Am I doing too much volume? (i know this is aked a lot)

[Marosteeha]

So I'm really new to the forum, have read quite a lot here and I'm a bit suspicious now that i might be working out too much and I would like you guys help actually figuring out if I'm doing too much volume.

Things to consider:

1. I work out at 5 am. Monday to Friday
2. Only have an hour to workout (5 am - 6 am)
3. I've been working out for a bit over a year now.
4. Here is where it gets complicated: I have been diagnosed with OCD so that's something you're going to have to take into consideration (I'm the crazy guy walking around with the spray bottle lol!). They way I organized my routine is heavily influenced by my OCD, so for example I have to work out in the same order every morning, or go through the gym in the same order at least.
5. I always do 10 reps for each set, 3 sets for each exercise and rest 80 seconds exactly between sets.
6. I tried getting at least 10 sets (some are like 18) per body part as i read its the most effective, so for that reason it might look like the volume is high, specially upper body.

So lest jump to the routine:

5 days, upper/lower split (3 upper, 2 lower) (I'm willing to do a 4 day split if you guys think that I'm doing too much)

Day 1 (Monday) - Upper Body Barbell

• Chest: Barbell Decline Bench Press
• Front Delts: Barbell Shoulder Press
• Back: Barbell Bent Over Row
• Triceps: Barbell Triceps Extension
• Biceps: Barbell Biceps Curl

• Chest: Machine Chest press
• Side Delts: Machine Lateral Rise
• Back Delts: Machine Reverse Fly
• Biceps: Machine Biceps Curls

--------------------------------------

Day 2 (Tuesday) - Legs / Abs

• Legs: Back Squat
• Glutes: Adductor
• Glutes: Back Extension
• Quads: Leg Extension
• Hams: Leg Curl
• Calves: Seated calf press

• Abs: Machine Crunch
• Abs: Decline Sit-Ups

--------------------------------------

Day 3 (Wednesday) - Upper Body Dumbbell

• Chest: Dumbbell Bench Press
• Front Delts: Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Back: Incline Bench Dumbbell Row
• Triceps: Dumbbell Tricep Extension
• Biceps: Dumbbell Incline Curls

• Chest: Machine Chest press
• Side Delts: Machine Lateral Rise
• Back Delts: Machine Reverse Fly
• Biceps: Machine Biceps Curls

--------------------------------------

Day 4 (Thursday) - Legs / Abs

• Legs: Front Squat
• Glutes: Hip Thrust
• Glutes: Adductor
• Quads: Leg Extension
• Hams: Leg Curl
• Calves: Seated calf press

• Abs: Machine Crunch
• Abs: Decline Sit-Ups

--------------------------------------

Day 5 (Friday) - Upper Body Cable

• Chest: Cable Crossover
• Front Delts: Cable Shoulder Press
• Back: Cable Straight-Arm Pull-down
• Triceps: Cable Triceps Pushdown
• Biceps: Cable Curl

• Chest: Machine Chest press
• Side Delts: Machine Lateral Rise
• Back Delts: Machine Reverse Fly
• Biceps: Machine Biceps Curls

Thanks so much for your input, i know this has been asked a lot.. and for at least a month I've been putting off asking, but my confusion got a point where i cant take it any more.

[CalebRM]

No. Listen to your body. Are you recovering?

[Marosteeha]

No. Listen to your body. Are you recovering?

I think so.... i sometimes have articulation aches but muscles are usually ok.

[sooby]

are your progressing in the amount of weight being put on the bar, or reps? or some sort of progressive overload?

[Marosteeha]

are your progressing in the amount of weight being put on the bar, or reps? or some sort of progressive overload?

Certain areas yes, like my squat and my chest. but my biceps have been on the same place for a while, so are my shoulders

[ironwill2008]

Certain areas yes, like my squat and my chest. but my biceps have been on the same place for a while, so are my shoulders

Sounds like what most beginners say. If you like your routine, and are satisfied with your rate of gains, just keep doing what you're doing.


If not, drop it and start on one of the beginner programs from the stickies at the top of this forum.

[Marosteeha]

Sounds like what most beginners say. If you like your routine, and are satisfied with your rate of gains, just keep doing what you're doing.


If not, drop it and start on one of the beginner programs from the stickies at the top of this forum.

But do you have any thought on my program? do you find it excessive? would you do it?

