Optimizing my push/pull/legs program

[CJJ]

Day1/4
Chest Press (machine) 5x 4-8
Dumbbell incline press 4x8
Machine Fly 3x8
Rear delt fly (cable) 2x8
lat raise (cable) 2x8
front lat raise (cable) 2x8
Dumbell shoulder press 3x8
Dip (machine) 3x8
Rope Pushdowns 3x8
Overhead extensions 3x8



Day2/5
Deadlift 5x8
Lat pulldown 4x8
Seated bar row (machine) 3x8
Close cable row 3x8
Dumbbell curl (incline) 3x8
zottman curl 3x8
straight bar curl 3x8


Day3/6
Leg Press 5x8
Leg extension 4x8
Hamstring curl 4x8
calf raises 4x8
(Gym doesnt have a squat rack/area if I wanna squat id have to use the smith machine)



Day7 Rest


Looking for any suggestions on sets/reps/exercises to add/adjust/remove emphasis on size/strength.

[paulinkansas]

6 sets for tris, 9 sets for bis? It should be the other way around.

[air2fakie]

Generally, make sure a PPL and the volume is suitable for your experience and lifts. Aside from that...

Push days

- Presses: Chest, db incline and shoulder are a bit much esp with dips; reduce sets if you want to do all 3 but 2 might be better (can alternate chest and incline press on each Push day)
- Rear delt fly (cable): This is a pull
- front lat raise (cable): Don't need this; your presses are plenty
- Triceps: 3 exercises is too many with your presses, might only need one each workout; at least drop 1, can alternate pushdowns/extensions on the two Push days
- Order: Do your presses/dips first, then go to the flyes/tris/raises.
- Volume: way too much volume for most ppl; can't imagine you need this much if you're going all out

Pull days:

- Rows: if doing 2 rows, for second Pull day might want to add pullups and just do 1 row; but likely can do just 1 vertical and horizontal each day if going heavy. Consider doing a free standing barbell row variation for one of your rows.
- Curls: 3 diff exercises is too many. Go hard on your rows and you'll likely only need 1, at most 2.
- Rear delt fly: move them here from Push day.
- Volume: still prob too much volume but this is more reasonable, Push and Pull days should be similar in volume

Legs:
- Volume: shouldn't be this much less than your Push/Pull days, but more likely a problem on the PP end than here.
- Squats: maybe try goblet squats or db squat variations, lunge variations, hack squats.

[CJJ]

Presses I agree on I think you're right here
Rear delt flys should I switch that to my pull day even though the rest of my shoulder work is on press?

For the volume I go til failure on my last set if I hit 8 on the last set I go up next week so that my last set is usually 4-7. I put everything I have into that last set I progressively overload. Now I do feel good after the workout and I dont seem to have any recovery/injury issues should I still lower the volume? I have been working out on and off for about 20 years now.

For the horizontal row is a bar attachment an acceptable replacement for a standing barbell row/bent over row?

I think dropping a bicep movement might be a good idea or could I lower sets to 2?

Legs I really gotta add something but my knees have been a little iffy (wrestling for years) and too much volume/weight tends to aggravate them. Lunges for w.e reason do it the most. I might try some goblet squats but ive never done them.


Anyone else have some thoughts?

[air2fakie]

Rear delt flys should I switch that to my pull day even though the rest of my shoulder work is on press?

It’s not the end of the world if you have them here, but should be on pull day.

For the volume I go til failure on my last set if I hit 8 on the last set I go up next week so that my last set is usually 4-7. I put everything I have into that last set I progressively overload. Now I do feel good after the workout and I dont seem to have any recovery/injury issues should I still lower the volume? I have been working out on and off for about 20 years now.

There’s almost no chance you need this much volume and can prob make better gains with less. Even if you brought it down to the same volume as Pull day, it’d still prob be too much but at least it’d be balanced. If you feel you’re making good gains this way, it’s up to you what you want to do.

For the horizontal row is a bar attachment an acceptable replacement for a standing barbell row/bent over row?

You’re losing some benefits but it’s fine.

I think dropping a bicep movement might be a good idea or could I lower sets to 2?

You could. If you’re going heavy on rows and pulldowns you may only need 1 bi exercise each Pull day, but 6 sets between 2 or 3 exercises is within reason.

Legs I really gotta add something but my knees have been a little iffy (wrestling for years) and too much volume/weight tends to aggravate them. Lunges for w.e reason do it the most. I might try some goblet squats but ive never done them.

You can also try landmine squats if your gym has a landmine attachment.

[keyboardworkout]

Do this

Day 1 – Push
A.  Chest Pressing Movement 
B.  Chest Isolation Movement 
C.  Shoulder Pressing Movement 
D.  Shoulder Isolation Movement 
E.  Triceps Movement (compound variation) 
F.  Triceps Movement (isolation variation) 
Note: Examples of compound triceps movements include dips and close-grip bench presses, while examples of triceps isolation movements include kickbacks and cable extensions.

Day 2 – Pull
A.  Vertical Pulling Movement 
B.  Another Vertical Pulling Movement 
C.  Horizontal Pulling Movement 
D.  Another Horizontal Pulling Movement 
E.  2 Biceps Movements (pretty much all curl variations) 

Day 3 – Legs
A.  Quad Isolation Movement 
B.  Quad Compound Movement 
C.  Hamstring Isolation Movement 
D.  Hamstring Compound Movement 
E.  2 Calf Movements