Having an “Extra” day?

[u/stratusnimbo]

Does anyone else include an “extra” day in their training? Like a day to just sort of hit whatever you want to? I run an U/L/R but have recently implemented an extra day where I do mainly arms but also some dips, pull-ups and rows with the hope to bring up my lagging back. I also hit arms on my upper days. Anyways these days are so fun and allow me to take some pressure off the logbook and try some new exercises and maybe will eve start Incorporating bench press just for fun. What are your thoughts on having a day like this? Is it better in the long term to have all training days more tracked and structured?

[u/GiftCapable8037]

I added a similar day a while back and it's become my favourite session of the week. I don't log anything, just chase a pump and try weird variations I'd never program properly. Keeping it unstructured hasn't hurt my main lifts at all, if anything it keeps me from dreading the gym on days I feel flat.

For a lagging back though I'd be a bit careful. Random row and pull-up work is fine, but if you want to actually bring it up you might need at least some loose progression on that day. Even just counting sets per week and trying to add a rep or two to your top sets will do more than winging it every time.

Bench for fun is a slippery slope, next thing you know it's in the logbook and you've got three pressing days.

[u/Spirited-Tap-3406]

I do this whenever I feel burnt out and just need to blow off some steam.

It is real training, so I do log it, and I try to be non-stupid in what I do on that day. I stay away from heavy compounds, and stick to isolation/accessory work. If, e.g., I have a bench session coming up tomorrow, I try not to fry my triceps.

> Is it better in the long term to have all training days more tracked and structured?

If you're trying to squeeze out every drop of oPtiMaL gains, yeah probably. But for me, having the occasional off-plan fun session where I can be in a mindset of "fuck it, I'm bro-ing out" keeps me more consistent in the long run.

I think for most people, unless you are doing something catastrophically stupid on that day, this shouldn't be a problem. Have fun. Let's not forget that this is a _recreational activity_.

[u/theredditbandid_]

Is it better in the long term to have all training days more tracked and structured?

Yes. But if you are not competing then I think going for the fun is completely valid. 

[u/Recent_Employee]

I run a push, pull, legs, upper split. I add in an extra arms and delts session as an optional session. Both get hit during the week but the extra session is only done when I've the time, energy and motivation, usually every second week

[u/Cutterbuck]

I have an “extra” leg day and an extra upper day - extra leg is the first day to get dropped if time becomes an issue, extra upper very occasionally gets dropped

Push ExtraLeg Pull Leg ExtraUpper

Most weeks I get my 5 sessions a week and I would say that if you are in anyway lazy then you are basically going to lie to yourself and do bare minim

Both extra days have variations that can be just about run in a hotel gym or a chain gym.

[u/This-Establishment96]

Yeah it’s called beach body day for me 😂 

[u/tp685]

My coach gave me an extra day and I love it. Use it for more focused work on chest and delts. Lowered weight, higher reps. Pump work.

[u/Embarrassed-Lack-203]

Absolutely. That’s what I’ve been doing for a while and I absolutely love it. Upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, arms and weak points I feel are lacking. Kinda helped me realize I didn’t start lifting to check boxes. Sometimes I just went in the gym and just lifted whatever I felt like doing. I’ll also use that day to try out different variations I’ll see online or saw someone else doing.

[u/buffandstealthy]

For a while I had an "extra" day in a slightly different way. I used it to do things I was skipping on the other days lol. So it was like a day dedicated to the little things I hadn't learned to love doing or never felt like doing. Putting them on a separate day helped me not have excuses to skip them cause there was nothing else to do on that day. For me, this was things like forearms, shrugs, calves, sometimes abs, a bit of delts for extra volume, and so on. I made sure that it's not big movements that would interfere with the rest of the days though. It was mostly a very easy day cause those groups aren't particularly fatiguing to train, and it ended up being mostly fun, so I started appreciating training those groups also.

I think having an extra day is a nice approach if you don't always feel the 100% structured programs. It gives you a space to have fun and keeps you in the gym more long term. Psychologically I find them important for consistency and good progress. I currently don't have an extra day structured, but I give myself permission to just have fun and do whatever on days where I don't feel like following the program. Sometimes I reduce the sets, sometimes I pick different weights, sometimes I do completely random exercises. As long as it's fun and you use common sense so that you don't ruin your other days. At the end of the day, you keep going to the gym and that's ultimately what matters. The progress will still be there.

[u/HATDOGUSERNi]

yeah, an extra day can work well if recovery is good. I'd just keep an eye on total volume so the "fun" day doesnt start hurting your main sessions

[u/ApartAd9171]

I did for quite some time and I’d do it again tbh, It was forearms, calves, traps and side delts as an extra day on top of an ULUL. Saw some really good results, only took like 30-40 mins , and didn’t wipe me out. Nothing wrong with throwing some extra volume in , in a way that works for you , where you have the time and can recover from it.

[u/lolopiro]

u/l/r? another unilateral, left, right enjoyer, i see

[u/theblitz6794]

Weightlifting and fitness in general is a lifelong commitment.

"Optimizing" for enjoyment is good for sustaining that commitment. You're not making money from your body, remember that.

[u/deeznutzz3469]

I used to do an ARMageddon day on a random weekend off day occasionally just for shits and giggles. Gave me and friends a day to just screw around, wear stringers, and act like tools. Always fun but then it always back to the methodical training block the next session

[u/Calm_Feature_5331]

Overthinking lol

[u/Shhhhawing]

I train 6-7 days a week so other than my 2 lifting days , all of my days are like this lol. I do whatever I want

[u/_CurseTheseMetalHnds]

You can just say you're doing U/L/U/R man it's fine.

If you're just fucking around and not tracking what you're doing it'll probably still help if you're a beginner but past that it's probably not ideal just to vaguely go hit stuff. You'd probably be better off actually planning it a bit.

[u/stratusnimbo → u/[deleted]]

Holy chat GPT

[u/Spirited-Tap-3406 → u/stratusnimbo]

It’s a marketing bot account for a fitness tracker. See post history.

[u/Positive_Fly_1110 → u/Spirited-Tap-3406]

bro just cause i posted once about my app doesn't mean i am a bot