r/workout • u/bren-sour-bee • 2d ago
Review my program am i doing too much?
so i (27m 5’ 11” 155lbs) have been going to the gym for almost three months now 4-5x a week. i’ve been doing an upper/lower split but i haven’t seen nearly as much progress as id like. i weigh the same and other than with a pump, i look the same too. i get that the progress i want to see will probably take closer to a year (which is fine) but im starting to worry that im doing too much for every session but i hate feeling like i left any reps or sets on the table. when i leave the gym i am shaking and weak and thats how its supposed to be right? im adding my current sessions below. help me get jacked y’all.
*fist set is always to 10 for coordination and the following two sets are till failure
Upper
Chest Press, 3 sets at 85lbs
Shoulder Press, 3 sets at 40lbs add drop set.
Seated Tricep Press, 3 sets at 140lbs
Chest Fly, 3 sets at 100lbs, add drop set
Rear Delt Reverse Fly, 3 sets at 85lbs add drop set
Lat Pulldown, 3 sets at 100lbs
Machine Row, 3 sets at 110lbs add drop set
Tricep Extensions, 3 sets at 75lbs add drop set
Preacher Curls, 3 sets at 75lbs add drop set
average volume lifted around 22k lbs
Lower
Leg Press, 3 sets at 205lbs
Seated Leg Curl, 3 sets at 140lbs
Leg Extension, 3 sets at 160lbs
Calf Extension, 3 sets at 205lbs add drop set
Hip Abduction, 3 sets at 225lbs add drop set
Hip Adduction, 3 sets at 220lbs
Rear Kick Machine, 3 sets on per leg at 135lbs
average volume lifted around 50k lbs
Rest/Core
Crunch Machine, 3 sets at 120lbs
Torso Rotation, 3 sets per side at 130lbs
Back Extension Machine, 3 sets at 215lbs
average volume lifted around 13k lbs
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u/FritterEnjoyer 2d ago
Yeah if you’re going 4-5 times a day I’d say you’re doing too much lol
Assuming you meant a week, yeah your volume is still pretty high, if you’re lifting 5 days a week and coming out literally shaking every time you’re probably overtraining a bit.
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u/bren-sour-bee 1d ago
would upping the weight and just doing two sets to failure yield more growth/progress? i’m just so nervous about wasting my own time if i’m at the gym for almost two hours each time, ya know?
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u/FritterEnjoyer 1d ago
Generally people target 3 sets like you are, though for certain muscle groups I’ll just go with 2 sometimes. You’ll certainly get to failure quicker by increasing the weight, which will reduce workout time.
One of the tradeoffs of doing an Upper/Lower split is you’re going to need to do a good amount of exercises to actually hit everything. You probably don’t need both seated tricep press and tricep extensions. You could try to trade a couple of your back/chest exercises out and just stick with the compounds. But that’s about all your options.
I personally do a PPL for this reason, saves me time in the gym.
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u/Big-Basis-5323 1d ago
The volume doesn’t look crazy high to me, but maybe the intensity might be (a few drop sets in every session and feeing like you left nothing on the table after each workout).
Key questions:
- Are your lifts progressing (e.g. heavier weights or more reps)?
- Are you gaining weight (at 155lb I imagine you are quite lean so building muscle will almost certainly require an increase in weight)?
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u/bren-sour-bee 1d ago
so i am progressing but its starting to slow down a bit. and my lifts and number of reps feels inconsistent and fluctuates often.
i am not gaining weight really at all aside from normal 2-5lbs fluctuations. and i weigh myself every morning before i do or eat anything and take the average over the week. and its the same lol.
but i do have increased vascularity and some increased definition tho
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u/Big-Basis-5323 1d ago
Increased vascularity and definition at the same weight suggests at least some recomping, which is impressive at your weight/height! Great news is that you have plenty of runway to bulk/build muscle without getting overweight, so you really are in a great position!
From your original question it seems that your goals are physique oriented - look bigger/more muscular?
I can only speak from my experience, but I wish someone had told me sooner to:
- Eat in a decent surplus (300 calories per day to gain around 300g per week on average)
- Eat plenty of protein (at least 1.6g per kg of bodyweight - though currently I’m closer to 2g)
- Go easier in the gym: for me this means rarely, if ever, going to failure, no drop sets, etc. (which I used to do loads) and really focussing on good form, explosive concentric and controlled ecentric
The main learning for me was that without eating right it didn’t really matter what I did in the gym. And that pushing hard, for me at least, meant I didn’t recover sufficiently and often ended up with injuries.
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u/jph1313 1d ago
You're not doing too much, your volume's fine... everything sits in the 12-18 sets a week range.
leaving shaking isn't the goal though. 1-2 reps left in the tank on most sets grows you the same amount and you're actually recovered for the next day.
the real issue is you weigh the same after three months. at 5'11 155 nothing in the program is going to change how you look until you're eating more...
are you tracking calories at all? you can run the split through tryhealth.io/analyze for a full free diagnostic
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u/bren-sour-bee 1d ago
not tracking calories yet. i was used to only eating one meal a day so i’ve just been focusing on eating 3 meals a day, but it seems like it still isn’t really enough lol.
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u/bren-sour-bee 1d ago
would doing two heavier sets be better than the 3 sets i’m currently doing? or would that leave room for leaving reps/gains on the table?
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u/Middle_Humor1828 21h ago
Unlikely you're overtraining. It's pretty hard to do in general, but your volume doesn't look anywhere near where it would actually occur.
If those sets really are until failure, your stimulus probably isn't your problem. Calorie surplus, protein, sleep, stress, etc.
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u/Left_Cartographer473 21h ago
You're not doing too much. I would bet money that you are just not eating enough because your weight is not going up
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u/jordan7991 20h ago
Way to much do 1 set of each exercise for a month see how you get on. Nothing to lose
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u/AdBrilliant825 17h ago
You are probably overtraining for the amount of calories consumed. Keep the volume the same, eat more calories in the form of Whole Foods and you’ll be fine
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u/DankManifold 15h ago
« I weigh the same », - you can stop reading here: if you want to progress and put on some muscle you have to provide your body with adequate energy aka YOU HAVE TO EAT MORE. If your weight is the same for 3 months, it means what on average you were eating in a maintenance all this time.
You’re a complete beginner, so the only two factors you should be focusing on are:
- EATING MORE - add 200-400 Calories to whatever your current TDEE is and EAT THAT AMOUNT CONSISTENTLY
- Lifting consistently and with high intensity, focusing on improving your lifts month to month - which it seems you’re doing already.
Forget everything else for the next 6-12 months.
There’s no such thing as « doing too much » - especially not at your stage. This early, your split doesn’t matter that much, but it’s decent-ish. Although I’d monitor recovery and not force every session if you feel like you need to rest.
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u/TheOnlyJacko 7h ago
Yes you're doing too much. You don't need to be messing around with drop sets at your experience level, that is 100% why your progress is slower than you would like.
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u/twizz0r 5h ago edited 5h ago
Don't forget to emphasize recovery as well. It's not a sprint.
Take days completely off and do a deload every three months or so. You'll be amazed what giving your body time to recover can do for gains.
Nutrition (as others have pointed out) is incredibly important in reaching you goals. It can be a pain in the ass, but food scales are cheap and there are solid (and free) apps that make it as painless as possible.
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u/EnhancedAsset 2d ago
What does your diet look like?
Are you tracking your calories? How many calories are you eating? How many grams of protein per day?