Push/pull/legs 6-day routine
Three days of pushing, pulling and legs, repeated twice a week. High weekly volume for lifters who recover well and can train six days.
- Days per week
- 6
- Session length
- 60-80 min
- Level
- Intermediate to advanced
- Schedule
- Push / Pull / Legs / Push / Pull / Legs / Rest
Who it is for
- Lifters who like frequent training and want each muscle hit twice a week.
- People with enough recovery capacity (sleep, food, schedule) for six sessions.
- Anyone who wants each session to have one clear focus.
The workouts
Push · Chest, shoulders, triceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 3 | 5-8 |
| Overhead press | 3 | 6-10 |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lateral raise | 3 | 12-20 |
| Triceps pushdown | 3 | 10-15 |
Pull · Back, rear delts, biceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell row | 3 | 6-10 |
| Pull-up | 3 | 6-10 |
| Seated cable row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Face pull | 3 | 12-20 |
| Barbell curl | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hammer curl | 2 | 8-12 |
Legs · Quads, hamstrings, calves
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 | 5-8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 6-10 |
| Leg press | 3 | 10-15 |
| Lying leg curl | 3 | 8-15 |
| Standing calf raise | 4 | 8-15 |
| Hanging leg raise | 3 | 8-15 |
Weekly volume
Direct sets per week for each muscle that an exercise targets first. Secondary work, such as triceps during pressing, adds to this but is not counted.
| Muscle | Sets per week |
|---|---|
| Shoulders | 18 |
| Lats | 18 |
| Chest | 12 |
| Quads | 12 |
| Hamstrings | 12 |
| Biceps | 10 |
| Calves | 8 |
| Triceps | 6 |
| Abs | 6 |
| Brachialis | 4 |
How to progress
- Run the first pass of each day heavy (the low end of each range) and the second pass lighter and higher in the rep range.
- Keep one or two reps in reserve on most sets; six days a week does not leave room for grinding every set.
- Plan a deload every five or six weeks by cutting sets roughly in half while keeping the load the same.
Questions
Can I run push/pull/legs three days a week?
Yes: run the sequence once through a week and start again. Each muscle is then hit once weekly, which works but needs more sets per session than the six-day version to compete on volume.
Is six days too much for natural lifters?
It depends on sleep, calories and how hard you push each set. If your performance drops for two weeks, move to an upper/lower four-day split.
Where do arms and abs fit?
Arms ride along on the push and pull days, and abs on the leg day in this template. Add a second ab exercise anywhere you like.
Run it and keep the numbers.
Log each session in Fortis, see your weekly volume and strength trends, and know whether the plan is working.
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