I ran Reddit's recommended bodyweight routine after running Jeff Nippards PowerPhase 2. I did this program for about 6 months
Here's my thoughts on it, the pros, the cons, and everything inbetween
Pros - Easy to remember
Probably the biggest highlight of this routine is I didn't have to think very hard about it. Every workout consists of a total of 18 total sets, and they each target a different part of the body
- Rows
- Pullups
- Legs
- Glutes
- Chest
- Shoulders
I usually waited on average 1.5 minutes between sets, so rows would get supersetted by shoulders, etc.
It saved alot of time and I could go on with my day quicker
Pros - A lot of skill work
Another big plus of this routine is how much skill work I got to practice. I still haven't yet gotten a handstand down, but this routine made it easy to practice it during warmup
I ended up getting a pullover progression though during this workout phase
My favorite part of every workout was definitely the skillwork phase, I still incorporate these into future workouts
Cons - It got boring really quickly and mentally fatiguing
Doing the same thing 3xs a week got boring, really quickly. Working out became a chore at a certain point. I started not really enjoying my workouts anymore.
It became mentally fatiguing at some point and 2/3rd into the workout I was done. I also had a hard time having to do well on so many areas all in one day. I felt like I was spread too thin
Cons - First set impacts the motivation of the entire workout
If my first set performed poorly, say my bench or military were slipping backwards, I would get demotivated for the rest of the workout. It didn't matter if I could row, or deadlift alot that day either. I just wouldn't care after the first few sets.
It felt like putting too many eggs in one basket, so to speak.
Cons - Never really felt truly sore
Because every workout was 3 sets per body part, I never felt truly sore the next day. Being sore is a nice feeling though, and it was something I missed. Instead I just felt tired and burnt out
Cons - Bodyweight progressions is harder to see progression
It's easier to just load up heavier weights and see progression mentally this way. Sometimes when I wanted to go with a deeper pistol squat, I couldn't really tell if I made any progression from the last time I did it. It was really easy to fall under this "I'm not sure if I'm making progress" at all phase
Cons - Risk of underperforming
I didn't feel I had enough recovery time between sets. If I had done too hard of a bench press set close to failure, 48 hours wasn't enough to recover for the next workout 2 days later
Underperforming just made me slip back entirely in progress, demotivated me to go the gym entirely. I had to stop working out for a bit even though I could've pushed forward in other areas
In summary
I didn't make an ideal amount of progress with Reddit's recommended bodyweight fitness. Coming from powerphase 2, it was a nice change in pace though. I didn't have to spend as much time at the gym either, but accessory work would make these workout make these workouts way too long
Things I took away from doing this program:
- Supersetting muscle groups is an effective time saver
- How to workout better without any equipment
- Do skillwork, before a workout
Moving forward this is probably what I'm going to run PHUL instead (Power Hyper Upper Lower). My workouts were basically transitioning from 3x to 2x a week, and I wanted to go towards an easier track to see progression.
I will also be subbing out different exercises for the recommendations to whatever I feel that day, so working out becomes more fun and less of a chore for me at least
Things that I have taken away on what I like regarding working out in general
- Every workout throughout the week needs to be different
- <1 hour working out for a workout, do faster warmups
- 4 days a week seems optimal for me
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