Is this overkill?

[azfara]

So I started working out again after a hiatus, I used to work out in a gym about 5 years ago for almost a year, then I stopped and picked it up again about 6 months ago, started training at home 3-4 times a week full body with dumbbells&calisthenics. About a month ago I joined a gym, I made myself an upper/lower split routine to follow and it's going well, no soreness and good form, progressive overload and proper rest and nutrition (currently at home and free 24/7 which also means I don't get that many steps in)

I would love to hear an opinion on wheter it's too much volume and if I'm doing more harm than good.

Here's the workout - (I do an additional 150 mins of cardio per week, usually a bike or treadmill)

Sunday - Lower

Monday - Upper

Tuesday - cardio/rest

Wednesday - Lower

Thursday - Upper

Friday - cardio/rest

Saturday - cardio/rest

Upper A -

Chest -

Bench Press 5 x 5 (2-3 sets warmup with 60% of capacity and 2-3 sets of max weight)

3 variations of standing cable fly to hit all 3 chest muscles 3x12 (1 set for each height)

Pec deck 3 x 12

Back -

Lat pulldown 4 x 12

Seated row 4 x 12

Bent dumbbell/barbell row 3 x 12

Shoulders -

Overhead press (2 heavy sets 5-9 reps and 2 lighter sets with 10-15)

Rear delt face pull ( 3 sets to failure)

Cable side lateral raise (10-15 x 3)

Dumbbell side&front raise to failure

Shrugs 3x12

Arms -

Dropset curls with a cable to failure x 3

Incline DB curl 3 x 12

Tricep pulldown dropsets to failure 4 x 12

Skull crushers 3 x 12

Upper B -

Chest-

15-30 Degree Incline dumbbell press 3 x 12

Dips 4 x 5

Pec deck 3 x 12

Back-

Bent dumbbell/barbell row 3 x 12

Pullups 3 x failure ( I suck at pullups so I sometimes do lat pulldowns instead)

Seated row 4 x 12

Shoulders-

Overhead press (2 heavy sets 5-9 reps and 2 lighter sets with 10-15)

Y cable raise 3x12

Cable side lateral raise (10-15 x 3)

Dumbbell side&front raise to failure

Shrugs 3x12

Arms-

Incline DB curl 3 x 12

EZ bar curl 4x12

Overhead extension 3x12

Hammers 3x12

Lower A&B - (same routine on both days)

Squat 5x5

Leg extensions 4x12

Seated leg curls 4x12

Leg press 4x12

Dumbbels Romanian deadlift 3x12

Calf raise with a bar 3x12

Abs-

Cable crunch 3x12

Bicycle Crunch

Incline situp

Knee raise

Plank

Would love to hear opinions, thanks

 

[aloap_aloap]

@azfara Too much volume imo, just limit to 5-6 movements max a day

 

[mommajulesberry]

@aloap_aloap id argue that even just really dialing in the movement quality (get that deep stretch, act like dr mike is watching, push near failure or beat the books) would intuitively make it so that OP would get the same stimulus out of far fewer sets and be able to assess volume needs more accurately

 

[surfing_australian]

@mommajulesberry Yup him doing this much volume with less than 2 years of experience should be destroying him completely.

All the 3x10s and 4×12s instead of rep ranges and double progressions are also a telltale sign that failure is too far away, the weight is too light or the rep quality is bad. Probably some combination of all three.

 

[azfara]

@aloap_aloap What do you mean by 5-6 movements? As in do 1 exercise per muscle? (e.g just bench instead of adding cable fly and pec deck)

 

[aloap_aloap]

@azfara If you target full body, yes pick one exercise per muscle group

 

[azfara]

@aloap_aloap But if I do 2 upper and 2 lower workouts per week, doing just 5 sets of bench each workout is the equivalent of 10 weekly sets which is the bare minimum, wouldn't it be better to do the higher end of 20 weekly sets per muscle group?

