legatichristi
New member
Hey y'all!
So I frequent this sub, and a common thing that’s posted is something to the extent of “I’m just starting out, is this routine good/what exercises are good?” or "I've been doing some at home/youtube video/workout app routines, are they good?". To which I always say “Get on a routine that a professional made, like the RR in this subs wiki or one of the ones in the r/fitness wiki”. This post is going to break down why you should get on a premade routine (for at least the first 6 months of training), by addressing some of the main places where self-made or “homebrew” routines fall short, as well as doing a survey of the most commonly asked/misunderstood parts of training (progressive overload, etc.).
A bit about me - I’ve been working out consistently (on a real routine) for just shy of two years. Before that, I did a bunch of “100 pushups a day” type “routines” (which are bad) for a while. I’m also fairly well informed on workout literature - I’ve been a frequent poster/reader/commenter here, watch a ton of youtube/instagram content (from good influencers like FitnessFAQ’s, not gymTok), have read some literature, listened to some podcasts, etc. I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about workout theory - more so than the average joe - but even then, I don’t have a degree in exercise science. I have no formal instruction. I’m not a personal trainer. But that’s kinda the point, because if you’re just starting out, neither are you.
That’s really the key here. I still use a routine someone else made - and always have, with minimal adjustments. The reason is that there's SO MUCH that goes into making a good routine, if you aren’t a professional, you’re almost certain to miss something. So let’s talk about what goes into a good routine, and where I see homebrew ones fall flat.
1: Progressive Overload - make it get harder. This is the big one. Think of it like math class. Once you take algebra, you don't take more algebra. You move on to geometry. Then you work harder and move on to pre-calculus, and so on. If you keep doing algebra, even if you’re doing dozens of algebra problems a day, you’re not actually getting smarter math-wise, you’re just getting faster at doing algebra. Muscle building is the same way. If you actually want to get stronger (and you probably do), you need to consistently increase the difficulty of the exercises. This means it has to be HARD. For example, the recommended routine has you doing 3 sets of pushups, each set of only 5-8 reps. You find a pushup variation you can only do 3 sets of 5 reps of, then each session you try to add a rep so that you can do 3 sets of 8. This implements a systematic way of steadily increasing your abilities. This is the #1 reason follow-along routines, fitness “challenges” and the like are bad. They’re great for making you feel like you’ve worked out (and if your goals are simply “move more”, they’re fine), but they don’t actually produce sustainable results long-term. To actually look better, you need a system, and a certain amount of strength.
2: Strength Building - Don’t overcomplicate. Do a small amount of reps of a small amount of exercises. Just about everyone wants to build muscle at least a bit. In fact, almost every fitness goal can be achieved by 1: putting on some muscle and 2: eating correctly for your goal. Let’s look at some common goals:
3x20 Pushups
3x20 Tricep Pushups
3x20 Diamond Pushups
3x20 Wide Pushups
3x10 Decline Pushups
(Same goes for lower days with 80 bajillion squats/squat variations/lunges). Look, different types of pushups, or pullups, or squats, or whatever are effectively the same movement. There’s some nuance, sure, but the actual strength-building element is about the same. Most strength-based programs are going to have you do like sub 30 reps a session, because if you’re working hard, that’s more than enough. The RR has 15-24 a session, across 3 sets. Even super popular 5x5 programs are 25 reps. Doing these kinds of workouts with reps in the hundreds means you’re just going to be doing endurance work, and won’t see any noticeable strength (or size) gains. (For endurance, see point 6).
