Accessory Work

Everyone needs accessory work. Why? Because we ain’t built perfect for everything! Well, maybe some people. While we might be suited for a large amount of skills or activities, there are just as many that we are not suited for, especially in CrossFit’s pandora box of exercises. You may have heard from somewhere or have been suggested by one of our coaches to get extra accessory work in. What does accessory mean? Traditionally, accessory work is a popular term in strength training with the concept of training either smaller muscle groups, the core, or separate muscles, in order to improve upon the bigger lifts. An example of this but not limited to is a single leg squats, bulgarian squats, or lunges to improve upon back squats or cleans. This concept, however, doesn’t just relate to barbell work, it can also relate to gymnastics. For example, inverted ring rows or bar rows to improve upon ring or bar muscle ups. Another example of accessory that everyone overlooks is the “boring” core strength accessory like planks, bridges, back extensions, for improving upon all things! And, if you’re a crossfitter that values conditioning, accessory conditioning exercises can be doing things like repeated sprints to improve longer runs or rows, sled pushes, or any aspect of conditioning that needs to be improved upon in your game. While it is almost impossible to account for each person’s accessories following one gym’s program on a week-by-week basis, when they do show up in class or in warm-up, take advantage. They may seem simple and or boring, but they may be that push to get over the hump on certain movements AND can be what helps prevents you from injury. Some popular examples I’ve seen are people who lift heavy weight but lack core and single leg stability during squats. Or people with janky kipping are those who cannot do a simple hollow holds, planks, etc. If you have been stuck in a rut on certain skills or movements, you might just need a little accessory work. Ask the coaches and we will be happy to give you some insight on what you need to be successful.