Routine questions

[karollynn47]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place, but I'm an intermediate lifter but have been inconsistent during COVID. I'm looking to do a hypertrophy focused, cut/body recomposition program. Here's the 6-day PPL program I have now that's based on the equipment available at my gym:

Monday (push)

--Barbell Bench (3x4-6)

--High, Medium, Low cable fly (1x10-12 each)

--Seated Barbell Overhead Press (3x10-12)

--Standing Cable Tricep Pushdown w/ rope (3x15)

--Ab machine, targeting core abs (3x15)

Tuesday (pull)

--Overhand Grip Plate Loaded Lat Pulldown (3x10-12)

--TBar Row (3x10)

--Cable Face Pull (3x12)

--Incline Dumbbell Curl (3x12)

--Decline Russian Twist w/ Weights, for obliques (3x10)

Wednesday (Legs, quad/glute focus)

--Abduction/Adduction superset warm-up (3x15)

--Barbell Back Squat, light warm-up (2x10)

--Hack Squat (3x10)

--Pendulum Squat (3x10)

--Seated Calf Raise Machine (3x12-15)

--Back Extension with weights (3x10-12)

--Standing Glute Kickback Machine (3x-10-12)

--Leg Extension (3x10-12)

Thursday (Push)

--Incline Barbell Bench Press (3x5-7)

--Machine Supported Dips (3x10)

--Plate Loaded Machine Overhead Press (3x10)

--Standing Cable Overhead Tricep Extension (3x10)

--Hanging Leg Raise (3x10 + hold until failure on last set)

Friday (Pull)

--Machine Supported Pull Ups, mixed grip (3x8-10)

--Chest Supported High Row (3x8-10)

--Single Arm Cable Lateral Raise (3x10-12)

--Seated Cable Curl (3x10-12)

--Standing Cable Torso Rotations, obliques (3x10-12)

Saturday (Legs, Hamstring/glutes focus)

--Abduction/Adduction superset warm-up (3x15) (I have a bad hip flexor, so I try to do more)

--Leg Press Machine warm-up (2x12)

----Calf Raise superset w/ leg press (2x20)

--Barbell Good Morning (3x10)

--Dumbbell Walking Jump Lunges (3x10-12)

--Hip Thrust Machine (3x8-10)

--Back Extension with weights (3x12)

--Seated Leg Curl Machine (3x10-12)

Sunday

--Light cardio, elliptical or incline walk. Stretching

Questions:

1) If I'm cutting, should I add more cardio? I work from home, so getting steps is more of a challenge daily.

2) Should I add more to shoulder and trap exercises? I tried splitting up shoulders and deltoids, but I'm not sure if I have sufficient reps for them.

3) Do I need to do more core exercises? I read conflicting info on the amount of ab workouts needed ranging from a few specific core routines a week to none at all. I tried to do only one core exercise a day as a middle ground.

4) Should I add wrist exercises like farmer carries on Sunday? Or do the other workouts suffice in that area?

Notes:

A) I was lifting regularly since 2018ish. Since the pandemic in 2020, I haven't stayed consistent due to a new job and travel. I'm starting a WFH position now so hopefully I can stay on track much easier rather than trying to accommodate with limited hotel gyms

B) I've been testing some of this workout here and there (see travel above), and I've generally felt good, tough leg days took a while to recover. I definitely feel it in my legs and chest, but less so in shoulders and back, but I'm not sure if that's normal

C) Push/Pull workouts take me about an hour, including any wait times. Leg days take about 1.25-1.5 hours simply because they're exhausting. Sometimes I skip the last leg extension/curl depending on energy. I don't want to spend more than that daily unless I'm incorporating cardio.

D) Diet will get on track too. I'm currently about 5'5 177. Looking to get to about 140ish to get back to about 7-8% body fat. I'll be eating about 1400 cals/day (metabolic rate is roughly 1900 or so) and getting 150g protein a day

Thank you! All feedback is welcome.

 

[mommajulesberry]

@karollynn47 first a real 7-8% bodyfat is like beyond photoshoot shredded. this will be a bitch. you will have to be very cognisant of recovery and i recommend deload/refeed when fatigue accumulates

more daily steps good. can pull solely from diet but would rather not because id rather have more levers to pull down the line instead of "fuck guess im eating poverty macros". often less fatiguing than formal cardio but takes more time. generally makes most people feel good though getting 7-10k steps.

if your overhead press and laterals are seeing reasonable strength progression (or maintenance during a cut) no need to jack up volume. my bias is slightly lower volume (for any given proximity to failure) because during a cut fatigue is higher and id rather not be greedy since the time for getting marginal returns from higher volumes is probably not when you are in a large deficit.

you need ab work if you want more muscular abs. if they are already adequately muscular then maintenance is easier than trying to grow them. but the time to grow them is probably not when you are dieting hard. if they are not as protruding as you like when you are lean then train them when you have adequate calories.

often in my experience slightly lower reps of 6-10 feel less fatiguing than higher reps of 10-15.

the generic answer is "go to the wiki and pick a program". you are clearly a hypertrophy purist so id go on boostcamp and window shop and see if you get any ideas on small modifications.

 

[karollynn47]

@mommajulesberry Thank you! 7-8% is more of a target range. Really I just want my abs to pop like they did before and I figured that's what it would take. For ab workouts, I'll keep it lighter until my cut is done and then determine how much work is needed on it to have it pop more