Opinions on my Workout Plan for Hypertrophy/Aesthetics

I’ve been going on in the gym since March 2021 (I’d say I’m at a intermediate level), I’ve followed a bro-split since then and recently I wanted to change to a frequency 2 programme. I was recommended to get a existing programme and modify it to my needs and I’ve done so with a Jeff Nippard PPL routine adapting it to the volume I had at my bro-split and many other things. What’s your opinion on this routine? My objective is hypertrophy/aesthetics.

CHEST/BACK (DAY 5)
Incline dumbbell press → 3x10-12
Neutral grip pull down → 3x10-12
Chest flies → 3x15
Seated cable row → 3x10
Rear delts on cable → 3x20

CALVES
Horizontal press calves → 4x14-12
Standing calf → 3x12-10
Calf at 1 foot → 2x25-20 without rest
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.
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ARM/SHOULDER (DAY 4)
Military press → 3x8-12
Alternate cable curl → 3x12
Lateral cable raises → 3x8-12
Hammer curls → 3x8
Close grip bench press → 3x8-12
Triceps cable kick → 3x20

HAMSTRING/GLUTES
Deadlift → 3x12-6
Glute kicks → 3x20
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.
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LEG (DAY 3)

Lying hamstring curl → 5x15-12
Quad extensions → 5x15-12
Hack squat → 4x12
Leg press → 4x12
Seated hamstring curl → 4x15-12-15
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.
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PULL (DAY 2)

Unilateral lat pulldown → 2x15-20
Lat pulldown → 4x12-8
Barbell row → 3x8-10
Machine row → 3x10-12
Z bar curl → 3x15
Preacher curl → 3x12

FOREARM
Cable Inverted Curl → 3x14-12
Z bar wrist extension → 3x12-10

ABS
Machine crunch → 40-40-40+37.5+35kg, 3x12-10
Hip lift → 3x12-10
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.
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PUSH (DAY 1)

Incline Barbell Press → 3x12-10
Dumbbell shoulder press → 3x12-8
Dumbbell bench press → 3x12-8
High cable crossovers → 3x12-10
Dumbell skullcrushers → 3x12-10
Lateral Raises → 3x16
Tricep extensions → 3x12-8

CALVES
Standing calf → 3x12-10
Horizontal press calves → 3x14-12
Calf at 1 foot → 2x25-20 without rest

I’ve asked in other forums and I’ve been told this routine has too much of push and lacks pull so is the next routine better or should I stay at the PPL + Arnold Split hybrid, I would still want to do a PPL + Arnold Split hybrid instead of just PPL since I want an arm-focused day but I don’t know how to organize it to not have push-pull imbalances.

PULL 2 (DAY 5)
Neutral Grip Pull → 3x10-12
Seated Cable Row/Seated Cable Row Elbows Flared Out (Superset) → 3x10
Cable pullover → 3x15
Rear delts on cable → 3x20
Alternate cable curl → 3x12
Hammer curls → 3x8

HAMSTRING/GLUTE
Deadlift → 3x12-6
Glute kicks → 3x20
.
.
.
PUSH 2 (DAY 4)
Close grip bench press (Could I change this for extensions?) → 3x8-12
Military press → 3x8-12
Incline Dumbbell Press → 3x10-12
Chest flies-> 3x15
Lateral cable raises → 3x8-12
Triceps cable kick → 3x20

CALVES
Horizontal press calves → 4x14-12
Standing calf → 3x12-10
Calf at 1 foot → 2x25-20 without rest
.
.
.
LEG (DAY 3)

Lying hamstring curl → 5x15-12
Quad extensions → 5x15-12
Hack squat → 4x12
Leg press → 4x12
Seated hamstring curl → 4x15-12-15
.
.
.
PULL (DAY 2)

Unilateral lat pulldown → 2x15-20
Lat pulldown → 4x12-8
Barbell row → 3x8-10
Machine row → 3x10-12
Z bar curl → 3x15
Preacher curl → 3x12

FOREARM
Cable Inverted Curl → 3x14-12
Z bar wrist extension → 3x12-10

ABS
Machine crunch → 40-40-40+37.5+35kg, 3x12-10
Hip lift → 3x12-10
.
.
.
PUSH (DAY 1)

Incline Barbell Press → 3x12-10
Dumbbell shoulder press → 3x12-8
Dumbbell bench press → 3x12-8
High cable crossovers → 3x12-10
Dumbell skullcrushers → 3x12-10
Lateral Raises → 3x16
Tricep extensions → 3x12-8

CALVES
Standing calf → 3x12-10
Horizontal press calves → 3x14-12
Calf at 1 foot → 2x25-20 without rest

What are your needs?

