Anyone switch from a bodybuilding routine to something less extreme?

I'm coming back after a long break due to an elbow injury, and considering switching up, but feel that just lightening the load isn't going to be enough. I still want to keep a similar intensity, but with a workout that is easier on the joints.

My end goal is basically to be a ripped average-weight person. The days of wanting to be 200+lbs and 5% bodyfat are over.

Cliffs:
38 year old brah
Been bodybuilding for 10 years
Took a 6 month break due to injury
Really want to get back into lifting but have only used hardcore bodybuilding routines, absolutely clueless with anything else
Seeking workout routines that are very intense but easier on the body/joints.

in b4:
This is misc, nobody lifts
Over 35 misc ---->
Actual lifting sections ----->
Give up, drink soy lattes, and rot *******

I used to be a ripped 140 lbs in my competition days now I hover around 120 wit a six pack and I enjoy it more.

you've been lifting for a long time so you know the ripped bit you need to be low body fat so make sure diet is in check.

What are those hard core bodybuilding routines that you did? Can you gives some info about what lifts you did, what splits you ran, etc..


Maybe hire a coach if you've been lifting for 10+ yrs and haven't reached your goal yet, it'll speed things up for u

Yes, I go back and fourth between a bodybuilding split and a barbell westside strength program. Otherwise, bodybuilding in itself gets super boring.

Bodybuilding is less "extreme". You are using lighter weights, more reps, cables and machines etc. If you want to be "easy on the joints" keep reps around 8-20 and experiment with exercises that allow good mind muscle connection and not the 'grip and rip' ego crap.

I basically reached my goal years ago. I was forced to plateau at Natty Light due to some health issues(donated a kidney, srs), and can never in a million years think of doing anything that requires me to shed water in the way competitions do.

I've been told to watch the creatinine levels, and even before donating, my levels were high due to my muscle mass(srs, no e-brag).

I had a mild elbow injury and stupid high creatinine(1.5) when I stopped lifting, so I've decided to cut down this time. Just not used to it. Before this it was balls-to-the-wall bodybuilding.

As far as routines went, I did Dorian Yates Blood and Guts/HIT for years. It's low volume, high intensity. It worked well for me, but it doesn't lend itself well to my goals.

Also a cop brah. What routine do you follow?


I just do a traditional bro split but think I'd be better off with more stretching/stability/agility work.

Good job on reaching your goals and the kidney donations, that's brave!


I'm aware of Dorian Yates routine, and it's honestly suited more to Cell tech users.


Have you tried an upper lower routine? Maybe you can get into some squats/deads/bench, just to change things up. You can write your own or I'm happy to PM you something I created as well. A powerlifting coach can help you out too and it can make things interesting again. You can aim for performance goals to get motivation, and as long as your diet is in check, you don't need to get fat

You can train without the creatine, it's a supplement it works but the value of it is still small, just train without it

How many days per week you train?


I've been doing a 4 day per week bro split. MT/TF lifting, other days off. Added in abs/core work 2 days per week at the end of my sessions. Ab roller, planks, leg raises, and back extensions. Haven't done any cardio yet this winter but will up my cardio game when it starts warming up. Definitely feel like adding in core work is beneficial for overall health.

As an 40 yo lifter who's #1 priority is preserving my joints, lower frequency is mandatory unless you want joint and tendon issues.

Fuk that noise about high frequency, you can get the same results training each body part every 5-7 days just without the risk of tendinosis from tendons being unable to regenerate fast enough

Just do a basic push / pull / legs routine with 6 sets per body part and train with a moderate weight and don't go to failure.

I use HS machines and cables for most stuff nowadays and haven't touched a barbell in months. Perfect controlled reps with a weight that lets you get 15 reps a couple from failure is perfect imo

The rest is diet and cardio tbh.

1.5 creatine isn't the end of the world, but with 1 kidney I can see why you'd want to minimize stress. I drink a ton of water and never allow myself to dehydrate in the gym now and don't use stims to try to preserve kidney function

Full body focused on strength + olympic lifts 4-5x/Week

or full body 2x week and 3x/week combat sports

After years of criticism and swearing by upper/lower and full body, I've recently switched to a 4-day bro split after having tried out a modified PPL and having fun with it.

The PPL I was doing:

Day 1: Chest/tris/delts

Day 2: Upper back/bis

Day 3: Legs/lower back

Day off or repeat

^After enjoying that template - as optimal or suboptimal as it may be - I've now switched to this bro split:

Day 1: Chest/tris

Day 2: Legs/lower back

Day 3: Delts

Day 4: Upper back/bis



The Schoenfeld studies have indicated that bro splits don't seem to be the gainz devil previously thought, since weekly volume seems to be the primary factor in muscle growth rather than frequency. The data has been back and forth on this over the years but people are starting to put away their SS bibles and jump into higher volume training - and I like it.

