The classic 6-day hypertrophy split. Hit every muscle twice per week with focused push, pull, and leg sessions.
Intermediate lifters chasing hypertrophy with time for 6 sessions a week.
Expected commitment: 60-80 min per session, 6 sessions per week.
Prerequisites: At least 6 months of consistent training. Access to a full barbell, dumbbells, cables, and a few machines.
Chest, shoulders, triceps. Strength bias.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 5-7 | RPE 8 |
| Standing Overhead Press | 3 | 6-8 | RPE 8 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8-10 | RPE 8 |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 4 | 12-15 | RPE 9 |
| Overhead Cable Triceps Extension | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3 | 12-15 | RPE 9 |
Back, rear delts, biceps. Strength bias.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Deadlift | 3 | 4-6 | RPE 8 |
| Weighted Pull-Up | 3 | 6-8 | RPE 8 |
| Pendlay Row | 3 | 8-10 | RPE 8 |
| Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Face Pull | 3 | 15-20 | RPE 9 |
| Barbell Curl | 3 | 8-10 | RPE 9 |
Quads-led leg day. Squat as the main lift.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 4 | 5-7 | RPE 8 |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 6-8 | RPE 8 |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 8-10 | RPE 8 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 8-12 | RPE 9 |
| Hanging Knee Raise | 3 | 10-15 | RPE 8 |
Hypertrophy-bias push. Higher reps, machines + dumbbells.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 8-10 | RPE 8 |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 8 |
| Machine Chest Press | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Cable Crossover | 3 | 12-15 | RPE 9 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 4 | 12-15 | RPE 9 |
| Skull Crusher | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
Hypertrophy-bias pull. Higher reps, isolation finishers.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lat Pulldown | 4 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Single-Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Reverse Pec Deck | 3 | 12-15 | RPE 9 |
| Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
| Hammer Curl | 3 | 10-12 | RPE 9 |
Posterior-chain / hip-dominant. RDL-led.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Squat | 3 | 8-10 | RPE 8 |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 8-10 | RPE 8 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 12-15 | RPE 9 |
| Walking Lunge | 3 | 10-12 per leg | RPE 9 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 4 | 12-15 | RPE 9 |
| Cable Crunch | 3 | 12-15 | RPE 8 |
PPL alternates push, pull, and leg sessions so each major movement pattern gets a full rest day before being trained again. With six sessions a week you hit every muscle group twice — the well-established weekly frequency for maximizing hypertrophy.
The two-wave structure (Heavy → Volume) lets you push close-to-1RM intensity on day one of each pattern, then chase pump and metabolic stress on the second wave with higher reps, more isolation, and shorter rest. Top working sets sit at RPE 8 on heavy days and RPE 9 on volume days.
On MuscleBuddy this program runs with double progression by default: stay in the rep range, hit every rep with good form, and the next session adds a small weight increment. When you stall two sessions in a row, the engine drops volume and re-tests to break through the plateau.
Mesocycles run four hard weeks plus one deload (~60% volume). Treat the deload as productive — it lets accumulated fatigue dissipate so the next block opens with a new strength baseline.
MuscleBuddy auto-advances weights, tracks every set, and adjusts when you stall.
Start this program for free with MuscleBuddy