Routine check: I've split the recommended routine to a P/P/L with a few added excersises

[moonbeams]

As the title says, i've recently split(switched) the sidebar routine (3 days) for a p/p/l variation of it. I've been doing the recommended routine for a year at the point of the switch (not as effective as it might sound, first 1-2 months i basically had no clue what i was doing, lost a total of 3 months (2x1.5) due to a minor shoulder injury (due to doing dips before i was supposed to...), problems with consistency/discipline etc. Along with this there was a lot of "re-figuring out" excersises (eg. i've only started doing the rows properly some 2-3 months back, before that it was some weird bicep pull )Long story short, while i've had some great progress in the past year, i believe it is nowhere near what would be expected from following a routine for 1 year properly. A few months back i started working out while on a caloric deficit, and the 2hrs workouts became harder and harder to complete (at this point i have already added some extra excersises to the routine), so i decided to split it into a p/p/l. My routine at the moment looks like this:

1. (push)
   
   3x40s chest-to-wall handstand
   
   5x4 dips
   
   5x5 push ups*
   
   3x8 wide pushups (feet elevated)
   
   3x8 some form of a chest pushing excersise, that i don't really know the name of, if it exists at all (think raising the body from a prone position with arms extended to the side, while keeping the arms extended at all times (bringing them together in front of the body)

(*got to 3x7 diamond push-ups before re-figuring out the pushup excersise - i've been doing it somewhat wrong)

1. (pull)
   
   3x40s support hold
   
   5x5 assisted pull ups
   
   5x5 inverted rows
   
   5x5 some form of an arm pulling excersise (targeted at biceps) that i don't really know the name of, if it exists at all (think curling yourself towards a vertical position while hanging from ropes in a diagonal)
2. (legs+core)
   
   3(6)x8 bulgarian split squat
   
   3x10s tuck l-sit
   
   5x5 tuck dragon flag
   
   3x8 glute ham raises

Does this look okay for a routine? I've been doing this for ~3 weeks now, and i haven't noticed anything wrong (except being more consistent with my workouts, somehow day to day workouts work better for my discipline i guess), am i missing something, or should i remove something?

Any advice and critique is appreciated.

 

[dawn16]

@moonbeams This looks fine but you don't need to do wide push ups imo. I think you would see better results from doing more diamond push ups and eventually progressing to PPPU. Also, aren't support holds a pushing exercise? It probably isn't a big deal, but eventually those are going to progress to ring dips so they will have to be moved to the pushing day once that time comes.

 

[moonbeams]

@dawn16 Wide pushups are in addition to the regular ones (which would progress to diamond), mainly because my chest is a problem area (went from moobs to saggy moobs with a bit of muscle on top and i'm trying to fill it out as best as possible ). At the moment it's not hindering me in doing the other excercises, so as long as it's not a risk to something, i don't mind keeping them in.

The support hold could be a pushing exercise indeed, i just moved it on the pull day since the push day seemed a bit crowded up (also as an opposite to the handstand). I'm guessing the dips would progress to ring dips, but that feels a long time away and i'd probably switch up the routine by then.

Thanks for the reply

 

[dawn16]

@moonbeams That makes sense. When you get back to doing diamond push ups, you can probably forego the wide push ups, as the diamond push ups will hit your chest and everything else better than wide stance.

 

[moonbeams]

@dawn16 Any ideas if i need too keep up angling the push-ups?

Basically, my idea with adding the wide push-ups was getting a chest exercise at an angle (therefore the feet elevation), and going from there, since i already had normal push-ups, i went with the wide ones.

 

[pittpens74]

@dawn16 what is PPPU?

 

[dawn16]

@pittpens74 Pseudo Planche Push ups

 

[dawn16]

@moonbeams Looks fine. Personally, I'd skip that push exercise you don't know the name of and perhaps add one more leg exercise.

 

[moonbeams]

@dawn16 What leg exercise would you recommend? I'm slightly limited by equipment though (my equipment consists of two chairs, a wall, and a pull up bar with some rope hanging off it )

The push exercise is supposed to be simulating what you'd get from a cable fly exercise, which started as a random thing i tried one day and felt good. I don't find it hindering, so unless it's some injury/imbalance thing i might be setting myself up for, i don't mind finishing my push day with it. However, dips felt really good at first too, then i ended up with a shoulder injury twice

Thanks for the reply

 

[dawn16]

@moonbeams Well, it's just that you have more push than pull exercises and that one is in my opinion not that terrible effective and doesn't add much since you already do wide pushups

For leg exercises, I like either sprints and goblet squats, as they both add a dimension that you won't get with pistols or bulgarian squats. For goblets you can improvise a sandbag.

 

[moonbeams]

@dawn16 A goblet squat is basically a squat while holding weight if i got it right, so it might be doable (the chairs are decently heavy ).
Would an alternative to removing the push exercise be adding another pull? (no idea what to add tbh, just a thought)

 

[dawn16]

@moonbeams Of course, a cheap backpack and a roll of ziplock bags are great for a cheap sandbag though.

You still have two similar exercises. I notice that /@jarmolaaksonen suggested removing the wide pushups instead. Do something different.

Again, it's mostly about personal preference. Since you've been doing this routine for 3 weeks now, are you getting the results you're looking for?

 

[moonbeams]

@dawn16 I'll try to make some form of a proper weight, the idea with the ziplock bags sounds quite nice as it can be adjusted.

My routine seems fine by me, and results, as in being able to do more reps of some of the exercises are there. However, my primary concern with my routine was missing out some important exercise/having an imbalanced push/pull / doing something potentialy dangerous.

All in all, as long as they dont interfere with the regular exercises (dips/pushups/hs), i think i'll keep both the wide pushups and the other chest exercise, and just remove them when they become too taxing, i guess.

Thanks for all the replies

 

[pjimbo]

@moonbeams For beginners full body workouts are much more effective. This routine would make more sense for someone who is more intermediate. 3x per week full body workout is roughly 150 workouts of EACH exercise over the course of one year. Whereas your set up only gives you about 50 of EACH exercise, which is not at all ideal. Just my opinion though! Obviously a good workout is one you enjoy doing and can be maintained over the course of a lifetime!

 

[dawn16]

@pjimbo As I understood the post, he is doing it 6 days a week, otherwise a PPL routine would not make much sense.

 

[hardcorelutheran]

@dawn16 Can i ask why you say PPL is no good for less than 6 days a week? Is it a concern with the frequency of the exercises?
As surely you've got a similar frequency for all exercises to a usual 3 day a week split with weightlifting?
(I'm an intermediate with a few years weightlifting experience, been trying BWF for a couple months now and recently moved onto a PPL 3 day a week split that i'm enjoying)

 

[dawn16]

@hardcorelutheran Yes. Someone over at /r/fitness even quoted a study showing that beginner weight lifters progress better on a frequence of 2-3 times a week. Most of the beginner weight lifter programs (SS etc) does not split it up that much. A lot of people run PPL programs 4 or 5 days a week, but just once a week is not enough imo.

 

[hardcorelutheran]

@dawn16 Hmm ok, but I've found as an intermediate you can't really get a decent workout to any muscle group in an hour with full body, but can't commit to more than 3 times a week lifting :/ i am focusing on large compound exercises though like weighted ring Dips and muscle up training etc so hoping theres some frequency overlap between my sessions

 

[moonbeams]

@pjimbo Forgot to mention it's 6x a week, 2 series of p/p/l each.

 

[pjimbo]

@moonbeams Oh my mistake - sorry! That's twice as good then! haha