3x5 was never a good idea past the first 4 weeks of training. This is why people come off SS looking like dogchit. "But they're beginners - of course they're going to look like chit" wrong. Prescribing GOMAD which causes people to far overshoot their caloric requirements to grow and just leaves them gaining extra fat for NO reason while training with barely any volume on a very simplistic program.

If anyone runs SS, it should be for 6 weeksmaximumto get a noob used to lifting, with a very slight calorie surplus, before moving onto something with more volume. Even if your goals are strength, you shouldn't shy away from volume. Volume = size = strength. It's not rocket surgery

I have no idea if this answered the OP's question. I guess the main point I'm trying to make is, training for size ("bodybuilding") and strength have alot of overlap and outside of competition-specific training you might as well train for both. And training on a high volume bro split can absolutely work for building strength.

How many days per week do you train with your push pull legs?

you're kinda hitting the muscles twice per week. On Chest day1, your delts are working, on delts day your back is also working (upper back), and on day 4 depends on what you do for upper back, but a deadlift on that day will hit your legs again

What are the main lifts that you do on each day?

Honestly SS is a joke, even for 6 weeks it's a waste of time low bar squat program. Anything (bro split included) is better than SS

How about you focus solely on bodyweight exercises?

I agree 100% on training too frequently. When I was younger I lifted 7 days per week with no rest days. Now that I've gotten older I've realized I put on more size lifting only 4x per week. I also hit the gym a lot more motivated.I've always said the social media influences that are selling/pushing PPL, PHUL, U/L, full body routines, etc. are just using flawed studies/data to push their workout routines.


Simple truth is if you put a novice, intermediate or even advanced lifter through an actual bodybuilding split workout. It will crap all over these high frequency programs.

People try to claim that bodybuilding splits/training everything 1x per week is better for non-natty lifters and 'frequency' routines is better for naturals. But I disagree completely. After spending 14 years trying all lifting styles and lifting natural then lifting 'enhanced'.


If your not enhanced its a lot easier to 'over-train' or under-rest/under eat on a PPL/frequency based routine. Furthermore your much more likely to get tendonitis and joint pains running higher frequency routines (based on my own experience).

I've never been comfortable with splits. Muscles that should be resting, are still used as stabilizers in exercises aimed at different body parts. I'm sure it's not much, but I feel like it would still make a bit of a difference in your gains, especially if you use dumbbells.

I never had a problem with doing a full body workout 2 or 3 times a week. I have bad joints and I just make sure to take it easy if I'm experiencing pain or discomfort.

In my early 40s, thought this same way for the past 2-3 years. Ended up settling in around 180 and wasn't jacked or super ripped about a year and a half ago. looked small as hell in clothes. Thought I should just try to get as ripped as possible and not worry about size, since you see all these ripped 155-165 pound dudes who look big due to muscle insertions and extreme leanness. But then I just couldnt deal with looking like an average middle-aged guy (my definition of average being medium build non-fatso not the "average" morbidly obsese POS). So I went the opposite way - close to 200 again now though way over 5% still have visible abs. You can eat and work out enough without screwing your joints, unless you just have some genetic weaknesses or something that make it impossible. I would maybe focus on being bigger and lean but not ripped or going for smaller and ripped since it's hard to do both and you won't need strength to get to the latter.

srs about bro splits being good again lol?

Wtf is a red pill? Is this some incel chit?

I switched to powerlifting and changed everything up. Then after winning a few meets started mixing the two together for the best results and started back at competing in npc also

Yeah. I stopped following programs altogether. I train about every other day and basically whatever lifts I did last I do on that day. And weights/reps/sets aren't decided until the moment of. I got to benching 315 for reps doing this

I had the epiphany when I read through the lifting logs of some of the strongest people that were ever on this site. One of them called it out that they thought it was funny they got to be one of the strongest teens ever and they didn't even follow a program. Yet you see people that are like "I'm going to run a modified 4x candito 5/3/1 daily undulating split periodized to peak between each cycle while" meanwhile the strongest lifters are like "I just go to the gym and beat the chit out of myself with whatever I've recovered from"

Is 15 to 20 reps really ok for making gains?

Kinobody used to be on a bodybuilding routine and now he lifts 3x per weeks and eats chocolate and stays around 5-8% bodyfat