So, last year I checked one red flag too many. Turns out, “use it or lose it” will catch up to you as the years roll on. So I picked a path (much love to /r/bodyweightfitness/ Recommended Routine) and started climbing the mountain.
This is not (just) a progress check, nor is it meant to replace any body of knowledge already out there. This is just things I learned, in my filthy casual workout progression, that either surprised me, or proved crucial.
DISCLAIMER PRIMO: I am a filthy casual. I have no targets other than progression. I do not track my diet in any way (though I did notice some things). I will completely abort an exercise if I have any concern for an injury. I will not hesitate to scale back a day’s sets for cause. And I’m still progressing.
Set Your Target, Keep Your Focus: I got into this to get stronger, full stop. I like my shape more, and I’ve lost 10lb, but that’s bonus. I have to remind myself sometimes that’s my focus, because who wouldn’t want that to be even better? But if I changed my target, I’d have to change my plan, and I’m not done with this one yet. It’s frustrating sometimes, but it’s also been paying off, so I’m sticking with it.
Commit to the Life Choice: I put off working out for a long time, because I didn’t want to half-ass it and fall off three months in. When I finally decided, I made the decision for life. Maybe I’ll plateau and be on maintenance forever. Maybe I’ll just keep climbing until I’m Super Stronk. Doesn’t matter, I’ll figure it out as I go. But setting my mind that this is a permanent change made a big difference in the early days.
...And Let Go of Guilt: The bright side of making a life choice is there are no deadlines, period. Still sore from last workout? Do one set, or two. Got shitty sleep and feel godawful? Shoot for two. Run out of gas partway through? Don’t sweat it, fam, you’ll get it next time. If something’s chronic, then take the time to address it. Otherwise, it isn’t a race.
No Skip Days: BIG FAT DISCLAIMER: If you’re resting an injury, or you’re taking a rest because you’re legit sick, you’ve made a responsible choice. THERE IS NO SETBACK LIKE AN INJURY. Once you’re on track, doing one set isn’t a big deal. It may be the last thing you want to do, or just sound godawful. But here’s the trick - you’ve made the commitment. Any time I skipped out because I had a case of the Mondays, I was frustrated afterwards, because I could have done more, because I’d shorted myself. Anything is better than nothing, and maintaining the pattern is critical.
Keep a Journal: Jeezy creezy, this was key. When I’m ¾ through my workout, I’m not gonna be able to suss out what my sets should be. And when I feel like I’ve plateaued, I can look back at the many months and see whether or not that’s true (usually not). But I’d never be able to prove it if I didn’t keep a journal. I keep a Google Sheet, but whatever works.
Progression Doesn’t Have To Be A Struggle: Here’s my Filthy Casual method: If I’m thinking about adding a rep, I do it on the last set of my last workout of the week. If I can do that with good form, that (one!) rep gets added to next week’s schedule. Sometimes, when I’m copying my sets forward to the next week, I’ll say “yeah, I could do one more” and mark it up. That’s all. No “TWO MORE SECONDS!!!”, no primal yell, crying, etc etc. One hour after working out, zero pain, barely any soreness.
I’m Eating Better and Sleeping Better: I had a few run-ins with insomnia before I picked up working out. No more! I eat a lot less sweets than I used to, because my body doesn’t crave them - it craves protein, fats, salt. As long as I take a second to think about what sounds delicious (instead of 100% autopilot eating), I’ve been making better choices with nearly zero willpower expended. Legit.
Lots of Tiny Problems Are Gone: I need to set a timer now, ‘cause my back doesn’t remind me when I’ve been at my desk too long. Flop on the couch and watch some Netflix, it’s not painful from bad posture because my back is stronger. Spend 10min on my hands and knees with the vacuum, getting all those PITA corners? Ain’t no thing. I couldn’t believe how many tiny aches and pains I used to just accept that are gone now. I ain’t going back.
Embrace the Suck: Even with my Filthy Casual method, the first three months took willpower. I don’t especially enjoy working out, so carving space for it out of my life wasn’t easy. Making myself do it, without falling into the unhealthy reward cycle, was tough. I had to remind myself that I’d made my commitment, to myself, for myself. And I hated it sometimes. But it got easier. And while I still don’t especially enjoy working out, I love the results. There’s many paths up the mountain, but you gotta climb.
Status & Progression (tl;dr the goods):
Pull-ups: 5-5-5 Scapular Pulls to 8s x 5 Arch Hangs
Squats: 7-7-7 Assisted to 7-7-7 Beginner Shrimp
Push-ups: 5-5-5 Full to 8-8-7 Diamond
Rows: 3-3-3 Horizontal to 7-7-6 Horizontal
Hinges: 8-8-8 Romanian deadlift to 10-10-10 One-Leg Deadlift
Dips: 15s x 3 Support Hold to 8-8-7 Full Dips (assisted, my legs rest instead of hang)
Core: 25s (old RR) to 6-6-6 kneeling ab wheels, 20s x 3 Copenhagen planks, 11-11-10 reverses (split legs, bent legs)
Always open to thoughts, questions, critiques. Much love to the hard-working mods and content creators here - your work is much appreciated!
edit: linked the RR properly, like a housebroken internet dweller.
