Build Muscle
Push / Pull / Legs
Six sessions a week — Push, Pull, Legs, then Push, Pull, Legs again, then a rest day.
- Days a week
- 6
- A session
- 58 min
- Sessions in it
- 6
- Split
- Push / Pull / Legs (6×/Week), Heavy and Volume Days
How it runs
Every muscle group is trained twice a week, three days apart, once heavy and once for volume.
What you actually train
6 sessions, in order. Every movement links to how to do it.
Push A (Heavy)
5 movements
- Barbell Bench Press4 sets of 6 reps
- Standing Barbell Overhead Press (Military Press)4 sets of 7 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Incline Dumbbell Press3 sets of 10 reps
- Cable Lateral Raise3 sets of 14 reps
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension3 sets of 12 reps
Pull A (Heavy)
6 movements
- Conventional Deadlift3 sets of 5 reps
- Pull-Up4 sets of 8 reps
- Barbell Bent-Over Row4 sets of 8 reps
Circuit — straight through, then rest
- Face Pull3 sets of 17 reps
- Dumbbell Shrug3 sets of 13 reps
- Barbell Curl4 sets of 9 reps
Legs A (Quad-Led)
7 movements
- Barbell Back Squat4 sets of 6 reps
- Romanian Deadlift4 sets of 9 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Leg Press3 sets of 12 reps
- Lying Leg Curl (Machine)4 sets of 12 reps
Circuit — straight through, then rest
- Leg Extension (Machine)3 sets of 14 reps
- Standing Calf Raise5 sets of 12 reps
- Hanging Leg Raise4 sets of 10 reps
Push B (Volume)
6 movements
- Incline Barbell Bench Press4 sets of 9 reps
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press4 sets of 10 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Chest Dip3 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise3 sets of 14 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Triceps Rope Pushdown3 sets of 12 reps
- Hanging Knee Raise3 sets of 12 reps
Pull B (Volume)
7 movements
- Pendlay Row3 sets of 8 reps
- Close-Grip Lat Pulldown4 sets of 10 reps
Circuit — straight through, then rest
- Seated Cable Row3 sets of 12 reps
- Dumbbell Shrug3 sets of 13 reps
- Dumbbell Reverse Fly (Rear Delt Fly)3 sets of 15 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Incline Dumbbell Curl4 sets of 11 reps
- Pallof Press3 sets of 20 reps
Legs B (Hip-Led)
7 movements
- Front Squat4 sets of 7 reps
- Barbell Hip Thrust4 sets of 10 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Bulgarian Split Squat3 sets of 16 reps
- Seated Leg Curl (Machine)4 sets of 12 reps
Circuit — straight through, then rest
- Seated Calf Raise5 sets of 13 reps
- Cable Crunch (Kneeling)4 sets of 12 reps
- Side Plank3 rounds of 40 seconds
Why it works
- Ten to twenty hard sets per muscle a week, at the top of the range that is worth doing.
- Six sessions is how that volume is spread thinly enough to finish each one properly — it is not there so that more can be added.
- Heavy days are five to eight reps with up to four minutes of rest; volume days are eight to twenty with shorter rest and different lifts.
- Double progression on every lift: work the bottom of the range, then add the smallest increment once every set reaches the top.
- Two lifts stalling in the same week is a recovery ceiling rather than a motivation problem, and the programme tells you what to do about it.
The one rest day is what the other six are balanced on. It is not a spare slot, and adding to it is the most common way this programme goes wrong.
What to expect
Expect the two leg days to be the longest sessions of the week and the two push days to be the shortest.
Before you start
Before you start, please read this part. Lifting is among the safest and most useful things most people can do, and there is a short list of exceptions worth checking yourself against first.
If you have a heart or lung condition, chest pain or pressure at rest or on effort, dizziness or blackouts, blood pressure or diabetes that is not currently controlled, a hernia, low bone density or osteoporosis, a joint or back problem that is flaring, or you are pregnant or within a year of giving birth, speak to your GP or a physiotherapist before starting and follow their instruction over anything written here.
Stop the set and get advice for chest pain or tightness, breathlessness out of proportion to the effort, dizziness, or a sudden sharp pain in a joint or the back.
Stop it as well for pain, numbness, pins and needles or weakness that travels down an arm or a leg, and get that seen before you load the pattern again. This is six sessions a week with a heavy deadlift and heavy squats in it.
Use a rack with the safety pins set, do not bench alone without them, and treat a back that hurts during the deadlift as a reason to stop the session rather than to finish it. Nothing here is medical advice.
What you need
- Barbell
- Dumbbell
- Cable Machine
- Machine
- Bench
- Pull-Up Bar
- Dip Bars