 

[dhkkim]

@azfara 10 isn't bare minimum but exercise variety might be warranted. Either way if you can only do upper/lower 2x per week I'd focus on building strength primarily and just have enough volume to grow. Probably 5-6 sets per session for a muscle are sufficient, so 3 bench and 3 pec fly is chest done for day one. Then you can account for fatigue (e.g tri and front delt tired from bench) and maybe do slightly less like only 4 for tri if you do an ohp too. Variables depend, just train hard and start low on the volume end. If you have good recovery and gain then keep going, if not then you can change it. Start low and build up. That volume is too high. Choose your exercises smartly so muscles are worked harder (and more cohesively) and less volume is needed in a session.

 

[mm1992]

@azfara 20 sets a week at a extremely low effort per set will get HORRIBLE results compared to 6-10 sets to failure. Stop thinking more sets+more exercises=more muscle. That is not how it works at all.

 

[man_in_pain]

@azfara Yes I would do upper a
flat bench 1 or 2 sets to failure 5-8 rep range

Lat pulldown 2 sets 12-15 reps

Any type of row 2-3 sets 8-12 rep range

Any type of shoulder press 2-3 sets

Delt exercise 2 sets choose your rep range

1 or 2 tricep exercises thats it

On your lower day due biceps

 

[12345]

@azfara Lower the volume. Drop the front raises. Two overhead presses and lateral raises once is enough per week imo. I'd rather do deadlifts than shrugs. At least do a heavy hip hinge movement.

 

[azfara]

@12345

heavy hip hinge movement

So there's no need to isolate the anterior deltoid by doing front raises?

I'm also doing the Romanian deadlifts for the hip hinge instead of deadlifts.

And by lower the volume do you mean dropping the sets, reps or exercises?

 

[12345]

@azfara You use the front delts a lot on presses. Most people have overdeveloped front delts compared to lateral and posterior deltoids. It's the same for me and I haven't done any direct front delt work for years.

3x12 is quite a high rep range from Romanian deads. If it works for you, why not? I prefer to keep it at 6-8 reps and get some volume and more TUT for the hams with leg curls.

I meant dropping both exercises and a couple of sets here and there. Focus on the quality of each rep and go hard every single set. 2 movements for every major muscle group of the body part in each workout can be enough. You want to minimum required stimulus to make progress.

 

[mycroft1325]

@azfara I would collapse halfway through lol

 

[japle]

@azfara I was reading this thinking it was a bro split and was like yeah this seems fine why's he thinking this is overkill, until it hit me that this was the first upper day alone. Too much.

 

[overcoming1]

@azfara dude. abs like any other muscle group no need hammering them with all of that 5 2x times a week.

21 set per chest is lot u can remove one of isolations in both of days.

u can make lat raise 4 set and remove dumbell one. and u really not need front raise.

16 set direct biceps work also can be lot.

leg day looks nice

 

[brodri91]

@azfara In my opinion, I'd go on a proven bodybuilding program vs something you made yourself. And stick with it for 4-6 months, and progressively getting stronger on the lifts.

The Boost Camp app has a ton of free programs.

 

[azfara]

@brodri91

The Boost Camp

Thanks, I'll try it out! I honestly compared like 5-6 sites with Upper/lower splits and I thought they were way too low volume and I can do a lot more so I decided to compile a list of my own and probably ended up doing every exercise under the sun which is now clear to me that is a mistake lol.

 

[hollytranquil]

@azfara I’d stop doing so many sets per each exercise and maybe just add in another different one but that’s just my personal preference…

Edit: ignore what I said, I thought each muscle group was a separate training day but knowing that holy shit that is way too much volume

 

[dhkkim]

@azfara Bro 6-8 sets per session for a muscle is sufficient unless you are very advanced. Like 4 sets of bench and 3 sets of incline and you are done for chest, and tris and shoulders are pre-exhausted so you maybe only do 2 ohp, 5 set tri and then some whatever else. Choose your exercises properly and focus on performing with high intensity near failure every set but not all the way to fatigue too early. You don't need so much volume and recovery is more important for gains.