way to my most advanced, but each application has a slight individual twist on why it is beneficial. I am going to try to give as much detail as possible while still trying to keep this brief, but below are the main answers for why and when to use tempo squats:

1.) To precede all other reasons, the main and overriding benefit of tempo squats is that it slows the movement down. Every reason below links back to this. Slowing any movement down allows a lifter to have more time to process cues as well as feel different positions throughout the full range of motion.

2.) The next main benefit that overrides most of the reasons below is that it is self limiting. I typically program tempo squats in the range of 85-90% of what someone could competition squat, with the vast majority right at 87.5%. This means we can still achieve high relative intensities while lowering the absolute intensity. Lower weight typically means a better overall ability to maintain positions and execute cues.

3.) And the last main benefit that overrides the rest of the below reasons, is that tempo squats really do a great job of improving movement. Even though the tempo may only be done during the eccentric portion of the movement, the quality of the eccentric then directly affects the quality of the concentric.

4.) So in what ways can it improve movement? First off, it helps to a support proper knee to hip flexion during the eccentric, allowing us to feel even tension distribution as we load the squat during the descent.

5.) Second, to achieve this proper tension distribution, we must also have the proper distribution of foot pressure. The slowed down eccentric gives us that extra time to actually notice our foot pressure and make slight adjustments when we are shifting towards the toes or even the heel.

6.) Next, the tempo squat helps us to maintain proper bracing and pelvic position as we descend. When we speed up the eccentric, many times we lose the initial braced position we set at the top of the movement, but with the tempo it allows increased emphasis on maintaining that position through the full descent.

7.) Now that we have a better understanding of the core benefits of tempo squats, as well as how it helps movement, next up is the specific movement issues it addresses. First up is the chest fall pattern. The chest fall pattern is typically due to improper weight distribution  during the eccentric, usually from pushing forward at the bottom and having to shoot the hips up as we accelerate out of the hole. Tempo squats allow us to improve that eccentric loading so that as we reach to bottom we have a better distribution of tension and can resist shifting our weight forward towards the toes. Also, the increased time to process cues allows us to think about maintaining torso position as we transition into the concentric portion of the movement.

8.) The other big movement fault tempo squats help to address is some form of shift within the squat. Shifts can come to light a different ways, but the two main shifts you will see is either a shift as you come up out of the hole or a shift that occurs throughout the entire movement as you bias towards one side. Part of fixing a shift is being able to feel the asymmetries in tension side to side, and tempos squats allow us to feel the changes in loading side to side as we descend. And just like with the chest fall pattern, it also gives time for us to process cues as we transition into the concentric portion.

9.) As mentioned above, I use tempo squats with beginners all the way to my most advanced athletes, but for different reasons. For beginners, tempo squats are utilize to help teach movement. They help to improve the technical proficiency of the lifter and help them find the optimal squat form for their mechanics. For an advanced lifter though, I am usually programming tempo squats as a means to prevent form regression. If you think advanced lifters can’t regress on form, you are gravely mistaken. Just the slightest little change in an advanced lifter’s squat pattern can manifest itself over time into a major change, so tempo squats can be of great benefit to help maintain their movement proficiency.

There is even more I could go over, but the things I did’t cover are typically addressed by the above list. For example, if someone tends to have knee valgus, the improve tension distribution and bracing mechanics are the fix, so these more specific issues get addressed naturally with the above points. I wanted to write this article as I believe sometimes tempo squats get marked as something only a beginning lifter needs to do, but I believe that is far from the truth. The benefits are far reaching, even if it just means using this variation too help self limit the loading.