Honestly whatever program you run for hypertrophy, as long as it effectively stimulates each muscle, is irrelevant. PPL works well, Push/Pull works well, bro split works, whole body everyday, whole body + gap, etc. It’s all pretty much the same.

Just make sure you hit:
quads
hams
glutes
calves
chest
lats (vertical)
lats (horizontal)
erector spinae (lower back)
shoulders
traps
biceps
triceps
forearms
abs

Most people over-emphasize effort on certain muscles (chest and arms mostly) which makes them inherently imbalanced. Pick 1-2 exercises for each muscle and fit them into whatever template you like most - you’ll do fine.

Critiqueing programs is splitting hairs honestly. Like I’d probably never run a program that you design, and you’d probably never run one that I design, because neither of us have any credentials whatsoever.

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The volume I had in my bro-split I mean

Yea that’s true bro but this push-pull imbalance thing worries me, do you know what could I change in the first routine to have it balanced? Adding more pull exercises (but I already have 18 back sets a week when I had like 13 on my bro-split)

Well, there are exercises in it, so… its ok i guess.
As long as there are clear progressive overload goals in it, it doesnt matter what exercises you do for the most part unless you are really trying to do something stupid.

You do have LOOOOTS of shit in there, so thats way too much for my taste but if you can recover - no one probably will ever be able to tell how much and which exercises you did, when your body is developed.

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Time, effort and consistency are the keys here. Your lists of exercises are not that important.

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for real, pick 2 exercizes per muscle group, then split them into respective days. Your back sets are guarenteed to overnumber your chest sets because the back has more muscles in it (traps, lats (horizontal and vertical), lower back.

Don’t over-criticize your routine dude, you’re probably doing fine as it is.

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I was told in another forum that I would have shoulder problems from it, that’s why I’m saying tbh.

If you bought a Nippard program, no way would I modify it. Just do what he has written. None of us are special; it will work fine. I don’t say that to be mean. It’s actually a little freeing. Our bodies will all pretty much do the same things, so you can pick what you like doing.

The push/ pull ratio thing is one of these weird internet “rules” I don’t understand. If your shoulders start bothering you, just throw in some band pulls between all your pressing warmups. Problem solved and you didn’t have to do anything major.

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I mean sure, if you neglect your rear delts and only train front delts - you’ll have the posture of a caveman in no time. This doesn’t happen really unless you’re deliberately avoiding rear delt work, but anything’s possible.

100% agree

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:cry:

Why do I continue to click on these threads when I know exactly what to expect every time?

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Agree, unless a person is already dealing with some joint issues and some exercises are off-the-table then taking a program from a T-nation article, or one of the books/programs produced by most authors on the site (or someone like Nippard) is going to be a safer bet than writing a program for oneself.

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Squats are hard and they hurt my ego.

I genuinely don’t understand the need to make your own program when people who KNOW how to make people bigger and stronger have already done it for you.

When I wanted to learn how to cook a tri tip roast, instead of buying 140 roasts and cooking them all differently until I figured out the “right” way to do it, I googled “how to cook a tri tip roast” and followed the recipe of people that knew how to cook.

It meant I only had to buy ONE roast and only had to cook it ONE time. Much less wasted time and energy.

And once I had a solid handle on how to do that, THEN I could experiment a little.

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A Tried and True Bodybuilding Program Template (t-nation.com)

Use this. Its much simpler.

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It’s a free programme but I can only train 5 days a week and it’s a 6-day programme, the last programme is the programme without modifications but the leg day is the one I used to do in my bro-split. What should I do then, fit hams and quads into push 1 and pull 2?

Honestly, if it was me, I’d pick a 5-day program OR make my “week” 8 days long (which won’t affect anything).
I have 0 desire to do any thinking myself; I just want to follow the program!

2 Likes