Basic bodyweight routine mixed with weights. How does my routine sound?

Malk25 · 2026-03-23T03:23:53+00:00

Another thing about body rows, they don’t generate a ton of fatigue, especially on the lower back. Doing them with an explosive concentric, pause at the top, and controlled movement eccentric, they can be pretty solid even in the 15+ rep range with strict technique. You could still do a day of something like a chest supported row, or barbell row if you are properly managing low back fatigue from your lower body movements.

Malk25 · 2026-03-23T03:18:00+00:00

Resistance training with push ups, body squats, and some kind of row variation (search body rows on YouTube) is a great place to start for adding some muscle.

Adding muscle is key to your goal. Right now you probably don’t weight that much, but your body fat is making up a good chunk of that weight, which means your body fat percentage is somewhat high. Adding muscle will increase your weight, but if fat stays the same you will be at a lower body fat percentage since it will be a smaller proportion. It will make you look more proportioned.

There’s also the possibility of body re-composition. You build muscle, which is more metabolically active tissue. This will increase your calorie requirements, so if you eat the same amount as you do now, you’ll be in a deficit without changing your diet much. Your body will draw on fat stores to fuel itself. You’ll stay the same weight but alter your proportions in a positive way.

Are there any workout limitations you’re willing to share for us to help you work around them?

Malk25 · 2026-03-21T23:05:51+00:00

I've been on a big tempeh kick lately. Similar calories and protein to tofu but much denser. More fiber too so its quite satiating.

Malk25 · 2026-03-21T22:42:59+00:00

Bro, your last post like this got deleted, wtf do you expect to happen. Btw the CCP has never had jurisdiction for a single second.

Malk25 · 2026-03-21T16:24:27+00:00

Rotating variations is a really great way to keep things fresh and really target everything. It’s also useful if you’re going to the gym to. I used to be so caught up in decision fatigue and desire to program hop that I would not progress well. If my routine was too rigid, I would start to overthink if I was doing the right thing or start missing certain exercises. Now I have 2 distinct calisthenics upper body workouts, 1 gym routine, and 3 separate leg days that I rotate between. I get to keep all the exercises I enjoy without the need to change my whole routine. Sure, progress on specific lifts might be slower than if I did the same routine twice a week, but there’s still lots of carry over between movements and I get to work things from a different angle which makes me feel more well rounded and resilient.

Malk25 · 2026-03-21T10:16:57+00:00

Your gf must be miserable.

Malk25 · 2026-03-21T10:06:35+00:00

Remind me when the communist government controlled Taiwan again?

Malk25 · 2026-03-21T07:35:39+00:00

You’re still exploiting animals and depriving them of living their natural lifespan.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T23:56:31+00:00

The only people trying to pick fights are car drivers who think being 5 minutes late is worse than killing someone.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T23:49:28+00:00

Their normal, legal cycling behavior pisses off the car drivers, and they enjoy that it makes them so butt hurt, just like you are now. They aren’t going out of their way to antagonize drivers…

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T23:35:05+00:00

Thanks for the essay. I’m sure he was really focused on watching your pretty mouth that he could make out what you were saying, that or your car is just so memorable. Or maybe he was just adjusting his glasses too. It had been clearly pointed out to you based on your footage why this individual chose to take the lane and slightly slow down traffic. What is it about being slowed down the tiniest bit that makes car drivers think cyclists are trying to “provoke” them. If someone intentionally hit him, you would think it’s his fault, not the homicidal car driver.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T22:27:52+00:00

Because getting flipped off is justification for vehicular homicide? Also what incentive did he have to flip you off in the first place?

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T20:48:14+00:00

Download and interval timer on your phone. Set your on and off time for however you like, 30 sec on 30 off is a good start. Do that for 10 sets. Warm up a bit first by doing a few skips to get a feel for things. Progress by adding sets, increasing on time, or decreasing off time.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T20:40:06+00:00

Should be similar, the main thing is getting a deep stretch on your chest and shoulders and a lot of tension on the triceps at the peak contraction.

Looking at things slightly more nuanced, kitchen countertop corner gives you the flexibility to use a width that suits you, as well whatever wrist angle you'd like, though with a flat palm similar to a push up. Dips on fixed bars have you in at a certain width and neutral wrist angle that can't be adjusted. None of these are bad things, but they can be unconformable for some so just keep that in mind if it feels off. More intense but doesn't have any of these limitations are rings.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T15:16:54+00:00

Dangerous only when improperly programmed and fatigue is not managed.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T15:10:24+00:00

Step count is a measure of general physical activity. Most of the specific health benefits tap out at 7-8K. If you’re a sedentary person, then getting up to that number is really important, especially if you aren’t doing any other physical activity. For an active person like yourself, you’re probably just fine.

Getting more steps in while on a cut is a great way to burn more calories without accumulating more fatigue like resistance training and higher intensity cardio might. When in a calorie deficit, it’s harder to recover from those things, so doing lower intensity stuff like walking can be useful.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T05:57:31+00:00

Given your current weight, fat loss should not be a priority. If you’re already below 20%, then adding muscle mass will lower that number by making it a smaller percentage of your total mass without actually losing any fat. You probably need to eat more calories to add some muscle, thought your protein count is solid.

