Is A-B required for PPL?

[revbillw]

I just try to move more weight and reps each time. I do 6 days and it's the same lifts each time.

Is it actually essential?

 

[huffnpuff]

@revbillw You mean just repeat the same 3 days? That's fine of course, but you lose some of the variety. I like routines with alternating days because you can focus on different things each time.

 

[revbillw]

@huffnpuff Might sound weird but I enjoy the routine of the same thing. Keeps it simple.

 

[huffnpuff]

@revbillw That's cool, nothing wrong with that. I've run PPL like that in the past.

 

[justadog]

@revbillw Nothing wrong with that

 

[squeakyrn]

@revbillw It’s not required but can offer some benefits. One overlooked benefit of not repeating days so often can be that it’s less wear and tear on joints and connective tissue. A slight change in angle or rep range or whatever means less wear on the joints so it can be good for longevity.

 

[lilmateo]

@revbillw I do the same thing also with ppl, what I do differently though is if there is a machine that’s occupied and I know that they will be taking a long time then I start with the second or third and double back afterwards.

 

[stay_tattd4_lyfe]

@lilmateo Lol I ask them if I can hop in while they rest

 

[gr3mlin]

@revbillw You can get overuse injuries by doing the same exercises repeatedly for a long period. In terms of bodybuilding, it's unlikely that 6 exercises will build a full physique. But seeing that you're a beginner, you can build a good base with 6 exercises for now, depending on what they are.

 

[tp243]

@gr3mlin I'd be more worried about adaptive resistance than injuries

 

[gr3mlin]

@tp243 This is true too. I've definietly hit a wall or a plateau much sooner when I do minimalist workouts.

 

[bobwhite]

@gr3mlin Source?

 

[gr3mlin]

@bobwhite Just personal experience. I've ran some minimalist programs in the past with higher frequency and volume and ended up getting some elbow pain from constantly doing barbell bench press and shoulder pain from pull ups. But when I add more variation to my workout, those pains don't occur. Even with something like skull crushers, if that's the only tricep exercise I'm doing I end up getting elbow discomfort after a few weeks but if I add some pushdowns and/or overhead cable work then skull crushers don't bother me.

 

[bobwhite]

@gr3mlin Typically, injuries are caused from poor technique and load management. I was curious to see if you had a specific study you were referencing.

If we’re just talking anecdotes, I’ve never specifically experienced an overuse injury and I’ve done the same handful of exercises for years.

In a scientific context, overuse injuries refer to injuries from a lack of recovery.

 

[learningasigo]

@bobwhite Can also come from loading the exact same movement over and over

 

[bobwhite]

@learningasigo Source?

 

[learningasigo]

@bobwhite Common sense

 

[bobwhite]

@learningasigo I think you should do some more research. Overuse injuries are not very well understood but one cause is lack of recovery. Not repetition.

I mean think about it. If overuse was from doing the same movement over and over why would people not get more injured doing higher rep sets vs low rep sets. Or what about runners training for marathon running for 10-15 miles multiple times a week. Why do they not consistently get overuse injuries? Sure injuries happen but there isn’t a consensus on what causes it and it’s not consistent across athletes.

Like most injuries, the leading theory is recovery, load management and technique.

 

[sspx_teen]

@bobwhite Avoiding overuse injuries when running is like the key thing people try to solve for when doing high volume training plans.

 

[bobwhite]

@sspx_teen How do they avoid overuse? Switch to cycling?

Edit: I’m curious what insight you could provide as I’m a very experienced long distance competitor. Regularly cycled for hundreds of miles and regularly ran 50-100 miles a week when training for a race.