3: Balance of Exercises - pull on something. The number of routines posted with 80 bajillion pushup/squat variations and no pulling motions are REALLY high. So let’s break it down - your body is split roughly into 4 groups - legs and core for lower body, and the upper body is split into muscles that push things away from you (chest and triceps) and ones that pull things to you (biceps and back), with your shoulders being hit with both movements. Honestly, if you’re doing compound movements, your core is going to get worked with every movement (squats and pushups are compound movements), so you don’t need a lot of that. But what you do need is pulling movements. I all but guarantee you have a place to do them - pullups are daunting/inaccessible to a lot of people, but you probably have a place to do rows. A bedsheet and door (hi Antranik:
) a broomstick and two equal-heighted tables/chairs/whatever, a sturdy table you can grab on the underside of, a swing set, a backpack you can fill with heavy things (like books or water jugs). I promise you you have options. Or just buy gymnastic rings.
4: Resting between sets - You should rest 1-3 minutes between sets. Look. If you’re working hard, you should be gassed. Doing “every minute on the minute” or HITT routines will almost always cause your cardiovascular system to be strained before your muscles are (even though it will feel like the muscles are). This is why routines, like the RR, want you to rest for 1-3 minutes between sets. If you have 30 seconds between a set, you’re probably not recovered enough.
5: Resting between workouts - You shouldn’t hit the same muscle group every day. Working out (microscopically) tears your muscles, then your body fills in the gaps with more muscle. That’s how you get stronger (simplified). You need to rest at least a day between workouts - this is part of why 3x/week is ideal for beginners. The actual getting stronger part of working out happens when you’re resting. Jack up the intensity, lower the amount of time.
6: A note on endurance - you still need to program. If you want to focus on endurance, and not strength or hypertrophy, your programming will look a BIT different. But still, “100 pushups a day” routines don’t work. Why? No progressive overload. Someone made a post saying their army sergeant said “do max sets of pullups all day. That’s how mine went from 15 to 22 in 3 months” and it’s like…. Those are bad results. Follow an actual plan and you’ll be better. I suggest one of these:
There’s a ton to tracking macros, optimal protein intake, weighing food, etc., that I’m not qualified to go into (see the fitness wiki or r/loseit or r/gainit for more). But, simply getting to your weight goal means tracking your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and how much you eat, and your weight.
7b: I'm not qualified to go into protien intake, but eat a lot of it.
8: Results - Yes, I did just say a month. Working out takes TIME. If you’re here in early June wanting to look good for summer, you’re too late. In about 4 sessions you’ll get a bit better at the exercises. In about a month you’ll see changes in the mirror. In about two months your close friends will. In 3, you’ll start to look like you work out. I like to add that it takes 4 before you start to like to work out. I remember a blog post where the guy’s workout buddy said “don’t expect results in the first year of training”, and that stuck with me. The goal isn’t to look good for summer, the goal is to be healthy for your life.
8b: Paralysis by analysis is real. Just about any good routine (compound movements, progressive overload) is going to give you roughly the same results in the first 6 months of training. So do the Primer, jump into the RR, or pick the first one off the r/fitness wiki that you think works for you, and stick with it! At the start, focus way more on being consistent, getting the form down, and not routine-hopping than wondering if you're doing something "optimal".
Look, overall this is a bunch of information - and I may have gotten some of it wrong. Let me know if I did, or if you want clarification. I really made this post because so many people have essentially the same question, and I wanted to be able to link this post/copy & paste parts of it, rather than re-typing. If you want further reading, some of my favorite fitness articles (to link and just to know) are these:
FuckAroundItis:
https://leangains.com/fuckarounditis/
Rest Days and Deload Weeks:
https://antranik.org/the-importance-of-rest-days-and-deload-weeks/
Where to do rows:
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and best of luck to y'all!
TL;DR: Get on a progressive overload focused routine that a professional made and focuses on compound movements, for at least the first 6 months.
So I frequent this sub, and a common thing that’s posted is something to the extent of “I’m just starting out, is this routine good/what exercises are good?” or "I've been doing some at home/youtube video/workout app routines, are they good?". To which I always say “Get on a routine that a professional made, like the RR in this subs wiki or one of the ones in the r/fitness wiki”. This post is going to break down why you should get on a premade routine (for at least the first 6 months of training), by addressing some of the main places where self-made or “homebrew” routines fall short, as well as doing a survey of the most commonly asked/misunderstood parts of training (progressive overload, etc.).