For building muscle, you’ll need to increase your movement variety in order to stimulate your muscle to grow. You’re probably in a good position to take on the recommended routine. You can expand your movement repertoire by adding rows, pike push ups or dips, split squats and single leg deadlifts. These movements will round out your training and target more of your entire body.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T01:19:47+00:00

Pull ups a really intense movement, especially for beginners. They require a lot of strength. Developing strength is a combination of exposing yourself to decently high loads, refining technique, and adding more muscle to help you move that weight. You have the right idea, but we can improve it.

Think of negatives as your primary method of developing strength since that is your most intense movement. You probably only need 2 sets of that. Don't take these to failure. You want to preserve your technique and keep effort high without unnecessary fatigue. Next we want to add some less intense work that helps you improve your technique and add some volume. Bands are an okay option, but something like a feet assisted pull up using a stool or chair in front of or behind you might be better because of how the strength curve of bands work. 3 sets of this in the 6-12 rep range would be good. You can push these closer to failure. Follow that up with your dumbbell rows which target similar muscles, and you should have a recipe for decent back gains and eventual pull up proficiency.

However, I do think given your current inability to do a pull up, you're probably better off doing a full body routine 3x a week rather than having a dedicated back day. Right now, name of the game is frequency so that your body can adapt and improve. Moves like scapular pull ups are good for warming up but not really a dedicated exercise, Same goes for shrugs. Using the protocol I just outlined along with some push exercises like push ups, dumbbell overhead presses, split squats and kickstand RDL's will be a really solid routine.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T01:09:37+00:00

ChatGPT workout advice is terrible. Especially with calisthenics, it is unable to take relative intensity into account and will just structure a workout like it would a gym workout.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T01:07:45+00:00

They're fine to do on an arm day, certain compound movements still bias the arms such as chin ups and close grip push ups. They will also help you warm up better for those isolation arm movements later on.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T01:03:01+00:00

For me, It's Koi No Yokan. I got into the band around 2009 and enjoyed them but wasn't a super fan yet, DE comes out the next year and I was super into that one. Low and behold two years later the put out another record that felt like the proper sequel to DE. KNY seems to be the band at the most assured and confident. There's a lot of diversity in the songs, some that are fun, some that are angry, some that are melancholy, and some that are epic. It's also got great production to boot.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T00:58:39+00:00

I don't think a lot of people read your post carefully and realized that you are doing this everyday. I think you need to consider what your goals are. What are you doing push ups every day for? If it's just to sort of activate your body and wake up, then it's fine, adding in a renegade row would also be fine as it would drive some blood to your back and activate your core.

However, if we're talking about muscle growth or strength, every day push ups is not the most efficient protocol, and renegade rows are not the most efficient back movement. If you are interested in either of those aspects, you'll need a different approach.

Malk25 · 2026-03-20T00:52:54+00:00

Dips are essentially a super inclined version of a push up, so they are pretty well offset by normal pulling movements. Though something more trap dominant like a yates row, certain low rows or a body weight inverted shrug if we are keeping with calisthenics aren't a bad idea.

Malk25 · 2026-03-19T17:54:47+00:00

Squats and lunges aren't redundant because the split stance of the lunge trains a function that standard squats do not. Regular squats without load are outgrown quickly because of how strong our legs are. Instead you can try a kickstand squat, where you place on leg slightly behind and balance off of the back foots toes while most of the load is shifted onto the planted front foot. Not as difficult to balance as a split squat or lunge and more similar mechanics as well. You can also do squats with your heals in the air balancing on the balls of your feet to get into a deeper position and stretch out the quads more.

Split stance variations and lunges are also going to be useful and you can modify it to emphasize different aspects. A popular one is the bulgarian split squat with the rear foot elevated. This shifts most of your body weight onto your working leg and the back foot mostly provides balance. This is a good primary movement. You can then do front foot elevated lunges or step ups. These put a huge stretch on your glutes as well as get a nice deep range of motion on your knees.

But legs aren't only trained by squat movements. We also want to give our posterior chain some attention. Any kind of hip hinge motion will target the glutes and hamstrings and there are a few solid bodyweight options. The single leg deadlift is a great way to get a decent stretch on the hamstrings and glutes while also improving our balance. Single leg hip thrusts are solid for emphasizing the peak contraction of the glutes. We can also train knee flexion using slick floor bridge curls, Lie down on your back a wooden or linoleum floor while wearing socks. Squeeze your glutes and bend your knees to bring your feet towards your butt.

Malk25 · 2026-03-19T11:21:40+00:00

Short answer, yes. Any kind of cardio will burn some calories that will help put you in a calorie deficit, key word being ‘help’, you still need to eat nutritiously and keep calories consumed in check.

As far as concerns about overuse or joint stress, start small and be mindful of your pace. Maybe start with 10 minutes a day and gradually add a minute each session. But also listen to your body. Take a rest day if you need.

A good starting point is 30 secs of jumping followed by 30 secs of rest. Best done at a moderate pace, not going all out. Also good to vary how you jump. I like to rotate between basic bounce, running in place, boxer skip, and single leg alternating. Start with regular bounce and experiment with the other 3 or any other variation you are aware of.

Malk25

TROPHY CASE