5 NEW ASSISTANCE MOVEMENTS TO KICKSTART GAINS AND REIGNITE ENTHUSIASM

5 NEW ASSISTANCE MOVEMENTS TO KICKSTART GAINS AND REIGNITE ENTHUSIASM

By Shane Robert

Training to make lasting progress takes dedication, high effort and planning. Even the people who seem to be winging it every time they step foot inthe gym have some kind of plan; at least the ones who actually get strong. It’s very easy to go in with no plan or progression and not make progress. Heck, that’s most average gym goers. Despite the importance of planning, it can become a little tedious, a little boring, to do the same things over and over, and over, again. In most cases, this is necessary for the main movement(s) that you are aiming to improve. Where we have a little more wiggle room is with assistance work.

Assistance work is the work that we do in an attempt to raise our abilities on the main movements. Doing the main movement does this as well, of course, but the assistance work allows us to train the muscles used in the main movement to get bigger and stronger with a different stimulus, which means less wear and tear from repetitive loading patterns, and shore up any weaknesses that might be holding the main movement back. Assistance movements also have the benefit of keeping things interesting by allowing for a variety of different exercises and sets/reps.

Just like the main movements, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut with the assistance movements that you choose. An assistance movement is really only useful if it actually addresses your needs as an individual lifter and you are making progress on them. If those movements are what you need in your training, and you aren’t bored or stalled out on them, then by all means keep doing them. If, on the other hand, you are bored or progress has stalled, it is likely time to consider changing movements.

Below are 5 “new” movements to help reignite fun in the gym and, possibly, help blow through some plateaus. Assistance movements should be movements that work a lot of muscles, much the same way that main movements do. Save the targeted single joint movements supplemental work.

1. Clean Grip Snatch

The clean grip snatch is a dynamic lift, one part snatch and one part clean, that offers both explosive power and full-body coordination. Being such a big movement, it works the whole body, from the calves all the way up to the traps. Essentially, you’ll be working your whole body, but you’ll really notice that your whole back is working like crazy to complete this movement, which is the main benefit to be had from doing it.

To perform the clean grip snatch, grab a barbell with the same shoulder(ish) width grip you clean with. Set your back flat and set up like a deadlift then, in one smooth motion, rip the bar off the floor and pull it as high as you can, all the way over your head, like you are trying to throw it behind you. Try to keep any elbow movement, aka pressing out, to a minimum.

If you are an Olympic Weightlifter, then it’s important to keep the bar close, similar to an actual snatch, and catch the bar in a squat position, just like an actual snatch. If you are NOT a weightlifter, then most of that doesn’t matter, and you can just grip it and rip it. Which is pretty dang fun.

Anywhere from 1-6 reps per set is acceptable with this movement, so long as you don’t lose explosiveness and turn it into a clean and press. It’s possible that you can do it for higher reps. However, while there may be some hypertrophy benefit from doing that, the loading will be such that the strength benefits will be minimal.

2. Double Dumbbell Clean

The double dumbbell clean is a highly unrated movement. It is, in effect, similar to a barbell clean, but there is a much larger brute strength element to the dumbbell version, which makes it perfect for getting big and strong. The main benefit of dumbbell cleans is to the traps/upper back, but your hips, biceps, and forearms get quite a lot of work as well. Because it's unilateral loading (one dumbbell per hand), you also activate smaller stabilizers in the shoulders and core much more than a barbell clean. This makes it a solid athletic variation, especially for people who want to avoid the barbell or need more freedom in shoulder/arm position.

Old-time strongman and trainer Sig Klein had a challenge for anyone who considered themselves strong—perform 12 continuous double dumbbell clean and presses in one set with 75 pounds per hand. This adds the element of a press, but simply doing 12 continuous cleans with 75 pounds per hand is no small feat. Lest you think ol’ Klein was some wacko, Olympic champion Doug Hepburn shared his sentiment:

“Take any lifter who is capable of cleaning 250 pounds on a revolving barbell. Ask him to clean an identical poundage in the shape of two 125-pound dumbbells. And just watch him fail dismally. But take a man who can clean these two ‘bells and I’ll bet he’ll make a 300 pound clean with little or no trouble, if he’s an Olympic specialist.”

