How To Decide Which Accessory Work To Choose For Olympic Weightlifting
Accessory work is every weightlifters favorite portion of the workout to skip, but if you do it right, it could be a game changer for your lifts.
The problem is that most weightlifters are doing accessory work wrong.
We get so precise when it comes to our olympic weightlifting programming but when it comes to accessory work, it’s often just a few exercises picked at random that may or may not actually make you better at your sport.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
In this article I’ll break down how I choose accessory work for weightlifters using my Supplementary vs. Complimentary approach, but if you want to dive deep on accessory work and get my top 30 exercises, then grab my free Accessories101: Guide for Weightlifters here!
Complementary Exercises
Complementary exercises are any exercise that trains a muscle group, movement pattern, or muscle contraction that IS commonly trained through normal Olympic Weightlifting training; Snatch, Clean, Jerk, Squat, Pull, and Press.
My favorite exercises for these are:
Quad Dominant Lunge or Split Squat: Strong quads = strong squat
Leg Extension: Strong quads = strong squat
Weighted Hip Extension: Great for maintaining positions in 1st pull and staying over the bar longer
Katana Tricep Extension/ Tricep Pushdown, Dumbbell Tricep Extension: Great for improving lockout
Dumbbell Strict High Pulls: Great for improving internal rotation ROM which has great carryover to keeping the bar close
Supplementary Exercises
However, supplementary exercises have their place as well. Supplementary exercises are any exercise that trains a muscle group, movement pattern, or muscle contraction NOT trained through normal Olympic Weightlifting training; Snatch, Clean, Jerk, Squat, Pull, and Presses.
My favorite exercises for these are:
Single Arm Carries: Farmers, front rack, and overhead, great for developing the core
Hanging Leg Raises: Brutally challenging and humbling, great for staying upright in HEAVY squats
RDLs and Hamstring Curls: Strong hamstrings are a necessity for keeping hips and knees healthy.
Copenhagen Planks: Isometric holds for these have helped my athletes see drastic improvements if knee valgus was an issue
Tibialis Raise: Can help to improve ankle dorsiflexion for squat depth
Heavy Sandbag Carries: Forces the glutes to contract throughout the entire carry, also added benefit of trunk work, great for staying upright out of a heavy squat
Chest Fly and DB Bench: Helps improve stability overhead, especially if you frequently miss behind. Obviously, this can be fixed by technique too, but it’s nice to have some stability to fall back on
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown and Dumbbell Bent over Row: The first is great for keeping the bar close in the 1st and 2nd pull. Second is great for increasing upper back strength, which can help keep the front rack position stable
Incline Bicep Curl: Particularly great for those with hyperflexible elbows if the ability to lockout too much causes a risk of hyperextension
Both should be performed year-round, however, their priorities will fluctuate in necessity depending on how close to a competition you are, your experience level, and individual needs. I’d recommend choosing 2-4 upper body, 2-4 lower body, and 1-2 abdominal exercises per 4-6 week block, and focus on that before rotating to prevent boredom and identify other weaknesses.
If you want to learn more, then check out my FREE Accessories101: Guide for Weightlifters here! It’s got my framework for choosing the best accessory work for your goals, my top 37 exercises to improve your performance (and get jacked), and demo videos to help make sure you ALWAYS know what you’re doing!