A bit about me - I’ve been working out consistently (on a real routine) for just shy of two years. Before that, I did a bunch of “100 pushups a day” type “routines” (which are bad) for a while. I’m also fairly well informed on workout literature - I’ve been a frequent poster/reader/commenter here, watch a ton of youtube/instagram content (from good influencers like FitnessFAQ’s, not gymTok), have read some literature, listened to some podcasts, etc. I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about workout theory - more so than the average joe - but even then, I don’t have a degree in exercise science. I have no formal instruction. I’m not a personal trainer. But that’s kinda the point, because if you’re just starting out, neither are you.
That’s really the key here. I still use a routine someone else made - and always have, with minimal adjustments. The reason is that there's SO MUCH that goes into making a good routine, if you aren’t a professional, you’re almost certain to miss something. So let’s talk about what goes into a good routine, and where I see homebrew ones fall flat.
1: Progressive Overload - make it get harder. This is the big one. Think of it like math class. Once you take algebra, you don't take more algebra. You move on to geometry. Then you work harder and move on to pre-calculus, and so on. If you keep doing algebra, even if you’re doing dozens of algebra problems a day, you’re not actually getting smarter math-wise, you’re just getting faster at doing algebra. Muscle building is the same way. If you actually want to get stronger (and you probably do), you need to consistently increase the difficulty of the exercises. This means it has to be HARD. For example, the recommended routine has you doing 3 sets of pushups, each set of only 5-8 reps. You find a pushup variation you can only do 3 sets of 5 reps of, then each session you try to add a rep so that you can do 3 sets of 8. This implements a systematic way of steadily increasing your abilities. This is the #1 reason follow-along routines, fitness “challenges” and the like are bad. They’re great for making you feel like you’ve worked out (and if your goals are simply “move more”, they’re fine), but they don’t actually produce sustainable results long-term. To actually look better, you need a system, and a certain amount of strength.
2: Strength Building - Don’t overcomplicate. Do a small amount of reps of a small amount of exercises. Just about everyone wants to build muscle at least a bit. In fact, almost every fitness goal can be achieved by 1: putting on some muscle and 2: eating correctly for your goal. Let’s look at some common goals:
- Bulking? Build muscle, eat more than you burn.
- Cutting? Do strength training, eat less than you burn.
- Toning? That’s just fancy talk for having developed muscles with low enough body fat to see them.
- Looking good in a swimsuit? Build muscle, lose fat (either by cutting or recomposition).
- Men - “Tyler Durden/Ottermode/Bruce Lee look” is just strength training and keeping a lower weight/body fat %. Bruce Lee did barbell lifts. Practice your one punch a thousand times in supplement of a strength routine, not instead of one.
- Women - strength training won't get you "too bulky". That's a myth. What you define as "too bulky" is the result of years of specialized training and dieting (and exceptionally hard work) to get that specific look. What you define as "looking fit and attractive" is done by strength training.
3x20 Pushups
3x20 Tricep Pushups
3x20 Diamond Pushups
3x20 Wide Pushups
3x10 Decline Pushups
(Same goes for lower days with 80 bajillion squats/squat variations/lunges). Look, different types of pushups, or pullups, or squats, or whatever are effectively the same movement. There’s some nuance, sure, but the actual strength-building element is about the same. Most strength-based programs are going to have you do like sub 30 reps a session, because if you’re working hard, that’s more than enough. The RR has 15-24 a session, across 3 sets. Even super popular 5x5 programs are 25 reps. Doing these kinds of workouts with reps in the hundreds means you’re just going to be doing endurance work, and won’t see any noticeable strength (or size) gains. (For endurance, see point 6).
