I’ve recently returned to training after a long leave. During this long absence I was diagnosed with CHF, but since I have been cleared for training by my cardiologist. The issue that brings me here today is my poor cardio performance during higher rep sets. I just finished week 2 of the Beginners Template and I’m really struggling with the sets of 8-10 in the squats and DL. I was thinking of adding a few sets of body weight squats in the range of like 25 reps during my days off when I do preventative shoulder work. I’ve been trying to get as much LISS in with walking, but since I’m working out at home with no cardio equipment as of yet and I’m hoping the BW squats would help out with some extra cardio. Do you think the BW squats would be a good idea or would you suggest another strategy?
oh yes, I’m still doing the sets, the weight on the bar is frustratingly low, but I’m still doing it. I’m taking it as practice to not focus on the weight, but I’m getting the work done. I was just wondering if the BW squats, being a compound movement, would be too much fatigue wise. I was under the impression that’s why most of the GPP work prescribed is less fatiguing single muscle or isolation type movements…to get more work in with less fatigue.
Maybe I’m just getting in my own head and over thinking things.
I just finished week 2 of the Beginners Template and I’m really struggling with the sets of 8-10 in the squats and DL.
@Therealredding , I recognize that there may be differences in training history and actual cardio issues, but I feel the pain. I just finished Block 1 of the Bodybuilding template, and usually overshot RPE because I wouldn’t drop the weight as sets progressed on many of the lifts. It was also an adjustment not to make a weight jump on all sets across when I went up. My personal lesson learned was to just do what you needed to do with the weight on the bar, each set, to hit the RPE, even though it’s lame to take weight off the bar when you’re just benching 185.
Doc Baraki, love the BB program, btw. A lot of fun to swich it up from the past year of low rep stuff, and I haven’t done a bodypart split in a long time!
Gotcha. I don’t think that it would be “too much” fatigue to do bodyweight squats, outside of the total dosage (i.e., total number of reps). As long as you keep that reasonable and within your tolerance, you should be fine and this is reasonable to try for some added work.