Upper/Lower Routine

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

Hi all,

First of all, thanks for all the resources on T-Nation and the forum !

So I’ve been working out for 1-2 years with some breaks, first doing a full-body routine 3x/week and then doing a PPL routine 5-6x/week. My goal is to gain weight and strenght (I’ve gone from 75kg for 1m87 to 85kg - but need to eat more). I’m an ectomorph. To estimate my level, I can bench press 4-5x90kg, Deadlift 4x115kg, Squat 4x100kg, Shoulder press 6x50kg.

I’ve been injured for a month and so wanted to come back with a routine more injury-friendly than PPL on the upper body. Upper/Lower seems to be great, although upper body 2x/week seems minimal.

Can you please comment on whether this routine is adapted to me and whether the exercise selection is good? Also, should I do a PHUL programme or stick to a 8-10 rep range for all exercises?

UPPER A
-Bench Press 4x
-BB bent-over row 4x
-Shoulder press 4x
-Lat pulldown 3x
-Chest fly 3x
-Triceps pushdowns 3x
-EZ BB curl 4x

LOWER A
-10mn run
-Squat 4x
-Leg extension 3x
-Leg curl 3x
-Abs

UPPER B
-Incline bench 4x
-Weighted pull-ups 4x
-Weighted dips 3x
-Seated row 3x
-Lateral raise 4x (supersetted with facepulls?)
-Triceps pushdown 3x
-Hammer curls 3x

LOWER B
-10mn run
-Deadlift 4x
-DB Lunges 4x
-Calves raises 4x
-Abs

Thanks a lot for the help guys!

2

I think you’re over thinking it.

Eat 500-1000 more cals per day than maintenance.

Sleep 7-8 hrs.

Use 20/10/5 kg plates.

Week 1 sets of 5 start at 50 % of max. Make jumps between sets using those plates. You can vary the volume and intensity from week to week this way. If you want more volume make smaller jumps if you walk more intensity make bigger jumps. Work up til you come to a weight you know you won’t get 5 and stop.

Week 2 same using triples
Week 3 same using doubles
Week 4 bodybuilding only

Always hit required reps. NEVER MISS REPS.

1 Like
3

That’s not a program, that’s a list of exercises with the number of sets.

What’s wrong with pre existing, proven programs?

Edit: just to clarify, that’s a genuine question. What issues do you hope to solve by using this template that other, proven programs don’t solve?

2 Likes
4

How tall are you?

5

I wanted to do this programme (PHUL) Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower (P.H.U.L.) Workout | Muscle & Strength

But it seems really light on shoulder development (shoulder press as the 5th exercise, no face-pull or rear delt exercise).

Also, i’m not sure whether at my level, having a power day (3-5 reps) and a volume day (8-12 reps) is recommended at intermediate level.

6

I’m 6’2

7

Thanks for the reply !

What do you mean by triples and doubles ?
Also, why not miss reps? Isn’t the goal progressive overload ? I tend to often go to failure and sometimes miss reps on my heavy sets (e.g. 2 reps on bench press or deadlift instead of 3-5) - I do longer sets for small muscle groups where I don’t try to overload it as much

8

You are not intermediate level. Putting aside how meaningless a qualification that is, no-one on this site would reasonably describe you as intermediate.

And, while I’m not the guy you’re asking:

A triple is 3 reps, a double is 2

Progressive overload means you consistently increase the work done over time, either with more weight, more reps, less rest etc. Failing reps is not a necessary part of progressive overload.

9

You make progress over time. The purpose of not missing reps is handling a weight for that rep scheme you can handle. Pushing to failure is recipe for disaster when you do it on a regular basis. You will get hurt it is a certainty. This method keep you progressing more and more over time. Let’s say you are 5 rep Max on the bench is 225. The following 2 weeks you’ll be handling more weight even if it’s for less reps. Eventually using this method that 225 will become 235 and 245. Strength takes time work and consistency.

1 Like