Push/Pull/Legs

[JoeBlob12]

I’m going to use pull day as an example but same question goes for push and legs..

Do you guys rotate body parts in sequence throughout the workout or hit each one together?

4 exercises for lats
3 exercises for upper back
2 exercises for traps
2 rear delt
2-3 biceps

Or the other option would be

1 lat
1 upper back
1 traps
1 rear delt
1 bicep
And then repeat 3-4 times

What are the benefits of each one? Is it just preference or is one better than the other for tying everything together? I’m new to push/pull/legs and I like it so far but looking for more info from people who have experimented more.

 

[Eman]

It's personal preference, for the most part. You may need to split things up a little bit because if you do 10 pulling movements and then hit biceps, they're going to be pretty fried. Instead, you can hit them midway so you can actually lift something.

Which brings me to another item... unless you're only training 3 days a week, I would try to break up the volume. You might have just been picking random numbers but that's a ton of exercises. I would try to stick with more bang for your buck movements. If done correctly, you can cut a lot of other items out so you don't have to do so many exercises.

 

[Btcowboy]

Agree with @Eman definately watch your volume, and it being personal preference.

I am running Creeping Death by John Meadows and it is PPL. I dont have to think too much about it as he has it programmed already.

Example back as you used back
1 arm BB row 4x8
Landmine row 3x10
Chins 4xamap
DB pullovers 4x8
Hypers 3x20
DB curl 4x8
Hammer Curl 4x8

 

[Test_Subject]

Too much volume IMO. No matter what you do some of your exercises are going to be halfassed because of fatigue.

If you're doing 5 or 6 day PPL you're going to die with that much volume. I'd trim it down to 2 movements per muscle group at most. Rather than doing a million different movements in a fatigued state, go balls-to-the-wall on a couple and make them count.

Just my 2c.

 

[JoeBlob12]

Ok thanks for the advice. Too much volume has been a serious problem for me for a long time. Mentally, I just can’t help but think I’m leaving some on the table if I don’t hit every angle possible. I also enjoy being in the gym for a long time which makes it hard to lower volume. I’m in the gym 6 days a week so yes it’s a lot but that’s what I enjoy doing so it’s a catch 22.

Thanks for the sample pull routine.. I’m going to try that today and increase the intensity and see how I feel about that. Anyone have a routine I can try for push?

 

[Btcowboy]

Ok thanks for the advice. Too much volume has been a serious problem for me for a long time. Mentally, I just can’t help but think I’m leaving some on the table if I don’t hit every angle possible. I also enjoy being in the gym for a long time which makes it hard to lower volume. I’m in the gym 6 days a week so yes it’s a lot but that’s what I enjoy doing so it’s a catch 22.

Thanks for the sample pull routine.. I’m going to try that today and increase the intensity and see how I feel about that. Anyone have a routine I can try for push?

A good school of thought about angles and again I will use your back as an example. I hit each body part 2x a week and if you did the same an idea would be to have one work out vertical focus and the next one horizontal focus.

 

[Mac11wildcat]

That is an absurd amount of volume.

also..you must be a magician to isolate lats from upper back and upper back from traps.

Think movements per day...not per individual muscle...and define “working set” vs a set...

Decent guideline:
Pull: 7-8
Push: 5-6
Legs: 4-5

Pull covers 4-5 back movements, 1-2 bicep movements, and some rack pulls or deadlifts

Push covers 2-3chest or delt movements (I choose delt or chest dominant for each push day), 1-2 for the other group, 1-2 for triceps (get a lot of work in pressing as is)

Legs I also make quads or ham dominant alternating. And a REAL leg day doesn’t need 19 movements.

 

[Btcowboy]

Slight incline DB press 4x8
Incline BB press 3x6
Hex press 3xamap
Machine flies 3x10
Bent over db swings 4x30
Seated DB press 4x8
Decline tricep extension 4x10
Db overhead extensions 4x10

These are just ideas, meadow has the programming down with certain focuses changing weekly. Also first 3 days are just PPL then last 3 days are PPL pump days.
I tried to send you a file but it would load.

 

[Test_Subject]

I tried to send you a file but it would load.

I've got you covered

 

[JoeBlob12]

That is an absurd amount of volume.

also..you must be a magician to isolate lats from upper back and upper back from traps.

Think movements per day...not per individual muscle...and define “working set” vs a set...

Decent guideline:
Pull: 7-8
Push: 5-6
Legs: 4-5

Pull covers 4-5 back movements, 1-2 bicep movements, and some rack pulls or deadlifts

Push covers 2-3chest or delt movements (I choose delt or chest dominant for each push day), 1-2 for the other group, 1-2 for triceps (get a lot of work in pressing as is)

Legs I also make quads or ham dominant alternating. And a REAL leg day doesn’t need 19 movements.

Ok thanks for the info. And I don’t necessarily mean complete isolation moreso lat dominant movements pulling with my pinky’s down to my hip.. and then pulling with pointer and thumb up higher (and farther back) for upper back dominant movements. Then I’ll “tie” it all together with rack pulls. That’s my thinking at least and it sounds like I have a lot to learn.

For each movement.. Usually 1 warm up set per movement and then 2 real working sets with maybe a drop set to finish.

 

[Sharkweek]

I always used 4 exercises for the major muscle group, and 2 for the minor. Ex back:

Deadlifts 3x5
Bb row 4x8-12
Pull up 4x 8-12
T-bar row 4 x 10-15. Maybe do a drop set or something
Db curl 4 x 10
Bb curl 4 x q0

 

[mp46]

I used to do your second option, the circuit training. I'd do 5-7 exercises but only one set at a time and run through the circuit until I finished 3-4 sets. Now I'm doing the first option 3-4 sets of each exercise before moving on to the next movement, however I only have 5-7 movement for the entire workout not 15+ like you have listed.

Point is I've had great results from both styles, pick what you like and what works in your gym and stick to it.

 

[g-protein]

Decent guideline:
Pull: 7-8
Push: 5-6
Legs: 4-5

Pull covers 4-5 back movements, 1-2 bicep movements, and some rack pulls or deadlifts

Push covers 2-3chest or delt movements (I choose delt or chest dominant for each push day), 1-2 for the other group, 1-2 for triceps (get a lot of work in pressing as is)

Not sure how to interpret this. For example, do you mean 5-6 sets for chest, delts and tris all together, or 5-6 for chest, 5-6 for delts etc? Thanks in advance.

 

[JoeBlob12]

Not sure how to interpret this. For example, do you mean 5-6 sets for chest, delts and tris all together, or 5-6 for chest, 5-6 for delts etc? Thanks in advance.

2-3 for chest, 1-2 for delts, 1-2 for tris

 

[g-protein]

2-3 for chest, 1-2 for delts, 1-2 for tris

Cheers!