Is my pull day too much volume?

J

jonathanef

New member
Hey guys! My back in my opinion is my weakest point of my build. I currently hit it the hardest but after reviewing others pull routines I start to wonder if I’m doing too much. Been hitting the gym 5 months steady while on/off for almost 10 years never staying as consistent as now.

2x a week

Bent over rows - 5 x 5-7

Pull ups - 3 x 6-8

Horizontal cable row with handle that looks like this 0————-0 - 3 x 10-12

Lat pull down - 4 x 10-12

Facepulls - 4 x 15-20

Barbell Curl - 4 x 8-12

Hammer curl - 4 x 8-12

Cable isolation curl - 3 x 10-12

Is there anything you guys would change? Thank you for reviewing my pull day.

Edit:
https://imgur.com/a/Ttp1wuR

my current physique because I think some people are thinking I may just be starting out due to being inconsistent past 10 years
 
@madpipertn Currently doing my pull workout right now. Started at 2:40 and I’m about to do my last bicep exercise. I’d say 1h30 if I am scrolling through my phone not timing my minutes. Otherwise, 1h to 1h15
 
@jonathanef If your goal is hypertrophy, you should rest longer than 45sec to a minute. Aim for 2-3 minutes.

And yes, that’s way too much volume. 11 sets of bicep in one sesh is absolutely crazy. That’s most people’s weekly total lol. It seems like a lot of junk volume which will provide minimal gains while only hindering your recovery
 
@morgan0710 People keep saying junk volume but I ensure I’m not overloading weight and keep my form strict. I will try to cut down my volume in all my workouts and see if that’s why in some lifts I am not progressing. My goal is strength/hypertrophy. A little mix of both
 
@jonathanef Volume is a very individual based metric. Some people respond better to higher volume and lower intensity while others respond better two lower volume higher intensity. If you are progressively getting stronger, then you are likely in a good spot. If you are not, it may be worth it to adjust volume.

For me personally, 30 sets in a workout is pretty wild to think of if there is much intensity brought at all. How close to failure are you taking each set? I find it hard to believe that you are getting many quality sets in the last 1/3 of your workout, especially since you haven’t been super consistent and likely don’t have a very good conditioning base.

It’s important to remember that more is not always better. Your body can only push and recover from so much.
 
@sisi My compound exercise is my highest intensity workout. Pull-ups pretty much to failure in 6-8 range. My back doesn’t feel sore after back days and recovery doesn’t seem to be a huge issue. I never get the same feeling after pull as I do on legs/push days. I would say I am progressing and improving other than my pull-ups, I feel like I can’t pass 8 rep mark. I am also wondering if I am doing “dead sets” though as you said the last 1/3 of my workout seem questionable. Accessories are 10-12 reps so about medium intensity imo.
 
@jonathanef Check your form and intensity.
- Is the down equal or slower than the up?
- is it full range or motion, especially all the way out (to dead hang or stretching you to the bottom)?
- is form good. Not using momentum or letting other muscle groups assist in bringing up the weight. Not hurling up the weight.
- are you actually within 3-4 reps from failure or less. Consider on subsequent workouts repping out to failure to make sure.
- consider adding a pause at the bottom.

Check these in that order. Your number of sets is a major general outlier for volume. Both for the back and the day overall. Especially check your intensity. If I did this workout with 1-2 reps in reserve, my back would be out of gas by say…the cable rows.
And I definitely could only maybe do 2 exercises for biceps afterwards, more likely one.
 
@jonathanef Yes it is way too much. Kill off one of the horizontal row movements, reduce everything to 3 sets, and fuck off one or two of the bicep exercises. And fuck off either the pull up or the pull down too.
 
@dawn16 Do you recommend only 2 exercises for pull days? Which two would you prioritize and how many sets would you aim for each session? (back sets only)
 
@jonathanef Honestly dude if you’re progressing, recovering, and enjoy it don’t listen to people who think 20 sets is the maximum you can do any thing more your back is gonna some how shrink. You have a good physique just keep training hard and enjoy it as long as you’re happy and healthy.👍
 
@dawn16 I definitely try to be strict with my form on all accessory lifts. I am one of them that has trouble feeling their back, only these past 5 months I have built a better connection with my back. My compound lift has a little give but not much, still try to keep it strict. 20 sets on legs or push would destroy me, pull days I feel worked but not destroyed.
 
@jonathanef I think you’ve got a couple that are basically the same exercise:
Pulls ups and Lat pulldowns (both the same vertical pull motion).

Bent over rows and cable rows (both a similar row/horizontal motion).

I think you could remove one vertical and one row out of these.

I’d also remove one of the curl exercises. 8 sets of curls twice a week is ample for biceps.

I’d then add in a squeezing back motion. So either rear delt flys/rear delt machine (reverse pec deck), or use cables (can get a really good squeeze with cables, my favourite at the moment).
 
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