II. The Exercises
**A. The Main Exercises
**B. Accessory Exercises
**C. Other Questions
Question - Can I do both cleans and rows in the same program?
Both exercises are very effective, certainly both have their place in the routine of the beginner/novice trainee. If you have someone to coach your technique, or you are confident in your technique, you can employ both of them within the confines of the program.
Note - this is NOT endorsed by Mark Rippetoe. However, this is the exact workout template that Tad_T used, with resounding success.
Workout 1
Squats = 3 x 5
Bench = 3 x 5
Deadlift = 1 x 5
Dips = 3 sets
Pendlay rows = 3 x 5
Abs = 3 sets
Workout 2
Squats = 3 x 5
Overhead press = 3 x 5
Power clean = 3 x 5
Pullups = 3 sets
Abs = 3 sets
This is a slightly more advanced version, and is not for "novice consumption". Tad_T is/was an experienced individual so he was able to incorporate this into his training plan successfully.
Question - Should I arch my back when doing squats, deadlifts, rows and power cleans? Or should I keep my back flat?
Normal spinal curvature of the lumbar spine IS an arch. It's a natural arch, it's the lumbar curvature, and it is arched, rather than "flat". A "flat back", if taken literally, is a back position which requires you to actually attempt to round your spine. "Flat back" is and always has been a misrepresentation of the normal positioning of the lumbar spinal area. When a strength coach says "keep your back flat", he really means "keep your back in its normal, naturally arched position"
So, to make it short and sweet, "normal spinal extension" equals "flat" equals "normal arch".
For further visual description of this, look at Figure 19 on page 119 of Starting Strength. In the 2nd and especially the 4th picture in Figure 19 (counted left to right) you can see the trainee's lumbar spine is in a natural arch. It isn't "flat", per se, like a straight line, but it is "appropriate", and in various circles is referred to as keeping a "flat" back or keeping your back "arched". As long as the back is not EXCESSIVELY arched backward, this is the proper lumbar positioning for deadlifts, squats, rows, cleans, and any other exercise which requires support of the lumbar spine.
Here and
here are lateral views of the lumbar spine. You can see the natural curvature of the lumbar region demonstrates an obvious (though not exaggerated) "arch".
You use your abdominal muscles and your lumbar spinal muscles to maintain this arch. Although advanced and elite-level strength athletes do exercises with a rounded back for a specific purpose, there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER for a beginner to round his back on ANY exercise, aside from abdominal exercises, obviously.
Question - What type of accessory work can I add to the program to help maintain progress?
Initially, you should NOT add ANY form of accessory work to the basic outline of the program with the possible exception of some abdominal work and calf work done after your main work is done. Do your squats, benches, deadlifts, standing presses, and rows/cleans for at least 2 weeks before you even THINK about adding other stuff. After 2 weeks, you will have gone through 3 iterations of the program, and you will have developed the conditioning necessary to fully recover from each of the original workouts. At this time, you can think about adding some accessory work. But understand that most novices will actually do BETTER if they hold off and start the accessory work at the latest possible time.
Accessory work is OPTIONAL and NONESSENTIAL. You do NOT need to do this. However, 99% of you will wade through the first 2 weeks with marginal intensity just chomping at the bit until you can do the beloved arm curls.
The first exercises you should consider adding would be pullups/chinups and/or dips. Just hold your horses, you'll get to the damn arm work soon enough. You can add the dips and chins in a variety of ways, but the predominant marching order for the addition of this (and any other accessory work) is that the accessory work CANNOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES NEGATIVELY AFFECT YOUR PRIMARY TRAINING.
Yes, it's in caps for a reason. Pay attention to it. The best way to short-circuit your progress and cut your nose off to spite your face is to go apeshit at the beginning of the 3rd week and add dips and chinups and pullups and barbell curls and triceps extensions and cable pressdowns and kickbacks and close-grip bench presses and whatever other arm work you find in the latest issue of Flex Magazine.
Add accessory work SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY. Start with no more than 2 sets of dips and/or chins/pullups for 8-12 reps per set. If you wish to add weight so that you can do 2 sets of 5 or 6 repetitions for strength building, then so be it, but tread carefully as additional weight can have a pretty major effect on your overall workload and can drain your capacity for recovery (as well as expose the trainee to potential injury, especially if their technique is shoddy).
Also consider that you will be working your "push" torso muscles heavily with the 5-rep sets of the benches/standing presses, so heavy dips may actually be counter-productive for many. By the same token, the heavy deadlifts and cleans/rows may be all the heavy pulling work that you need, and doing sets of 8+ reps rather than 5 reps for chinup/pullups would be advantageous.
The phrases of the day here are "caution" and "ease into it". Remember, this stuff is add-on, it is not even icing on the cake; it is more like the sprinkles that you put on the icing that you put on the cake.
Probably the "easiest/best" (and seemingly the most common) way to add the dips and chins would be as I directed in the original Rippetoe writeup, as follows:
Workout A -
squats - 3x5
benches - 3x5
deadlifts - 1x5
dips - 2x8
Workout B
squats - 3x5
standing press - 3x5
rows/cleans 3x5/5x3
chins/pullups - 2x8/3x8
The wise will probably do the first run-through with only 1 set of dips and chins/pullups. Gauge your recovery, and if you can get away with it, add a second set of chins/pullups and/or dips. Some may find their triceps and delts simply do not need the additional heavy dips, and 1 set would be sufficient. If you are doing cleans, you may find it feasible to up the chins/pullups by a set (or 2)
Now then, give it a few weeks, and gauge your arm development. Some people will notice immediate increases in the circumference of their arms from the simple addition of dips and chinup/pullups. Others won't. If your arms seem to grow from simply adding dips and chinups, then hold off on the arm work! your arms are getting hit hard, why mess with things if progress is good?
If you don't see/feel some extra arm stimulation after a few run-throughs with the 2 sets of dips and chins/pullups, then add in 2 sets, 8-12 reps of skullcrushers (a.k.a. lying extensions - any angle will do) and 2 sets, 8-12 reps Barbell, EZ-Bar or DB Curls on Fridays. DO NOT ADD THE ARM WORK RIGHT AWAY. If you jump from doing only the 3 exercises per day to adding the dips, chins, curls and extensions all in one fell swoop, you WILL suffer a short-circuit to your program and progress, and you will probably end up hurting your elbows and possibly your wrists. Ease into it.
Wait, I haven't made that clear yet, have I? Give it at least a few weeks. I'm betting you'll learn what I learned long ago...that direct arm work is highly overrated for someone who just walked into a gym for the first time and can actually be counterproductive when the trainee is left to do arm work as he pleases.
For more exacting detail, see section III -
Programming
Question - What exactly is Accessory work? Do I do this everyday?
"Daily" accessory work is a set of potentially useful exercises that might be beneficial to add to the program once you progress in your conditioning and strength development. These accessory exercises are not necessary right off the bat, but can be used to add extra volume to your training if you need additional work. The goal of this program is to make you stronger at the squat, bench, deadlift, press and pull of choice. Accessory work MUST bring you closer to this goal if it is to be effective. Some people will progress SLOWER if they add the accessory work, and EVERYONE will progress slower if they add the accessory work too soon, or they add too much.
You would only do accessory exercises on the days you lift weights, and you would train these exercises AFTER your regular training program of the "Big 3" for that day. Ensure that you don't haphazardly add the accessory work. See Section III for specific recommendations on how to add the accessory work, as well as information contained within this section.