Variation

[Want2lift]

How much variation do you guys include in your training? I lift in my garage and lately I've been training legs twice a week. One day starts with deads in a progressive 5x5 routine and one day is squats 5x5 as well. But after that, anything is an option. Maybe I drop the weight and do 5x10 light and explosive with little rest. Or maybe I grab a trap bar and do regular or deficit deads. Front squats, 20 rep squats, straight leg dead lifts, RDL's, cleans, good mornings, power cleans, prowler, anything that involves power and my bottom half. So I have a progressive base and then switch up the accessory work to keep the body guessing. Do you guys follow a strict routine or switch it up? Even for chest or shoulder day I train heavy low rep one week and lighter higher rep the next week and always progressive. I find it prevents plateaus and keep my shoulders and elbows from getting to jacked up. Always switching up my accessory work as well. Even if it's something small like switching grip on a certain lift or adding in a drop set. Should also mention I rarely do any lifts that would be considered 'accessory'. I much prefer big compound, multi joint lifts. Variations can be as small as a change in grip or rep speed, drop sets, rest pause, anything that changes the movement even a little. I find the body has a harder time adapting when u include little changes. And in my mind that equals more growth. Hitting muscle groups from different Angles, adjusting TUT, any little thing to switch it up and keep the body guessing while still performing big compound movements.

[Primal]

I guess I sort of do the opposite that what you do, I'm pretty focused on building up my numbers for squat and leg press e.c.t. (all the compound movements) so I always keep them the same. They are my go to staple movements and I always do the same routine for legs. For chest, I do switch up my compound movements from barbell bench press to dumbbell bench press, I find I like the variation of switching that up more than the different feeling it gives me. So for me, it depends on what bodypart honestly. My back day is even more screwed up, I'm always changing up the compound movements, deadlifts, one arm dumbbell rows, weighted pullups e.t.c. but I always keep my accessory movements the same, lat pulldowns, low row, t-bar and some hyper extensions. For me, I've always sucked at the compounds but I've always gotten good results on the accessory movements. I don't change up my rep speed or my sets really either but I do dropsets on my heavy week just to burn out the muscle. So for me, each body part is different in terms of the variation I use towards it.

-Primal

[Praetorian]

If you want to progress you need to have a plan and follow that plan. Consistency is the key here and to get really good at something you need to practise it for a somewhat lengthy period of time ie many years.
Changing the exercises week to week is quite popular and is known as the conjugate method made famous by Louie Simmons. This means you do a basic compound movement but change the variation of the movement..ie squat, box squat, safety bar squat, zercher squats etc. However you still squat each week and you know before hand what exercise you are doing and how that exercise went the last time. An example for deadlifitng would be conventional deads, sumo deads, deads with chains, deads with bands etc...the key is you are still deadlifting not replacing the compound movement with an isolation movement like one arm rows. This is necessary in order to gauge your progress because if you are not pushing the limits and doing more than the last time you are stagnating.

P