PBF 3 times a week too much? page

[BamaAla]

Simple question: is Monday, Wednesday, Friday Primal Blueprint Fitness too much? I do two circuits pushup, pull up, squat, plank on a mwf split; will this lead to overtraining or diminishing returns?

I used the search function but didn't get anything, so sorry if this has been addressed.

Ps. I'm a reasonably healthy 28 year old who's been primal since 9-2011 with good success.

[Coach Palfrey]

You'll probably be absolutely fine. Whether it will lead to overtraining and diminishing returns will be based on a combination of intensity, diet and your ability to recover.

Like everything, the proof is in the pudding - try it and make some adjustments as and when you need to.

[jhc]

It is fairly hard to overtrain with bodyweight exercises.

[Wanderlust]

It is fairly hard to overtrain with bodyweight exercises.

Oh it can be done my friend. But 3x a week should be fine.

[primalrob]

3x a week is fine. i did that for a while, then switched to 2x/week (but really increased the intensity of the workouts). skip a day once in a while and see how much stronger you feel when you come back to it.

[Forever Young]

Yes, eventually as you learn to REALLY train with all out intensity, over training is definitely possible. The solution is to monitor how you feel and your progress. If you are starting to feel general fatigue and or your progress has halted or worse regressed, then cut back on either the volume of each workout and or the frequency. For instance, do one circuit for one of the workouts instead of two. If that doesn't help, do it for two of the weekly workouts and so on. Then put more rest days in between as needed. The key is to stay ahead of the curve and not get to the point of exhaustion. In any case training is always a game of adjustments. Our bodies don't work on a linear basis. We are not machines. There are so many variables at play. To say you should workout 3 days a week, every week is not practical. Its a starting point and a beginner should be able to do that for a period of time. One size does not fit all though.

[BamaAla]

Thanks a lot for the replies!

If I may add one more thought, I had thought about keeping the 3 day split but modifying: do 2 of the four movements with 3 circuits and rotate. I.e.: Monday - pushup, plank. Wednesday - pull up, squat. Friday - pushup, plank. Monday - pull up, squat. Wednesday - pushup, plank. Friday - Pullup, squat.

I wish I cold have written that more succinctly, sorry. Y'all think this is a better idea? Thanks a lot!

[primalrob]

Thanks a lot for the replies!

If I may add one more thought, I had thought about keeping the 3 day split but modifying: do 2 of the four movements with 3 circuits and rotate. I.e.: Monday - pushup, plank. Wednesday - pull up, squat. Friday - pushup, plank. Monday - pull up, squat. Wednesday - pushup, plank. Friday - Pullup, squat.

I wish I cold have written that more succinctly, sorry. Y'all think this is a better idea? Thanks a lot!

i suppose you could do this. though, personally, i prefer the feeling after a whole body workout like pbf. if you're doing 2 circuits 3x a week, you won't be over training at all. and, if you align the exercises well, you can cut transition time down so that the whole workout takes about 30 minutes...just stick with the whole thing, IMO.

[Forever Young]

Thanks a lot for the replies!

If I may add one more thought, I had thought about keeping the 3 day split but modifying: do 2 of the four movements with 3 circuits and rotate. I.e.: Monday - pushup, plank. Wednesday - pull up, squat. Friday - pushup, plank. Monday - pull up, squat. Wednesday - pushup, plank. Friday - Pullup, squat.

I wish I cold have written that more succinctly, sorry. Y'all think this is a better idea? Thanks a lot!

Thats not a bad plan. Just monitor, regulate and adjust as needed and you'll be fine.

[otzi]

For about a year now, I have been doing bodyweight only workouts 3-4 days per week. I was getting a little stagnant, so I switched it up a couple months ago. This morning I set my personal best for pullups with 35 pullups, beating my previous best by 10.

My old routine involved doing pushups, pullups, chinups, and squats similar to what the OP and others described here.

My new routine is to spend a full week on only one movement: For instance, this week on Monday I did about 5 sets of 10 pullups spread throughout the day. Tuesday I did 2 sets of 10 super-slow pullups. Wednesday I did a 2 pyramids 15-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-2 (110 total). This morning, I went for numbers and did 35 full-range pullups, (and probably could have eeked out 5 more if I kicked a little).

I won't be doing pullups again for 4 weeks. Although, I may do a few light circuits of all the movements on the weekends.