8 Brutal Accessory Movements You’re Not Doing — But Should Be in 2025

Most lifters say they want to build a better base.

But when it comes time to do the hard, awkward, unsexy lifts that actually build that base? They skip them.

Instead of training like strength athletes, they train like influencers. Cuffed cable flyes, quarter squats, another 3x10 of dumbbell bench with zero intent. It looks good on Instagram. But it doesn’t win competitions. It doesn’t fix weaknesses. It doesn’t build anything real.

If you want to press more, pull harder, and survive an actual strongman prep block without your joints falling apart, it’s time to bring these 8 movements back into the mix.

These are tools that fix the gaps. Bridges between your main lifts and the events or outputs you’re chasing. They’ve been around forever, but they’re getting lost in the algorithm. Let’s change that.

Everyone says they want to build a better base. But most lifters don’t know what that actually means — and even fewer are willing to do what it takes.

Most lifters today train like they're curating content, not building capability. You’ll see endless sets of cable flyes, half-rep machines, and banded fluff with zero effort or intent — because it looks good on a reel. But none of that will hold up under a max-effort axle press, a yoke run, or a heavy deadlift for reps. That kind of training doesn’t fix weaknesses. It just hides them.

The truth? The greats — Westside lifters, old-school strongmen, serious competitors — lived on movements like these. They didn’t always call them accessories, and they didn’t need fancy names or branded systems. But these kinds of lifts were everywhere: in their circuits, in their GPP, in their off-season blocks, and in the stuff no one saw outside of the gym.

So why have they been forgotten?

Because they’re hard. They’re weird. They’re unflattering on camera. And they don’t have a thousand YouTube views explaining why they “activate the glutes 40% more efficiently.” But that’s exactly why they work.

These 8 forgotten accessory movements aren’t magic tricks. They’re gap-fillers. They sit between your big lifts and your performance goals — especially if you compete in strongman, powerlifting, or any hybrid of the two. They reinforce posture. They expose imbalances. They build the grit, position, and control that most lifters lack when things get heavy or awkward.

Who are they for?

• The strongman competitor who keeps losing position under the log.

• The powerlifter whose deadlift speed falls apart off the floor.

• The lifter chasing a bench PR but missing at lockout every time.

• The athlete coming back from injury and needing to rebuild without rushing.

• And every coach who wants smarter tools to build better systems.

If you train alone, these are the coaching cues you’re missing. If you coach others, these are the movement slots you need to start programming again. And if you want to build a base that actually supports peak strength — these are the eight you’ve been ignoring for too long.

Let’s bring them back.

While you’re here you might as well check out my latest free Olympic Weightlifting for Strength Athletes program.

The Exercises (Accessory Movements)

1. Seated Good Mornings

Good mornings are already one of the most misunderstood movements in strength training. Now take out the leg drive. Take out the momentum. And what you’re left with is a pure hinge under load.

Why it matters:

• Develops lower back and hip strength without spinal compression from squats

• Great for lifters rehabbing from back or hip injuries

• Forces tight bracing and posture maintenance

Where to use it: As a self limiting variation on Max effort lower variations, supplemental hinge work, post-injury reintroduction.

2. Bradford Press (you can also throw Dicks' Press in here)

This one isn’t about big weights. It’s about controlled brutality through the shoulders and upper back. You’re pressing just short of lockout, front to back, with zero rest. A perfect blend of time under tension and scapular movement.

Why it matters:

• Improves shoulder stability and mobility simultaneously

• Strengthens the transition zone in pressing

• Builds serious shoulder endurance for overhead events

Where to use it: Dynamic upper assistance, warm-ups, high-rep finishers.

3. Dimel Deadlifts

Coined by Matt Dimel at Westside, these look like a Romanian deadlift at first glance—but they’re not. Dimels are fast, high-tension hip hinges done explosively with lighter weight. Think violent lockouts.

Why it matters:

• Trains glute and hamstring snap at the top of the pull

• Reinforces tightness and bar control

• Great for building speed off the floor

Where to use it: DE lower days, barbell circuits, event-day warm-ups.

4. Zercher Step-Ups (Even better with added instability)

Zercher anything is brutal. Now load your core, challenge your legs, and throw in unilateral coordination. You’ve got a step-up variation that actually translates to strongman and sport.

Why it matters:

• Builds upper back, legs, and midline together

• Teaches event-specific strength under awkward front loads

• Ideal for sandbag and stone carryover

Where to use it: GPP circuits, event prep, unilateral strength days.