This is not (just) a progress check, nor is it meant to replace any body of knowledge already out there. This is just things I learned, in my filthy casual workout progression, that either surprised me, or proved crucial.
DISCLAIMER PRIMO: I am a filthy casual. I have no targets other than progression. I do not track my diet in any way (though I did notice some things). I will completely abort an exercise if I have any concern for an injury. I will not hesitate to scale back a day’s sets for cause. And I’m still progressing.
Set Your Target, Keep Your Focus: I got into this to get stronger, full stop. I like my shape more, and I’ve lost 10lb, but that’s bonus. I have to remind myself sometimes that’s my focus, because who wouldn’t want that to be even better? But if I changed my target, I’d have to change my plan, and I’m not done with this one yet. It’s frustrating sometimes, but it’s also been paying off, so I’m sticking with it.
Commit to the Life Choice: I put off working out for a long time, because I didn’t want to half-ass it and fall off three months in. When I finally decided, I made the decision for life. Maybe I’ll plateau and be on maintenance forever. Maybe I’ll just keep climbing until I’m Super Stronk. Doesn’t matter, I’ll figure it out as I go. But setting my mind that this is a permanent change made a big difference in the early days.
...And Let Go of Guilt: The bright side of making a life choice is there are no deadlines, period. Still sore from last workout? Do one set, or two. Got shitty sleep and feel godawful? Shoot for two. Run out of gas partway through? Don’t sweat it, fam, you’ll get it next time. If something’s chronic, then take the time to address it. Otherwise, it isn’t a race.
No Skip Days: BIG FAT DISCLAIMER: If you’re resting an injury, or you’re taking a rest because you’re legit sick, you’ve made a responsible choice. THERE IS NO SETBACK LIKE AN INJURY. Once you’re on track, doing one set isn’t a big deal. It may be the last thing you want to do, or just sound godawful. But here’s the trick - you’ve made the commitment. Any time I skipped out because I had a case of the Mondays, I was frustrated afterwards, because I could have done more, because I’d shorted myself. Anything is better than nothing, and maintaining the pattern is critical.
Keep a Journal: Jeezy creezy, this was key. When I’m ¾ through my workout, I’m not gonna be able to suss out what my sets should be. And when I feel like I’ve plateaued, I can look back at the many months and see whether or not that’s true (usually not). But I’d never be able to prove it if I didn’t keep a journal. I keep a Google Sheet, but whatever works.
Progression Doesn’t Have To Be A Struggle: Here’s my Filthy Casual method: If I’m thinking about adding a rep, I do it on the last set of my last workout of the week. If I can do that with good form, that (one!) rep gets added to next week’s schedule. Sometimes, when I’m copying my sets forward to the next week, I’ll say “yeah, I could do one more” and mark it up. That’s all. No “TWO MORE SECONDS!!!”, no primal yell, crying, etc etc. One hour after working out, zero pain, barely any soreness.
I’m Eating Better and Sleeping Better: I had a few run-ins with insomnia before I picked up working out. No more! I eat a lot less sweets than I used to, because my body doesn’t crave them - it craves protein, fats, salt. As long as I take a second to think about what sounds delicious (instead of 100% autopilot eating), I’ve been making better choices with nearly zero willpower expended. Legit.
Lots of Tiny Problems Are Gone: I need to set a timer now, ‘cause my back doesn’t remind me when I’ve been at my desk too long. Flop on the couch and watch some Netflix, it’s not painful from bad posture because my back is stronger. Spend 10min on my hands and knees with the vacuum, getting all those PITA corners? Ain’t no thing. I couldn’t believe how many tiny aches and pains I used to just accept that are gone now. I ain’t going back.
Embrace the Suck: Even with my Filthy Casual method, the first three months took willpower. I don’t especially enjoy working out, so carving space for it out of my life wasn’t easy. Making myself do it, without falling into the unhealthy reward cycle, was tough. I had to remind myself that I’d made my commitment, to myself, for myself. And I hated it sometimes. But it got easier. And while I still don’t especially enjoy working out, I love the results. There’s many paths up the mountain, but you gotta climb.
Status & Progression (tl;dr the goods):
Pull-ups: 5-5-5 Scapular Pulls to 8s x 5 Arch Hangs
Squats: 7-7-7 Assisted to 7-7-7 Beginner Shrimp
Push-ups: 5-5-5 Full to 8-8-7 Diamond
Rows: 3-3-3 Horizontal to 7-7-6 Horizontal
Hinges: 8-8-8 Romanian deadlift to 10-10-10 One-Leg Deadlift
Dips: 15s x 3 Support Hold to 8-8-7 Full Dips (assisted, my legs rest instead of hang)
Core: 25s (old RR) to 6-6-6 kneeling ab wheels, 20s x 3 Copenhagen planks, 11-11-10 reverses (split legs, bent legs)
Always open to thoughts, questions, critiques. Much love to the hard-working mods and content creators here - your work is much appreciated!
edit: linked the RR properly, like a housebroken internet dweller.