[zGwild]

I don`t know if you did it intentional or not but you pretty much set it up in a heavy medium light set up. You have your barbell lifts which are heavy. Then you have a dumbbell day which limits that amount of weight you can lift and then the cable day further lowers the stress that is applied. Honestly I like the set up and as long as you are making progress I don`t see a reason to change it.

[Marosteeha]

I don`t know if you did it intentional or not but you pretty much set it up in a heavy medium light set up. You have your barbell lifts which are heavy. Then you have a dumbbell day which limits that amount of weight you can lift and then the cable day further lowers the stress that is applied. Honestly I like the set up and as long as you are making progress I don`t see a reason to change it.

Hahaha well thanks then. I organized it like that because of my OCD. I can't do bumbells, barbells and cables on the same day. Weirdly though i can do machines and dumbells -for example- on the same day. Just separated.

The idea of the heavy / medium / light sounds great too. Thanks!

[sooby]

But do you have any thought on my program? do you find it excessive? would you do it?

Doing 3 sets of 10 for every single exercise probably isn't the best way to go about it and you will probably plateau pretty easily. Try varying up your rep schemes. For example doing doing lower reps on your barbell movements (5-8) and higher reps (10-15) on your dumbbell movements for better balance. Longer rest periods for more taxing compound movements will allow you to up the weight and progress as well.

And you probably need more back movements to balance the push-pull ratio: should be at least 1:2

[Marosteeha]

Doing 3 sets of 10 for every single exercise probably isn't the best way to go about it and you will probably plateau pretty easily. Try varying up your rep schemes. For example doing doing lower reps on your barbell movements (5-8) and higher reps (10-15) on your dumbbell movements for better balance. Longer rest periods for more taxing compound movements will allow you to up the weight and progress as well.

And you probably need more back movements to balance the push-pull ratio: should be at least 1:2

Switching up the reps will take me some time to adjust to but I can try that out! adds even more variation to my routine. I just have to work around my OCD.

Interesting that I thought I was doing too much and someone is suggesting adding back movements. I'd have to find where to put them. Thanks!

[fluidZ]

No, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Noobs always think they should beat themselves up with 6 days of exercise, then get mad when they make no real progress in strength or size... then they hop around from program to program trying to find the secret.

Worse, some people give vague advice like "if it's working for you", "are you recovering enough?" etc, when noobs have no way of gauging if something is working for them (generally they think soreness is a good intake) or the results they would get by switching to proper programming....

and then you end up with dudes like the guy that came in here last week with a 325 bench and a 140lb row, from years of "doing what worked for him". Surgeons love dudes like that, because it brings them in the $$


The simple fact is there's nothing you can come up with that will work better for you than something that the experts have come up with and have been using for the past 40 years.... And those programs are free or readily available...


Noobs are gonna grow like weeds with minimal stimulation... 9 sets a WEEK for pressing / legs, and 18 sets a week for back / shoulders.... if you're doing double that or more, yeah, you're doing too much and throwing away time in the gym and making it harder for yourself in the future when ya actually *need* more sets.

[ironwill2008]

But do you have any thought on my program?

For a number of reasons, I don't generally get involved in 'critique my routine' threads here, but your thread title, " i know this is aked a lot," click-baited me.

do you find it excessive?

It appears to be that way, yes. Usually, long, drawn-out routines written by beginners have the 'kitchen sink' problem---every exercise under the sun is included in there somewhere; the "if some is good, more is better" mindset is pervasive among beginners. The result is lack of focus of effort on the few basic, compound exercises (the ones that return the most benefit), and the trainee wearing himself out working the 'beach' muscles instead.

would you do it?

No, because I know better.

But when I was a beginner, I did something similar; I cobbled together a 45-set "routine" that I performed 6---and sometimes 7---days a week. I made some initial gains (anything works for a beginner, for a while anyway), but I gradually began grinding myself into dust. Progress stalled dead, and I got discouraged about my lack of further progress. I had no idea what was wrong; I was busting my butt in the gym, and dragging myself out of there every day, but had nothing to show for it.


Eventually, I learned how to train effectively. Fortunately for me, I did so before I just got so discouraged and run-down that I quit altogether. That was almost 25 years ago.

[Marosteeha]

Thanks everyone for their input! i really appreciate it. I will consider everything said and look at other well established routines and see how i can make it work for me. Thanks again!