By fall 2024, the body part split had done its job. I had a foundation, a feel for the gym, and enough data on my body to know what was working. But something was missing — core work and more intentional shoulder volume weren’t getting the attention they deserved in a pure push/pull/legs setup.
So Phase 2 was about refinement, not reinvention. We dropped the dedicated arms day (RIP, but it was time) and redistributed that volume into smarter day pairings. Abs and core became a genuine priority, not an afterthought tacked onto the end of a session.
The New Split
- Day 1 – Chest & Triceps: Pure push day with heavier pressing emphasis.
- Day 2 – Legs & Abs: Full lower body plus dedicated core work built into the session.
- Day 3 – Back & Biceps: Pull day with barbell deadlifts entering the mix.
- Day 4 – Chest / Shoulders / Abs: Secondary chest session stacked with shoulder volume and more core.
What changed structurally was the frequency of core work. Instead of maybe doing a few cable crunches at the end of a session if energy allowed, abs were now programmed deliberately into Day 2 and Day 4. That shift made a real difference.
Muscle Focus by Day
Day 1 — Chest & Triceps
Chest day got a serious upgrade this phase. We kept the Chest Press Machine and Incline Chest Press as anchors, but added the Seated Dip Machine for a compound triceps finisher, and kept the Butterfly / Pec Deck for chest isolation. The dip machine is underrated — it hammers triceps and lower chest simultaneously, and the assisted version lets you push past failure safely.
Day 2 — Legs & Abs
This was the biggest structural improvement of Phase 2. Barbell Squats entered the program here — a massive step up from machine-only leg work. We also introduced Barbell Deadlifts on leg day, which meant the posterior chain was finally getting serious attention. Core work was built into the session with Cable Crunches and Romanian Deadlifts for the abs and lower back. Check out cable crunches if you haven’t tried them — they’re one of the most effective weighted ab exercises out there.
Day 3 — Back & Biceps
The pull day evolved significantly. Back Extensions (hyperextensions) came in for lower back health, and we added serious variety to the bicep work: Barbell Curls, Cable Curls, Hammer Curls, and eventually Preacher Curls on the machine. The Lat Pulldown and Seated Cable Row stayed as the primary back movers, with the barbell deadlift rotating in for heavy posterior chain loading.
Day 4 — Chest, Shoulders & Abs
This was a genuinely interesting day — a second chest stimulus with a major shoulder focus stacked on top. Shoulder Press Machine, Lateral Raise, and Rear Delt Fly all made appearances, along with another round of chest isolation work. Finishing with weighted cable crunches and Russian twists meant abs got hit twice per week. The Hack Squat Machine also started showing up here occasionally as extra quad volume.
Phase 2 Weight Update
| Workouts | Total Sets | Total Reps | Total Volume Lifted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 867 | 9,449 | 886,478 lbs |
Here’s where things stood by the end of Phase 2 (November–December 2024):
Day 1 — Chest & Triceps
- Chest Press Machine: 130–165 lbs × 8–10 reps
- Incline Chest Press Machine: 90 lbs × 7–9 reps
- Butterfly / Pec Deck: 95–100 lbs × 14–15 reps
- Seated Dip Machine: 125–185 lbs × 9–15 reps
- Triceps Rope Pushdown: 44–49.5 lbs × 10–12 reps
- Triceps Extension (Cable): 33–38.5 lbs × 10–12 reps
Day 2 — Legs & Abs
- Squat (Barbell): 160 lbs × 8 reps
- Deadlift (Barbell): 185 lbs × 5 reps
- Leg Press (Machine): 360 lbs × 10 reps
- Leg Extension: 130 lbs × 10 reps
- Romanian Deadlift: 90 lbs × 10 reps
- Cable Crunch: 44–82.5 lbs × 15 reps
Day 3 — Back & Biceps
- Lat Pulldown (Cable): 121 lbs × 9–10 reps
- Seated Cable Row (V-Grip): 88–99 lbs × 10 reps
- Deadlift (Barbell): 140 lbs × 8 reps
- Bicep Curl (Barbell): 50–60 lbs × 8–10 reps
- Bicep Curl (Cable): 44 lbs × 10–12 reps
- Hammer Curl (Dumbbell): 30–35 lbs × 7–10 reps
- Preacher Curl (Machine): 35 lbs × 9–10 reps
Day 4 — Chest, Shoulders & Abs
- Shoulder Press (Machine): 100–120 lbs × 9–10 reps
- Incline Chest Press Machine: 90–110 lbs × 10 reps
- Chest Fly (Machine): 100 lbs × 11–12 reps
- Lateral Raise (Machine): 35–40 lbs × 12 reps
- Rear Delt Reverse Fly: 40–45 lbs × 12 reps
- Cable Crunch: 82.5 lbs × 15 reps
- Russian Twist (Weighted): 20 lbs × 20 reps
Strength made a real jump this phase, especially on compound lifts. The barbell squat and deadlift entering the program changed the trajectory of everything lower body related.