Dumbbell P/P/L routine check

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massave

New member
Hello!

I am a 30M, 5’9” 140lbs looking for feedback/advice on my Push/Pull/Leg dumbbell routine. My goal is hypertrophy and I am using dumbbells d/t availability and improve/prevent muscle imbalances. I have been lifting now ~3 years with not great progress (likely due to not eating enough). I followed the first advice which is to look at the wiki page and I came across 2 routines that seem to be geared for more beginners... I was interested in getting feedback on specifically these things:
  • Are there any redundancies or things that I am missing?
  • Should I be doing more sets of my compounds lifts?
  • Should I be doing another press movement on my push day (machine chest press?)
  • Should I be doing lat pull downs and cable rows if I am already doing pullups and dumbbell rows?
  • Should I be doing machine leg press If I am already doing goblet squats and Bulgarian split squats, should I be doing something else?
  • Am I doing too many sets in a day?
My plan is to increase weight for exercise after 3 sets of 12. I also want to do 1 ab exercise per day as I have always neglected my core.

Push

DB Chest Press 4x12

DB Shoulder press 4x12

Incline Pec Fly 3x12

Lateral Raises 3x12

Triceps extensions 3x12

Abs: Captains chair 4x12

Pull

Pull-up 4x12

2 arm DB Row 4x12

Read Delt Fly 3x12

Lat pulldown 3x12

Cable rows 3x12

Incline DB bicep curl 3x12

Abs: Kneeling cable crunch (w/ weight) 4x12

Leg

Goblet Squat 4x12

DB or kettlebell RDL 4x12

Bulgarian Split squats 3x12

Leg Press 3x12

Calf Raises 3x12

Abs: Decline crunch (w/ weight) 4x12

Let me know what you think!
 
@massave Looks pretty damn good to me.
I’d throw in some variants every once awhile. For examples switching out chest press for an incline version and overhead tricep extension for tricep dips on your push days.

It’ll be harder to 1 to 1 measure progress on your weight increases but I think it’ll be worth it plus honestly just seems more fun to me.

4 x 12 seems like a lot of volume for those first exercises on the day but hell.. that’s hypertrophy for ya. Slow eccentrics and a paused bottom will fuck anyone up.
 
@jonkaro I agree! Variation is so important. Keeps the plateaus away as well as helps with stability and form. Plus I get bored from the same routine for months. Gotta switch it up often to stay entertained. My favorites are with legs, i'll do press and lunges a lot one week then squats and abductors/adductor heavy the next. Sometimes it works a little too well and I gotta take a light cardio day to work out the lactic acid.
 
@massave Exercises make sense. Maybe too many sets but see how you feel. As far as whether or not you should do this exercise or that, I think you’ll have to experiment and see which lifts you like. There isn’t really a right or wrong answer. Your program can slowly evolve over time depending on the results you see or if you get pain from a movement.

Are you doing a 3-day or 6-day split?
 
@tornado16 Thank you for your advice! Do you recommend 3x12 for the first exercises instead of 4x12? Just finished a deload due to plateuing and being burned out, so I am re-evaluating the volume I am doing, not sure if it is too much?
 
@massave Try it out and experiment. Are you familiar with double progression? It’s a straight forward way to structure your sets and reps so that volume and intensity wave. That approach keeps me far away from burnout. Also eat!!
 
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