Why your homebrew routine is (probably) bad

[daveisonthisforum]

@njronjon 10/4. Appreciate it. Yeah, I've stuck close to RR and the FAQ, but my dyslexic brain trips me up. And I truly didnt expect to need so much time in between sets for rest, so I think I sort of chalked it up to my misunderstanding.

Let me ask you this...there are reps, sets (number of reps grouped together)...so what would one call a series of sets that occur together? Maybe that will help me keep it clear.

 

[njronjon]

@daveisonthisforum I've been looking for that term myself, but didn't find it yet.

 

[vinhhali]

@legatichristi I thought by reading Overcoming Gravity it'd be easy to make my own routine. I've realized after reading, it's much better to copy a professional routine and follow it closely but making as few changes as possible, based on my goals and training level. Because the more things you change (adding exercises/volume, replacing them) the higher chances of sabotaging yourself. (Don't get me wrong it's still worth trying, but a ton of work go into building these routines)

 

[deborah123]

@vinhhali

I thought by reading Overcoming Gravity it'd be easy to make my own routine. I've realized after reading, it's much better to copy a professional routine and follow it closely but making as few changes as possible, based on my goals and training level.

Hah, sorta agree.

Learning is a lifelong process. I'm still learning about how to program better routines for all different populations myself.

I somewhat agree on copying a routine as long as it's similar to most popular routines. They tend to work best for the most amount of people. There is some variation in that some people can handle more or less, but they tend to be good for most.

That's why I helped make the RR and put a bunch of routines into Overcoming Gravity so people can look at some and have an idea of what it would be like to modify to their own goals if necessary.

Also, I do routine critiques on /r/overcominggravity if you wanted to build your own and get some feedback

 

[sandy67]

@legatichristi What a great post. The amount of conversations it generated is awesome.

My 2 cents

I’ve been using the RR for about 1.5 years now and it is in my opinion where every single newbie should start. As you get more knowledgeable you can tweak it.

For example right now I follow a heavy/light RR routine where I use bodyweight, weighted calisthenics, barbells, sleds, etc to train. It’s kinda complex now but it all started with just the basic RR.

Some great reading I recommend is Overcoming Gravity 2 by Steven Lowe. A MUST read for any calisthenic athlete in my opinion. Also I highly recommend following Micha Shultz on instagram or his blog if you want to master the weighted calisthenics.

Thanks for the post we need more of this on the sub.

 

[legatichristi]

@sandy67 Thank you for the kind words! And Micha Shultz recommendation - just followed him. I'm glad this post started the amount of discussion it did - this should be a spot for learning and talking with other passionate people, and I think this post did that.

I agree with start with the RR - I did the RR and tweaked it for a while, then did another routine, but then came right back to the RR. It's a great routine template and allows for beginners to learn how to do a pullup and intermediates to progress towards advanced moves. Really life changing honestly.

 

[trutheverlasting]

@legatichristi https://24839qgff81yax0eob-ah7bwdx.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=1234

 

[david321e]

@legatichristi Having just completed my first week of the RR… thanks.

 

[legatichristi]

@david321e Keep at it! Literally changed my life!

 

[whiteguy14]

@legatichristi I have a question about the first point.
Do you always need to overload?
Like to build strength yes I understand that but for maintaining you strength?
Like I don't need to be the strongest isn't there a level where I just can say oh that's how strong i wanna be i stay here?