Today’s discussion is in large part the comparison of compound lifts and accessory lifts. Each has a vital role within the workout it is largely up to the lifter where they place them within. Depending on your goals and objectives will you perform more of one style than the other.
Compound Lifts
To begin we will discuss compound lifts. Lifts of this sort require the activation of multiple muscle groups to perform a certain action. This is a major benefit of this type because the more muscle groups activated the more overall work you are doing and benefitting from (if done correctly). Exercises such as the squat, deadlift, and bench press are considered to be compound lifts as they each recruit muscles from multiple groups. For example, the deadlift activates muscles from the hamstrings, back, and a little bit of biceps activation. One downfall of these lifts is if not done with proper form it is very easy to injure yourself. I recommend taking a video and comparing it to someone with near-perfect form.
Accessory Lifts
Next, we will be discussing accessory lifts. These are the lifts primarily used to get compound lifts stronger, or what bodybuilders utilize to achieve near-perfect muscular symmetry. Ultimately they can do both if utilized correctly and performed with proper form. By working the smaller muscle groups involved with your compound lifts, it should make them stronger if those lift numbers are also increasing. It can help achieve muscular symmetry through certain isolated accessory lifts (single leg extensions, isolated dumbbell curls, single-arm tricep pushdowns, etc.). It does this because you can truly get a feel for what you are contracting and pay attention if both sides contract the same. If one is out of whack, see what you can do to fix it, the same if one side feels stronger or more coordinated than the other through the movement. The downside of doing just accessory movements is that if you don’t have compound lifts thrown in with them you won’t have a true judge for your strength, and if it is hard for you to gain weight you won’t make the gains you ultimately want to make.
What’s Next?
As you can tell both seem to be a very important part of your training program. As they are, each has it’s own unique importance to the overall program. With the blogs in the coming weeks, I will be discussing the musculature of each of these muscle groups and the best way to activate them within your workout. Following that, I want to assist you in building your own program for whatever goals you may desire. I chose to do it this way because with a base understanding of each muscle group and the functions they produce, it will be easier to develop a program for those interested and making some physical gains or losses even.
Thanks for reading, if there is anything you believe could be fixed or changed leave a comment. If you liked any certain part or learned something new feel free to also leave a comment
Science of Fitness 