Is the LTE with an EZ curl bar wortwhile adding when already I am doing chin-ups?

[Jan Sverre Haugjord]

Hi there,
Finally got the blue book. Great reading! There are so much valuable knowledge there with precise, detailed and logical explanations and advice that it is hard to grasp the fact (and swallow) that I haven't been able to "land" here until escaping the bulk of my potential (at 58 now).. sigh. Anyhow, my question: the lying triceps extension working the long head of the triceps (also) is understood, but is there a point in adding this (assistance exercise) in addition to the chin-up, which I didn't really realize/understand until it was explained here works a lot more muscle than what I thought (which was primarily lats and biceps), also including the long head of the triceps? I am doing the recommended LB squats (thank you for all the good info on how, why etc. They have now become more or less "knee-pain free" and feels "in balance".. the "hole" ie. lowest position no longer being a place to fear, but strangely feels more "strong" or solid), deads (alternating with power cleans), BP (alt. w/presses), chins (alt. w/pull-ups).

PS! A 2nd question (which probably could be a thread?): As Rip mentions in the last podcast, as you get older, you need more recovery time. Being well past my prime so to speak, hence I take a full 2 days off inbetween heavy sessions. Question then becomes, is it better to back off and do a lighter day inbetween, thereby possibly kicking in more sessions ie. dose? (sorry if this is written in the book.. all chapters not covered yet (waiting for the 2nd delivery with the other books as well)

PS! Followed the advice here and can proudly state that I managed my first ever 3x10reps session of chins a couple of days ago, having "specialized" as suggested. Thanks! (Took an hour inbetween "sets" though.. haha. Waiting 5 even 10 minutes doesn't allow me enough time to recover fully)

Keep up the good work!

Kind rgds
Jan

[Hayden-William Courtland]

When starting out with a NLP, chins are generally enough to dive progress (they might not even be needed at all - thus why power cleans are recommended). At some point upper body will need more stress to drive progress and adding LTEs becomes a solid option. If you are only training 3x per week this might pose some time constraints, but they can be worked in. It is easy to work them in if you move to a 4 day split. At your age, top priority should be reading The Barbell Prescription. It gives you lots of options for managing stress and, yes, having a light day is one such option.

[Steve R]

You should eat your vegetables before you have dessert.

The novice linear progression is your vegetables and your meat and potatoes too. LTEs and barbell curls and lots of other things are dessert. You don't need them yet and they can spoil your important work.

You should reach a point in your linear progression where doing all of the four or five basic movements is all you can possibly recover from. You shouldn't have any recovery capacity left over for accessory movements. Later, in a future intermediate program you can have fun with all sorts of accessories as long as you don't get obsessed with any of them and they don't replace the big lifts.

LTEs are fun. They feel great and they make your arms bigger right away. They can also lead to elbow tendinitis if you do them too heavy or too often, as is also the case with chinups. Think of them as something to look forward to after your novice linear progression and something that you shouldn't get too obsessed with when you do get there.

[Jan Sverre Haugjord]

Thnks guys! Understood.. clear and logical.
PS! Have "always" been weak in chins/pull-ups so there is a personal satisfaction part here also