Splitting a 3 day routine over 6 days ?

icrushit
icrushit Posts: 773 Member
edited November 8 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All,

I'm currently doing a full body strength-biassed routine 3 days a week. I'm happy with everything, and no wish to change to change much at all. I would however like to split what I'm currently doing over 6 days, in others word effectively splitting each current days work into two, but the total weekly volume would be identical, just spread over 6 days as opposed to over 3.

I am interested in your feedback whether this is a good move or not I suppose from a recovery point of view, as I'm effectively leaving myself with only one full rest day each week even if I am only doing half the workload on each training day.

I would prefer to be doing something most days, rather than just something 3 days a week, thus my question and this thread :smile:

Any thoughts ?

Other sidenotes: I do a bodyweight/ calisthenics full-body routine 3 times a week, thus no weight, just progressively more difficult compound bodyweight movements, ie squats/ pushups/ pullups/ etc. I train at home, and aside from the above little bit of calisthenics, I would do a moderate amount of low intensity cardio (2- 4 miles walking every day).

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    iloseityes wrote: »
    I'm currently doing a full body strength-biassed routine 3 days a week. I'm happy with everything, and no wish to change to change much at all.
    Oh great! Why are we here though?
    I would however like to split what I'm currently doing over 6 days, in others word effectively splitting each current days work into two, but the total weekly volume would be identical, just spread over 6 days as opposed to over 3.

    .... but... but you JUST told me you have NO WISH to change anything. Now I'm all sad, and confused, and crying into my jar of peanut butter while I'm smearing lipstick on my ears.

    It's body weight, you can do HFT with that, so hell, you could do doubles 6 days a week and be fine. However, if you're following a program, follow the program.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    edited November 2014
    dbmata wrote: »

    .... but... but you JUST told me you have NO WISH to change anything. Now I'm all sad, and confused, and crying into my jar of peanut butter while I'm smearing lipstick on my ears.

    It's body weight, you can do HFT with that, so hell, you could do doubles 6 days a week and be fine. However, if you're following a program, follow the program.

    Yes, but there is being happy, and being *happier*, plus never said no wish to change anything, just no wish to change *much* :wink: :smile:

    What's HFT by the way ?

    Not following a real programme as such, but what I do doesn't vary much from the typical full-body routine done 3 times a week. Basically (and because its bodyweight, not weights), I do a warmup, then squats, pushups, pullups and core each session, and repeat that 3 times a week. I'm not new to resistance training, but its been a long time (15+ years) since I did anything structured, and equally (thankfully?) have retained a moderate amount of muscle mass and strength since then and the fitful spells of weighted resistance training between then and now :smile:

  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    What exactly does the routine as written for 3-days look like (exercises, sets, reps, rest, load%)?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    HFT is high frequency training.

    bodyweight isn't really going to fry your CNS, or your muscles much, so you can hit them at a pretty high frequency.

    Personally, I use bodyweight to cool down from a workout, or "rest" between lifting sets. For example, bench sessions where I'll bench, then get down and do 50 pushups, then get back on to the bench. Or a squat session where I'll squat, then do a set of 100 bodyweight squats before getting under the bar again.

    You can do a ridiculous amount of volume with bodyweight, and you'll get tired, but you can get back out and do it day after day after day. So why not just do your 3 day work 2x a week. That way, you double down on the extra happy. You get increased time working out, AND total volume.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    edited November 2014
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    What exactly does the routine as written for 3-days look like (exercises, sets, reps, rest, load%)?

    Presently, its a warmup to get the blood flowing (some running on the spot & stretching namely). After that, as things stand now, its 6 sits of 6 reps of the hardest bodyweight squat progression I can do, then the same of the pullup progression, pushup progression, and finally core, and I call it a day. About 2 mins rest between sets.

    Overall bias is towards strength, and am happy as long as I am progressing through the respective variations for each movement, as my focus is on cutting fat at the moment, so not trying to aim for hypertrophy or to build mass, but rather instead happy to retain lean mass through doing something (and building strength via nervous system conditioning at the same time) and ensuring adequate protein in my daily dietary intake.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    edited November 2014
    dbmata wrote: »
    HFT is high frequency training.

    bodyweight isn't really going to fry your CNS, or your muscles much, so you can hit them at a pretty high frequency.

    Food for thought, and will bear it in mind. My main aim right now would be see if I can do something most days without recovery consequences, and if I can, will look to add more volume or more likely additional movements like handstands/ flags/ etc.

    Don't want to change too many variables all at once though, so will perhaps look to split what I'm doing right now over the 6 days, and then look to add volume or movements after that, all going well.

