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Where’s the pull?
Lots of people do a lot of extra exercises to get extra volume that just makes them tired. Looks fine to me.
Shoulder press and incline bench have overlaps but they’re sufficiently different. You can do the same primary (compound) exercises each day but you’ll want to change them out every 8-12 weeks to switch things up a little. But you’d do that anyways if you did different exercises.
Pull I didn't add, was on my phone.
Pull Day 1 (Tuesday)
Pull Day 2 (Friday):
I don't know if it would just be smarter only doing Pull Day 1 or Pull Day 2, but not mixing both. But my main goal is honestly trying to get better at pull ups. But I think I am missing out if I don't do lat pulldowns... So dunno?
Maybe in general it's smarter only doing 1 variation? Push 1, Pull 1, Lower 1, Push 1, Pull 1, Lower 1 instead of doing the next PPL with Push 2, Pull 2, Lower 2..?
All looks reasonable to me. Take deload weeks and change things up if progress stalls. Doesn’t need to be complicated. If you feel like you’re overdoing or under-doing one or more group you can switch things up and take stuff out.
Also keep in mind big muscles need big time to recover, and heavier weights also impact recovery. So even if you’re doing a deadlift focus (for example) you wouldn’t necessarily deadlift 2x a week. It’s just too taxing. Work in glute bridges and RDLs and other accessories instead. But smaller muscles like biceps and triceps need a lot less time to recover, and curls tend to be lightish, so you can do that a lot more.
RP has a whole set of articles about volume if you want to go full nerd but the indicators of how many reps you could get done/weight lifted should be flat or trending up, not trending down. If it is down, you’re going too hard.
Unless you are training to be a professional, do whatever you can do consistently.
I currently do 1 compound and 2 isolation exercises on each day, with some forearm work. I used to do 5-6 exercises per day but it felt too exhausting and I needed a deload after a few weeks.
I am seeing good progress with both routines. It might be a little less in the new one but I have much more energy throughout the day.
9 sets is just fine. Recent research seems to suggest that 10 is optimal (some gains after that but returns diminish quickly).
Take a look at the work by Dr. Pak (Androulakis-Korakakis) on minimum effective dose training. I might get maybe 3-6 sets of chest a week deepening on what wrist is going on and I'm still making gains.
3-6 Sets a week.
If I do Flatbench Press and Incline Benchpress the same day I have 3 Mid Chrst Sets and 3 Upper Chest Sets.
If I do it again on thursday I have 6 Sets of mid and upper chest?
Maybe I should ramp it up to 4 Sets per exercise but then I still only got 8 Chest Sets. 10 is friggin amazing
I like to go with as much volume as is necessary to get a positive response. If my reps are going up and/or RPE is going down I know that I'm making progress and that whatever volume I'm using is adequate. That might not be optimal, but I don't get burned out this way, and if things start to stall I have room to increase volume further if I need to. That's just my preference, though.
The volume seems pretty good considering that you have those compound movements in there which count for a bit more than isolation exercises.
The variation is probably optional, you're still in the beginner stages you'll pack on muscle just brushing up against the weights. Since one of your goals is improving pull-ups I think you may be better served doing pullups more often. Maybe swap out dumbbell hammer curls on pull day 2 for more pullups?
Am I still considered beginner after 6 months? Iam 32 and started lifting in December 2024
It varies from person to person and how you have been training, but generally it's around two years I believe. But in training terms it means that you can recover faster and pack on a lot more muscle than someone who is more advanced. In my first year I gained about 20lbs, second year 10lbs and third year 5lbs. I would consider myself moving into intermediate level now