Timing of assistance exercises

[mlentzner]

I know you are not a big fan of assistance exercises, Rip, but I think you would agree that they can be useful when used intelligently and at the right level.

My question is about how to combine them with the major lifts. Let's say we have a lifter on a split program. My instinct is to do the upper body assistance when then major lift is a lower body exercise. For example, I would program chins on the day I was doing squats since there is little overlap on those exercises and they wouldn't interfere with each.

On the other hand, I have been checking out Wendler's 5/3/1 program and he does the major lift and all the assistance exercises associated with it during the same session.

Do you have an opinion on which approach is better? Or maybe, *when* each approach is appropriate.

Thanks,

Matt

[Mark Rippetoe]

Wendler is obviously right. It is in my books as well. If you do benches Mon, lats Tues, and arms Wed, you have worked triceps 3 days in a row. Not the best recovery plan. Train them, let them recover, and then train them again.