    That's quite a lot of pushups and squats by the way, back in my weight training days that would definitely have affected my weighted movements, lol.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    iloseityes wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    What exactly does the routine as written for 3-days look like (exercises, sets, reps, rest, load%)?

    Presently, its a warmup to get the blood flowing (some running on the spot & stretching namely). After that, as things stand now, its 6 sits of 6 reps of the hardest bodyweight squat progression I can do, then the same of the pullup progression, pushup progression, and finally core, and I call it a day. About 2 mins rest between sets.

    Overall bias is towards strength, and am happy as long as I am progressing through the respective variations for each movement, as my focus is on cutting fat at the moment, so not trying to aim for hypertrophy or to build mass, but rather instead happy to retain lean mass through doing something (and building strength via nervous system conditioning at the same time) and ensuring adequate protein in my daily dietary intake.

    I know isn't exactly what you're looking for but I think it's the simplest answer if you have the means to do it; but have you ever heard of or thought about "BootCamp" classes? It's pretty much all body-weight activity and you can do it multiple days a week. Dare I say that "programming" is better than what you're doing now? That's hard for me to say but I think BC is a good option for you based on what you like and your goals. Food for thought...
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I wouldn't split things up just for the sake of doing something every day. Just add to your off days with yoga, hiking, sprints, jump rope or whatever you like. Another option is making one day static holds.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    HFT is high frequency training.

    Personally, I use bodyweight to cool down from a workout, or "rest" between lifting sets. For example, bench sessions where I'll bench, then get down and do 50 pushups, then get back on to the bench. Or a squat session where I'll squat, then do a set of 100 bodyweight squats before getting under the bar again.

    What is the point of that?
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    What is the point of that?

    Hypertrophy, I imagine :smile:

  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    I wouldn't split things up just for the sake of doing something every day. Just add to your off days with yoga, hiking, sprints, jump rope or whatever you like. Another option is making one day static holds.

    Yes, know what you mean. Options are a little more limited with the winter weather, but yoga would be perfect, and had not given it much thought.

    I hadn't thought of static holds actually, will bear that in mind. In fact a little yoga, some balance work, and some static holds would be some good additions actually.. :smile:
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

    I know isn't exactly what you're looking for but I think it's the simplest answer if you have the means to do it; but have you ever heard of or thought about "BootCamp" classes? It's pretty much all body-weight activity and you can do it multiple days a week. Dare I say that "programming" is better than what you're doing now? That's hard for me to say but I think BC is a good option for you based on what you like and your goals. Food for thought...

    No experience of BC, but as you say food for thought :smile: From my perception of it in the past, BC is mainly high rep bodyweight exercises focussed on endurance, with perhaps a good dose of interval training ?

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    iloseityes wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    What is the point of that?

    Hypertrophy, I imagine :smile:

    Increase strength + stamina for some activities I participate in. Also to promote stronger mental focus and the ability to deal with pain.

    The idea is to kill myself with high weight high rep work in order to increase my capacity to work at a high level over longer periods.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    iloseityes wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

    I know isn't exactly what you're looking for but I think it's the simplest answer if you have the means to do it; but have you ever heard of or thought about "BootCamp" classes? It's pretty much all body-weight activity and you can do it multiple days a week. Dare I say that "programming" is better than what you're doing now? That's hard for me to say but I think BC is a good option for you based on what you like and your goals. Food for thought...

    No experience of BC, but as you say food for thought :smile: From my perception of it in the past, BC is mainly high rep bodyweight exercises focussed on endurance, with perhaps a good dose of interval training ?

    Yeah, basically. If you're really looking to exercise with just bodyweight movements, a good BC gym isn't a bad option. I tried it with my wife for a month and I was hard-pressed to finish some of the WOD's and I'm not exactly out-of-shape. LOL
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    edited November 2014
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

    Yeah, basically. If you're really looking to exercise with just bodyweight movements, a good BC gym isn't a bad option. I tried it with my wife for a month and I was hard-pressed to finish some of the WOD's and I'm not exactly out-of-shape. LOL

    Yeah, that's what I figured. Not for me right now, as its pretty much the antithesis of what I like about bodyweight exercising/ calisthenics - namely no gym, can work out when I wish, no instructor or anyone else for that matter, and the ability to take it in any direction I wish, and at my pace, lol.

    I do need a few more things I can do at home on my own just as easily, and think I shall look to fill in the gaps with some other things like a little yoga/ pilates, and some balancing/ flexibility work, as well as some of the aforementioned static holds. Can't wait until the weather is not so inhospitable outside anymore :smiley:

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