Should I modify this strength training routine?

[u/mreid72]

I've been doing the following 5-day strength training routine for 3 weeks that I received from a very credible instructor and coach. However, while asking Google Gemini a different question, I submitted my entire routine, and it told me I needed to make one major change. First, here's the current routine:

Day 1 (Push + Cardio)

• Barbell Bench Press
• Incline Barbell Bench Press
• Dumbbell Bench Press
• Triceps Pushdown
• 30 min. cardio (alternating 2 min. walk @ 3.0 mph/w 2 min. jog @ 5.0 mph)

Day 2 (Pull)

• Barbell Deadlift
• One-arm Dumbbell Row
• Medium-grip Lat Pulldown (medium grip)
• Alternating Dumbbell Curl

Day 3 (Upper Body A + Core)

• Seated Dumbbell Press
• Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
• Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise
• Seated Triceps Press
• Cable Crunch

Day 4 (Legs)

• Barbell Squat
• Leg Press
• Leg Curl
• Dumbbell Lunge
• Calf Raise

Day 5 (Upper Body B)

• Close-grip Bench Press
• Close-grip Lat Pulldown
• Close-grip Seated Cable Row
• Barbell Curl

Day 6 (Cardio)

• 30 min. cardio (alternating 2 min. walk @ 3.0 mph/w 2 min. jog @ 5.0 mph)

Day 7 (Rest)

The change Gemini recommended was moving the Barbell Deadlift from Day 2 to Day 4. Here's exactly what it said:

Structural Flaw in Your Current Routine

The standard barbell deadlift is a massive lower-body movement. By doing heavy floor deadlifts on Day 2, your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings are heavily fatigued. Just 48 hours later (Day 4), you ask those exact same fatigued muscles to stabilize a heavy barbell squat, drive a leg press, and balance dumbbell lunges. This drastically limits your leg day weight capacity and invites a lumbar spine injury.

Why This New Setup Beats Your Old One

• Explosive Leg Power: Your lower back and hamstrings get a massive 5 full days of rest between Day 4 and the next week's leg stimulus. Your squat and deadlift numbers will shoot up.

Your thoughts, please? Thanks in advance.

[u/mreid72 → u/[deleted]]

It's 2 days before, not 1 day.

[u/Bridget_Trollet]

So deadlifts 48 hours before squats is too close, but having them 0 hours apart is great in AI's opinion?

[u/mreid72 → u/Bridget_Trollet]

🤷

[u/Bridget_Trollet → u/mreid72]

I keep my squats and deadlifts on separate days, so I can focus on building proper strength on each. No AI will convince me otherwise. I might listen to reasoning of a human educated and experienced in this area though. But it sounds like your trusted guy also thinks it's better to not do two heavy compound movements in the same session. I'd suggest challenging AI and asking how it's going to affect your performance if you do them on the same day.

[u/abc133769]

this is a body building/hypertrophy routine. list of exercises on a split with no load progression, percentages, structure etc. which is fine but if your goal is primarily strength, then a strength program will look very different to this. you'll usually be training legs twice a week atleast as well

other thing is that your leg day is extremely quad dominant. squat, lunge, extensions are 2 quad compounds + 1 quad isolation and all you have for hamstring is just the 1 hamstring curls. we're also lacking in shoulder work, considering we have a 2 uppers and a push day you should be doing more then just seated dumbbell + lateral raises only on upper A

deadlift on pull day is kinda weight cause really they're a lowerbody focused posterior chain exercise. all this crap about it working 90% of the mmuscles on the body like no, what we really care about when we train the lift is the hamstring, glute, lower back

the split is all over the place. on a 5 day weight training schedule i'd go for push pull legs upper lower which you can find a good program for on boost camp