The theory behind arm assistance work?

[f4thpathway]

not a whole lot of people catching a fat pump are like "OMG WHY THIS SUCKS MAN I HATE THIS" unless youre like mac.

That. Refrain from MOBiness

[Patrick Stroup]

[Les Hahn]

One way I have found that works for channeling the power of bro is supersets. I can do 4 little assistance exercises really fast doing them like that. But like a true bro, I try to keep my leg exercises to a minimum! :-)

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Stroup, that was fucking awesome!!!!

[Squeakyguy]

That guy could probably use some forehead presses and nostril extensions as assistance work.

[Les Hahn]

Stroup, that was fucking awesome!!!!

Hell yeah, that was awesome!

[simonsky]

What is the theory behind arm assistance work?

Big arms attract the bitches in swarms.

[gzt]

arma virumque cano.

[Mark Jamsek]

The problem is not about increasing work capacity and recovery and adapting to stresses. It's about fundamental anatomical limitations on our shoulders imposed by evolution. The squat is a completely natural, fundamental movement, so Oly lifters pretty much can front squat heavy weights day in, day out with no dramas. Try doing that for bench and you will need lots of new shoulders. Unless you're lucky and have good genetics that have blessed you with an invincible shoulder.

I know a few people personally that bench virtually every day-none are genetically gifted. Ben Rice is one particularly successful lifter who benches most every day. I think Mike Tuchscherer benches 4 times/week. The former conceding he was not blessed with great genetics, and the latter suggesting himself that lots of hard work during his adolescence attributed more to his success than genetics. So I think the genetic pitch is unsubstantiated. Imbalances due to mechanical influences such as chronic poor posture or particular sports might predispose someone who does a lot of benching (or OH pressing) and no horizontal (or vertical) pulling to bicipital or supraspinatus tendonosis/subacromial impingement, among other pathologies. But this isn't simply due to benching 4 times a week, which a lot of lifters do without needing "lots of new shoulders", despite not having "good genetics" and an "invincible shoulder". I have suffered some shoulder injuries myself, yet through <10 minutes/day of some band pull-a-parts, shoulder disclocates, scap pullups, full scope of blackburn stretches, and alternating super-sets of wide grip/supine grip/neutral grip pulldowns with the same sequenced super-set cable-rows every training day (which takes 2 mins), my shoulders remain healthy despite benching 4 times each week.

I think such prehab work will contribute to facilitating continued progression on the comp. lifts through primary and secondary main and assist work than any direct arm work will ever do. I'm in a volume block now, so I'll add some hammer curls and tricep pushdowns at the end of every training day and see just how much they make my lifts go up. Lol. The thought is laughable. My PT prescribes me very light resistance, high rep hammer and wrist curls for my elbow tendinopathy, which is part of the process in getting me back to being able to LBBS, but rehab is another story.

[Patrick Stroup]

ugh

some of you dudes exist on such polarized views.