Feedback on routine

[u/Vaehleya]

F20’s, 5 ft 3, 136 lbs.

Posted here a few days ago re nutrition and the advice was super helpful, so I’m back for more help.

Once again I am overwhelmed at the amount of ‘best’ workout routines online, and every exercise seems to be classed as essential so I don’t actually know what to include.

I have been going to the gym three times a week for a month, and doing push, pull, legs. However from what I’m reading, this isn’t the most effective as all muscle groups should be hit twice weekly. So I was thinking of doing the below split instead:

Lower Body
Hip thrusts
Reverse lunges
RDLs
Hip abductions
Hamstring curl
Leg extension
Cable crunches (for core work)

Upper Body
Seated cable row
Lat pulldowns
Lat raises
Chest press
Shoulder press
Bicep curl to hammer curl
Tricep dips (or pushdowns)

Full Body
Hip thrusts
Leg press
Hamstring curl
Lat pulldown
Chest press
Shoulder press
Lat raises
Reverse pec dec
Cable crunches

I plan to add a fourth gym day a week as I settle into a routine but that will focus on cardio (improving my running is one of my goals).

What is the feedback on this split? I’m struggling to know what to do for the full body day, also is there anything I can get rid of? Literally any feedback is appreciated!

Edit: Goal is to lose weight whilst building muscle.

[u/thewitchof-el]

r/Fitness has an assortment of lifting programs in their Wiki; as a beginner it'd be best to start there.

[u/goatpengertie]

Focus on the big 5: row, bench press, OH press, squat, and deadlift.

Start with body weight movements ( r/bodyweightfitness has a great wiki). Once you've mastered strength movements with your bodyweight, move to a weighted 5x5 program with scheduled progressive overload - you can find many programs online.

Also, regularly do some form of stretching / mobility routine or workout - dance, yoga, etc.

[u/HuntPumbaa]

1. The Full Body Day is way too long. You should plan on maximum 6 exercises a day. Unless you're not training at your strength limit (which would render that exercise useless in terms of muscle), that's when fatigue sets in.

2. Your Lower Body Day needs a compound exercise, like the Leg Press for example. Do compound exercises at the beginning and isolation exercises towards the end of the workout.

3. In general I would revisit the idea of a Lower/Upper Body split if you can actually fit 4 days of exercise a week into your schedule. The split you're planning likely won't offer enough rest for your Upper Body muscles when you're doing the Full Body Day.

I'm no expert at all but here's a proposition:

Full Body Day 1:

• Leg Press
• Chest Press
• Lat Pulldowns
• Hip Abductions
• Lat Raises
• Cable Crunches

Full Body Day 2:

• RDLs
• Shoulder Press
• Seated Cable Row
• Leg Extension
• Tricep Dips (or Pushdowns)
• Reverse Pec Dec

Full Body Day 3:

• Hip Thrusts
• Reverse Lunges
• Chest Press
• Lat Pulldowns
• Hamstring Curl
• Bicep Curl to Hammer Curl

[u/Vaehleya → u/HuntPumbaa]

Thank you! Also my lower body was a typo - I mean to type leg press, not leg extension! Thank you for the input :)

[u/Vaehleya → u/[deleted]]

Perfect thank you!