5. Rolling Dumbbell Extensions

You want bigger triceps? This is the one. Rolling extensions load the long head, allow a deeper stretch than standard skullcrushers, and protect the elbows at the same time.

Why it matters:

• Increases lockout strength for bench and overhead press

• Builds pressing endurance without joint pain

• Easy to progressively overload

Where to use it: Pressing accessories, circuit finishers, hypertrophy phases.

6. Banded Hamstring Curls with ISO Holds

Strong hamstrings aren’t just for pulling PRs. They’re what keep you from tearing something mid-comp. This variation teaches hamstring tension under load and under time. As opposed to the usual seated versions I prefer we are going to do this one lying/prone.

Why it matters:

• Builds muscular endurance and contraction awareness

• Mimics injury-prone positions seen in strongman and powerlifting

• Easy to set up anywhere

Where to use it: Extra workouts, warm-ups, rehab-focused weeks.

7. Hanging Kettlebell Press (Flat Bench or Overhead)

Stabilisation meets chaos. Hanging kettlebell work forces your shoulders, pecs, and trunk to fight for every inch of control. It’s humbling. It’s effective.

Also the definitive guide on how to set these up is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ_6FK-3624

Why it matters:

• Builds stabiliser strength through the entire pressing chain

• Forces strict movement and tension

• Helps identify imbalances fast

Where to use it: Bench warm-ups, shoulder prehab, assistance blocks.

8. Seated Sandbag or Med Ball Extensions (Postural Extension Patterns)

This isn’t a triceps exercise — it’s an aggressive, dynamic movement for thoracic and lumbar extension. Sit on a bench or box, hug a med ball or sandbag, and drive up into a tall, braced posture. As you get stronger, stand up from the seated position — replicating the demands of stone loads, sandbag tosses, and awkward front-loaded events.

Why it matters:

• Trains explosive postural extension through the upper and lower back

• Reinforces bracing and position in strongman carryover movements

• Builds isometric trunk strength and dynamic hip drive under awkward loads

• Can be progressed into full-body movement (seated → standing)

Where to use it: GPP work, strongman event prep, off-season circuit training, posture-specific accessory slots.

Where These Fit in Your Program

These movements aren’t just fun additions — they’re plug-and-play upgrades. Here’s how to think about integrating them:

Max Effort Days:

• Seated Good Mornings can be a primary or secondary movement after a heavy squat or deadlift variation.

• Seated Sandbag Extensions or Rolling DB Extensions can follow max effort bench/log as heavy supplemental work.

Dynamic Effort Days:

• Dimel Deadlifts are ideal on ME &  DE Lower days for speed and posterior chain work after main movements

• Bradford Press and Hanging KB Press can slot into ME and DE Upper days to maintain shoulder health while adding intent to lighter pressing.

GPP / Conditioning / Extra Workouts:

• Banded Hamstring Curls with ISO holds are great on off days, or tacked onto the end of lower body sessions.

• Zercher Step-Ups offer event-specific leg and core work that can replace basic sleds or carries during off-season prep.

Hypertrophy Blocks / Off-Season Work:

• All of these shine when you're focused on volume, movement variety, and rebuilding joint integrity. Use them in supersets, circuits, or as focused assistance blocks.

Post-Injury or Prehab Weeks:

• Hanging KB Press, Seated GMs, and Banded Curls can all be regressed or modified to support rehab goals without losing intent.

Ultimately, you don’t need to run all eight every week. Pick 2–3 based on your current goals, weak points, and block focus. Rotate them in for 2-4 week stints. Track the output. Adjust based on feedback.

Your accessories shouldn’t be filler. They should be firepower.

If you’re stuck, plateaued, or bored with the same pushdowns and back raises, bring these back into rotation. One or two at a time. Rotate them with intent. Train them hard. Track your effort. They’ll pay you back.

Because no one PRs off a YouTube warm-up alone.

And if you want to see exactly how these fit into real programming frameworks? Check the ebooks. Check the coaching. Or just watch how strong your base gets when you train like you mean it.

Let’s build something worth flexing.

— JH

Massive thanks to the lifters, coaches, and creators whose videos were included in this article. Your willingness to share real, no-nonsense training footage makes the strength community stronger — and helps lifters apply these movements with confidence and clarity.

Special thanks to Clint Darden, whose content has inspired me as both a lifter and a coach for over a decade. I first came across his work more than 10 years ago, and his blend of honesty, intensity, and integrity has stayed with me ever since. If you’ve never watched his videos — fix that.