How much assistance do I really need

[vdizenzo]

OK, so my shoulders were fried today. I did my DE bench 300 for 9x3 and then did close grip pin presses with 455 for 2x5 and 1x10. I didn't even want to train. Even less than that did I want to finish with stupid plate raises. I mean come on, aren't my shoulders strong enough with all the stinking pressing I do. Am I being lazy? Is that work necessary when getting down to competition training? Should I push through or be instinctual when I feel spent? Curious to hear some houghts.

[ScottYard]

If your spent. Why bother. No point in walking through the motions. I also feel that if you force yourself to do things it will loose its appeal and you will burn out. I have always liked the idea of doing the minimal amount of work with the most gain. If I can get by with two sets and get a PR, Im not going to do 3 just because some other guy did.

[chris mason]

There is a fine line between intensity and volume. There is being able to tolerate training and actually benefitting from it. Finally, special exercises/assistance work should be primarily to address relative weaknesses within the confines of the first two sentences. If your shoulders are not a relative weakness then there is no need to provide them additional training at this time.

[Justin Randal]

If by fried you mean fatigued, I typically work through it. Some days it would seem my desire isn't there but i push through any way to keep from forming bad habits. On the other hand if I feel pains or soreness from a previous workout I typically give it another day and ice 3-4 times before the next day. I don't see the point in training a muscle that has yet to recover from a previous workout.