Thread: Are lot of variations bad ?

I prefer to cycle across variations over a year where I do a given variation for a few months until I switch. It's my preferred solution to the balancing act that Suffolk describes above.

So for instance last year for 2-3 months I did weighted chinups (variation A), then I moved to L-sit pullups on gymnastic rings (variation B) and did that for 2-3 months, then I did Gironda chins for a while (variation C) and finally I went back to weighted chinups again.

The real test of progress is then if you can break your previous plateau when you move back from C to A (or B to A if you just do two variations).

I prefer to time the shift between variations so that I move between variations just when progress on one has slowed down considerably (so it won't be long until I stall).

In a word, no.

Provided you aren’t just doing junk volume, or constantly switching up exercises for no real reason.

Agree with all above.

In general, I would add that consistency and discipline are going to be required to make meaningful progress no matter what, and there are going to be times when it's certainly not "entertaining," so while endlessly doing the same exercises for truly long stretches of time can take a psychological toll and some variety can keep motivation fresh (all other potential merits of another exercise selection aside), I'd still shy away from making fun a criterion when you're trying to get over a hurdle.

You don't need to change exercises every week. But if you enjoy it and it keeps you motivated, go for it

I've always varied my pulls often and I think my back is better for it. You can still track progress. One benefit for me is that the back has so many different muscles and I like to just vary my pulls to be sure of hitting everything. Probably not the way to go if you wanna go pro, but good enough to be the best looking dude at the river on a hot Saturday.

A few variations is still pretty easy to track and get consistent progress. Say, chin ups, wide pull ups, dumbbell rows, Barbell rows. I include all these plus pull downs, cable rows, Pendlay rows, landmine rows, straight arm pull downs, lateral straight arm pulls, pullovers, front lever pulls, etc.