The execution is simple: Stand astride and slightly in front of two dumbbells laying on the ground. Grab the bells and, with a flat back, stand up and pull them to your shoulders in a swing-meets-a-curl type of motion. Return to the floor and repeat.

3. Single Arm Barbell Press

The single arm barbell press is one of the best pressing variations that can be done. It is a lift that blends raw strength, shoulder health, and core stability all in one badass move. Pressing a barbell with just one arm requires immense control and balance, working all the usual pressing muscles (delts, triceps, traps, etc.) as well as insane core activation. There is little that this movement can’t do.

Forces your core, especially obliques and rectus abdominis, to resist rotation and lateral flexion. Reveals and addresses left vs. right shoulder/triceps/core strength gaps, which builds symmetry and joint integrity. Forces you to control the press path and bar wobble, improving shoulder mechanics. The very long and unstable bar means there is a greater demand on the forearm muscles and more motor unit recruitment, which leads to better strength gains in that muscle group. After just a few sets, you will feel your lats working in a way that you never have before, and the next day, your serratus muscles will be very mad at you.

To perform this movement, grab the bar in the middle, or slightly off-center in some cases, and let the bar rest across your upper back, similar to a high bar squat. You read that correctly. The setup for this movement looks like a behind-the-neck press but is another beast entirely. Press the bar straight up and resist the urge to twist or bend at any part of your torso.

As with most other movements, the reps can vary a lot. Whatever your goal, start light. Seriously. This exercise is deceptively hard.

4. Klokov Raise

A Klokov raise is a brutal but super effective shoulder and upper back exercise named after Russian Olympic weightlifter Dmitry Klokov. It targets shoulder stability, scapular strength, and mobility, which is especially useful for Olympic lifters, CrossFitters, or any athletes needing bulletproof overhead positions. For everyone else, it is a great movement to build mobility and full, round shoulders while improving posture.

Doing this movement looks simple, but is, in fact, very challenging. Drop into a deep squat, which might already be a big ask for some people’s mobility, and grab a barbell in a wide snatch grip. Keep your arms straight and lift the barbell from the ground all the way overhead, finishing in the same position as a snatch. Pause briefly at the top, then lower back under some kind of control, though there won’t be a ton unless you somewhat stand to counterbalance.

The reps here can run from 15+ to singles, depending on your mobility and need. For perspective, Klokov, a 200+ kilo snatcher, did this with around 80kg for a few reps. Perhaps just the bar is a good starting point for mere mortals.

5. Dumbbell High Pull

The dumbbell high pull is probably the least technical of all the movements on this list, but it is also one of the best rear delt and trap movements in the gym. Depending on load and execution, it can also be useful for training the hamstrings, quads, and lower back.

Grab a heavy dumbbell and stand up holding it in front of you. Dip slightly forward and then yank the bell up as high as you can, leading with your elbow. The bell will travel up and slightly and out to the side. Lower and repeat. If you are using lighter weights, the movement can be strict to the arm/shoulder. If you go heavier, which I am generally a fan of, you can put a lot of body English into it and get assistance from your legs and hips. Much like a Kroc row, throwing on some straps and not being afraid to get a bit sloppy with it will allow you to rack up some ultra high reps with heavy weight which, I don’t have to tell you, is kind of the key to getting jacked.

The process of training success is long and repetitive. Although we often have to put our nose to the grindstone and just persevere, sometimes what we need is to change things up to spark new progress or have a little fun. Whether you fall into one or both of these categories, there are a lot of options outside of the traditional assistance movements that you can choose from. The above list are some lesser known exercises to try if, or when, you find yourself in this situation.