feedback on my routine

I’m looking for some honest feedback on my current routine. I’ve made a few adjustments recently and I’d like some outside perspective.

Quick context: when I started training (1 year ago), my goal was mainly health and general strength . Recently I’ve shifted a bit toward a mix of strength and aesthetics. So I still care about performance, but I also want to optimize my physique.

I used to work with a coach who handled small adjustments over time, but I’m no longer working with him. Since then I’ve been making changes myself, and I want to make sure I’m not doing anything suboptimal.

Also, there are a few lifts that are non-negotiable for me:
Overhead press, bench press, chin-ups for upper body, and squat + deadlift for lower body. I’ve been doing them since the beginning, I’ve progressed well on them, I enjoy them, so I’m not looking to replace those. Everything else is adjustable.

My weekly structure is:
Upper / cardio + isolations / lower / cardio / upper / cardio + isolations / lower

Upper 1:

OHP — 3×5 — RPE 8–9
Chin-ups — 3×4–6 — RPE 8–9
Paused bench — 3×8 — RPE 7–8
Machine row — 3×10–12 — RPE 7–8
Machine dips — 3×10–12 — RPE 7–8

Cardio + isolations (day after upper):

I do ~45 min of zone 2, then:

Biceps curl — 3×10–12 — RPE 7–8
Rear delts fly — 3×12–15 — RPE 7–8
DB lateral raise — 3×12–15 — RPE 7–8

I moved all isolations here because I don’t have time to include them in my upper sessions. I’m not sure if doing them the day after upper (when there’s still some fatigue) is optimal or not.

Lower 1:

ATG squat — 3×5 — RPE 8–9
Deadlift — 3×5 — RPE 7–8
Leg extension — 3×10–12 — RPE 8–9
Leg curl — 3×10–12 — RPE 8–9
Plank — 3 sets

Upper 2:

Bench press — 3×5 — RPE 8–9
Chin-ups — 3×7–9 — RPE 7–8
OHP — 3×8 — RPE 7–8
Machine row — 3×8 — RPE 8–9
Machine dips — 3×8 — RPE 8–9

Cardio + isolations 2:

Same idea as the first one but pushed harder:

Biceps curl — 3×10–12 — RPE 9–10
Rear delts fly — 3×12–15 — RPE 9–10
DB lateral raise — 3×12–15 — RPE 9–10

So basically one moderate isolation day and one harder one.

Lower 2:

Paused squat — 3–4×5 — RPE 7–8
Deadlift — 2×5 — RPE 8–9
Leg extension — 3×10–12 — RPE 8–9
Leg curl — 3×10–12 — RPE 8–9
Plank — 3 sets

What I’m mainly looking for:

Does the exercise selection still make sense given my constraints?
Are these isolations enough or am I missing something obvious (like triceps work)?
Is placing all isolations the day after upper a bad idea?
And overall, does this look balanced?

Appreciate any feedback

Posted May 5, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC

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