3: Balance of Exercises - pull on something. The number of routines posted with 80 bajillion pushup/squat variations and no pulling motions are REALLY high. So let’s break it down - your body is split roughly into 4 groups - legs and core for lower body, and the upper body is split into muscles that push things away from you (chest and triceps) and ones that pull things to you (biceps and back), with your shoulders being hit with both movements. Honestly, if you’re doing compound movements, your core is going to get worked with every movement (squats and pushups are compound movements), so you don’t need a lot of that. But what you do need is pulling movements. I all but guarantee you have a place to do them - pullups are daunting/inaccessible to a lot of people, but you probably have a place to do rows. A bedsheet and door (hi Antranik:
4: Resting between sets - You should rest 1-3 minutes between sets. Look. If you’re working hard, you should be gassed. Doing “every minute on the minute” or HITT routines will almost always cause your cardiovascular system to be strained before your muscles are (even though it will feel like the muscles are). This is why routines, like the RR, want you to rest for 1-3 minutes between sets. If you have 30 seconds between a set, you’re probably not recovered enough.
5: Resting between workouts - You shouldn’t hit the same muscle group every day. Working out (microscopically) tears your muscles, then your body fills in the gaps with more muscle. That’s how you get stronger (simplified). You need to rest at least a day between workouts - this is part of why 3x/week is ideal for beginners. The actual getting stronger part of working out happens when you’re resting. Jack up the intensity, lower the amount of time.
6: A note on endurance - you still need to program. If you want to focus on endurance, and not strength or hypertrophy, your programming will look a BIT different. But still, “100 pushups a day” routines don’t work. Why? No progressive overload. Someone made a post saying their army sergeant said “do max sets of pullups all day. That’s how mine went from 15 to 22 in 3 months” and it’s like…. Those are bad results. Follow an actual plan and you’ll be better. I suggest one of these:
- Russian Fighter Pullup Program: https://www.strongfirst.com/the-fighter-pullup-program-revisited/
- Fitness FAQ’s 20 pull ups/50 push ups programs: and
- Greasing the Groove: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq#wiki_how_do_i_.22grease_the_groove.22.3F (good rule of thumb is 666 - 60% max reps, at least 6x/day, 6 times/week.)
There’s a ton to tracking macros, optimal protein intake, weighing food, etc., that I’m not qualified to go into (see the fitness wiki or r/loseit or r/gainit for more). But, simply getting to your weight goal means tracking your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and how much you eat, and your weight.
7b: I'm not qualified to go into protien intake, but eat a lot of it.
8: Results - Yes, I did just say a month. Working out takes TIME. If you’re here in early June wanting to look good for summer, you’re too late. In about 4 sessions you’ll get a bit better at the exercises. In about a month you’ll see changes in the mirror. In about two months your close friends will. In 3, you’ll start to look like you work out. I like to add that it takes 4 before you start to like to work out. I remember a blog post where the guy’s workout buddy said “don’t expect results in the first year of training”, and that stuck with me. The goal isn’t to look good for summer, the goal is to be healthy for your life.
8b: Paralysis by analysis is real. Just about any good routine (compound movements, progressive overload) is going to give you roughly the same results in the first 6 months of training. So do the Primer, jump into the RR, or pick the first one off the r/fitness wiki that you think works for you, and stick with it! At the start, focus way more on being consistent, getting the form down, and not routine-hopping than wondering if you're doing something "optimal".
Look, overall this is a bunch of information - and I may have gotten some of it wrong. Let me know if I did, or if you want clarification. I really made this post because so many people have essentially the same question, and I wanted to be able to link this post/copy & paste parts of it, rather than re-typing. If you want further reading, some of my favorite fitness articles (to link and just to know) are these:
FuckAroundItis:
https://leangains.com/fuckarounditis/
Rest Days and Deload Weeks:
https://antranik.org/the-importance-of-rest-days-and-deload-weeks/
Where to do rows:
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and best of luck to y'all!
TL;DR: Get on a progressive overload focused routine that a professional made and focuses on compound movements, for at least the first 6 months.