Common knowledge in the Powerlifting community is that having larger muscles can help make a stronger lifter - it just makes sense. While there are tons of possible explanations for this, various researchers have conducted studies on this topic and each of them suggests the exact same thing I mentioned about the benefits of having thicker muscles. The more muscle fibers you have (or the larger they are) the more muscle fibers you have to recruit. How do they go about doing this you may ask? Assistance exercises, assistance exercises, and more assistance exercises. Of course, assistance movements can also be used for other things such as improved explosiveness, technique, etc but, in this article, we'll focus on using them for hypertrophy of particular muscle groups. Also understand that while it’s been said that having a bigger muscle can potentially lead to strength gains, it also helps prevent injury.
*On the topic of preventing injuries, go check out this article if you want some preventative measures to avoid powerlifting injuries.
Listed below we’ll discuss each of the Big 3 movements (squat, deadlift, bench press), the muscle groups they target and a few assistance exercises that will help with each. While looking at the movements below it’s important to consider the role that efficiency plays in muscle growth. When you’re looking at the exercises below it’s important to pick those that will save you the most time while also helping you build muscle (pick compound movements over isolation movements because they are much more efficient). Remember, the focus of the majority of the movements on this guide is hypertrophy. Add in a couple of sets of 3-4 of these movements into your routine with and 8-12 reps range for the best results.
What muscles do the bench press target?
Who doesn’t want a bigger bench press? The main lift that you’ll see the majority of men powerlifters focus on is the b
What exercises help with the bench press?
Exercises that are going to help you in the bench press are those that are going to target the muscle groups you’ll be using during the movement. In other words, you want to perform exercises that are going to hit the triceps, s
Exercises that will help the bench press are:
- Seated Shoulder Press (shoulder and triceps)
- Dumbbell Bench Press (chest, triceps, shoulders)
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (Upper pecs, shoulder, triceps)
- Lying Tricep Extensions (triceps)
- Tricep Extensions (triceps)
- Weighted Dips (triceps, shoulders, core, chest)
- Cable or Dumbbell Fly’s (pecs)
- Tricep Kickback (triceps)
- Skull Crushers (triceps)
- Incline Fly’s (upper pecs)
- Shrugs (DB, Barbell, Trap bar)(upper back)
- Lateral Raises (front deltoid)
And many more.
What muscles do the deadlift target?
The deadlift is one of those movements that many lifters tend to consider to be the end-all-be-all of powerlifting. Aside from the bench press, the deadlift is a movement that many lifters would only do if they didn’t have to work any other muscle group (here’s a hint, the squat is probably the only lift that wouldn’t get this response). Since the deadlift is such a powerbuilder (a completely effective compound movement) it also makes use of quite a few muscle groups. Many lifters are taught to think that it’s solely a back movement but (and this changes with the form of deadlift you’re doing) it’s so much more. Since there are so many muscle groups being targeted when you’re deadlifting I’ll just put it on here in list format.
Muscle groups targeted:
- Gluteus Maximus (butt)
- Quadriceps(rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis) (quads)
- Biceps Femoris (hamstring)
- Trapezius (traps)
- Rectus Abdominis (abs)
- External Oblique (oblique)
- Levator Scapulae (scapula)
- Splenius Capitis (Muscle on the back of the head that helps turn the head)
- Flexor Digitorum (forearm)
What exercises help with the deadlift?
As mentioned, the muscle groups that we use to perform the deadlift are what you want to target during your assistance work. Since the deadlift is so grip dependent you want to incorporate movements that will help you improve your grip strength and so on and so forth for the other muscle groups.
Exercises that will help the deadlift are:
- Barbell curls (grip strength)
- Dumbbell curls (grip strength)
- Hamstring curl (hamstring)
- Leg extensions (quads)
- Romanian deadlift (hamstring)
- Shrugs (dumbbell, barbell)(traps)
- Chinups (back strength)
- Farmers walks(grip strength)
- Bent Over rows (back strength)
- Kettlebell swings (posterior chain)
- Barbell hip thrusts( explosiveness, hip flexors)
- Lat pulldowns (lats)
- One arm rows (lats)
- Close grip lat pulldowns(lats)
- Good morning (lower back)
And again, there are many more lifts that you can do to improve your deadlift strength.
*Speaking of deadlifts, if you are trying to figure out how many times a week you should deadlift, check out this article.
What muscles do the squat target?
We all hate leg day but, we must admit that it’s the one day that we can probably use the most work in. Everyone skips leg day (not me lol) which why the squat is the one movement that you need to focus on the most. The number of muscle groups used in the squat is actually quite surprising. It requires stability in the core, from the calves, and strength in a number of other muscle groups.
Listed below are the muscle groups that you’ll need to focus on if your aim is to improve your strength in the squat:
- Quadriceps
- Glutes
- Adductors
- Calves
- Hamstrings
- Hip Flexors
- Abs
What exercises help with the squat:
- Glute ham raises (glutes, hamstrings)
- Good morning(lower back)
- Hip thrust (hip flexors)
- Leg press (quads, hamstrings, glutes)
- Leg extension (quads)
- Split squats (muscular symmetry, hamstrings, glutes, quads)
- Pause squats (All squat muscles, gives you control over the weight)
- Goblet squats (Same muscle groups as the squat,
core - focused )
*On a side note, if you are trying to figure out how many times a week you should squat, check out this article.
Conclusion
Now you know what you need to do if you want to have both strong and swollen muscles. Adding assistance exercises into your routine can be the difference between that 380 lb pr and your hitting a 405 lb pr. While it hasn’t been scientifically proven that muscle growth makes lifters stronger it is something that has been discussed for years by physicians, pro powerlifters, bodybuilders alike. And, while we’re on the topic remember that it falls in line with the principle of Progressive Overload which states that muscles adapt to meet the demands of their environment. While the rep ranges that we tend to work in for powerlifting may not be optimal for this growth, adding assistance exercises (and working in the hypertrophy rep range) will help you get the results you’re looking for. *that is, as long as those results are improved muscle size and strength gains.
Resources:
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a25252586/muscle-hypertrophy/
https://www.liftlearngrow.com/blog-page/14-simple-effective-tips-improve-deadlift
https://www.livestrong.com/article/514368-seven-exercises-to-improve-your-squat/
https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/leg-exercises/8-ways-improve-your-squat
https://www.elitefts.com/education/a-powerlifters-guide-to-wimpy-exercises/