Build Muscle

Push Pull Legs — High Volume

6-day Push/Pull/Legs split for high-frequency hypertrophy. Each muscle hit 2× / week across A and B day variations — heavy day + stretch-bias day. 6 weeks: 3 accumulation, 2 intensification, 1 deload. 16-22 sets per major muscle / week. Intermediate-Advanced; commercial gym recommended.

Category
Build Muscle
Length
6 weeks
Frequency
6 days/week
Est. session
45–60 min

Last updated: June 2026

01Overview

About this program

The high-volume PPL split for time-rich intermediates and advanced trainees. Each muscle group is trained twice weekly — once heavy (A day: 6-8 reps RPE 8-9 on compounds), once hypertrophy-bias (B day: 8-15 reps RPE 7-9, stretch-position emphasis). The 2× / week per-muscle frequency is the meaningful hypertrophy lever per Schoenfeld et al. (2016) — the 1× → 2× jump roughly doubles growth at equated volume; 2× → 3× adds little.

Designed for trainees with 1-3+ years of consistent training, the recovery capacity for 6 weekly sessions, and 60-75 min per session. Skip this if you've never run a structured program; start with Foundations: Full-Body 3× or Upper / Lower Workhorse. Skip during caloric deficits >500 kcal — volume exceeds Body Recomposition framework recommendations for cutting. Equipment: commercial gym (cables and machine variety drive the per-day exercise selection).

Volume targets follow our Volume Management framework: 16-22 working sets per major muscle per week sits at MAV-to-MRV for intermediates, distributed across two sessions to keep per-session set quality high (~8-10 hard sets per muscle per session — the per-session ceiling per Hakkinen 1988). Exercise selection across A/B days emphasizes stretch-bias picks per Pedrosa et al. (2023): incline DB > flat bench, incline curl > preacher, overhead triceps > kickback, deep squat > partials. The 3:2:1 phase pattern (accumulation × 3 + intensification × 2 + deload) follows our Periodization framework's short-block cadence — appropriate for the high-frequency stimulus.

Across 6 weeks expect 5-10 lb on most main lifts and visible muscle gain at MAV-saturation volume. Most trainees adopt this as their default after running it once.

Build Muscle · 6 weeks · 6 days/week

6 weeks

Start to finish

Frequency
6 days/week
Per session
45–60 min
02The fit

Who it's for

Four ways to tell at a glance whether this block belongs in your week.

01The goal
6-day Push/Pull/Legs split for high-frequency hypertrophy.
02The commitment
A high-frequency week, most days in the gym
03The arc
6 weeks, 3 phases that build and reset
04The coaching
Your coach drives the plan forward — it reads each session and moves you up the moment the work gets easier, so you keep progressing
03The arc

How it progresses

6 weeks across 3 phases — your coach watches the effort in your logged sets and moves the weight up the moment a load starts getting easier, so you keep climbing instead of waiting on the calendar.

  1. 62
    Intensity
    Weeks 13

    Phase 1 · Accumulation

    Accumulation

    Build up the volume tolerance. Working sets escalate from RPE 7.5 to RPE 8 across compounds. Per-muscle volume ramps from 14 to 18 sets / week.

  2. 82
    Intensity
    Weeks 45

    Phase 2 · Intensification

    Intensification

    Push toward higher loads. Compound rep targets drop slightly, effective load climbs ~5%. Final isolation sets push RPE 9.5.

  3. 30
    Intensity
    Weeks 66

    Phase 3 · Deload

    Deload

    Volume cut in half so the body absorbs gains. Same intensity floor; just fewer sets. Don't skip — junk volume on saturated muscle delays the next cycle.

04The sessions

Sessions in this program

The individual workouts this program schedules through the week — open any session for its full exercise list, sets, and coaching notes.

05The thinking

Why your coach builds it this way

The high-volume PPL split for time-rich intermediates and advanced trainees. Each muscle group is trained twice weekly — once heavy (A day: 6-8 reps RPE 8-9 on compounds), once hypertrophy-bias (B day: 8-15 reps RPE 7-9, stretch-position emphasis). The 2× / week per-muscle frequency is the meaningful hypertrophy lever per Schoenfeld et al. (2016) — the 1× → 2× jump roughly doubles growth at equated volume; 2× → 3× adds little.

Designed for trainees with 1-3+ years of consistent training, the recovery capacity for 6 weekly sessions, and 60-75 min per session. Skip this if you've never run a structured program; start with Foundations: Full-Body 3× or Upper / Lower Workhorse. Skip during caloric deficits >500 kcal — volume exceeds Body Recomposition framework recommendations for cutting. Equipment: commercial gym (cables and machine variety drive the per-day exercise selection).

Volume targets follow our Volume Management framework: 16-22 working sets per major muscle per week sits at MAV-to-MRV for intermediates, distributed across two sessions to keep per-session set quality high (~8-10 hard sets per muscle per session — the per-session ceiling per Hakkinen 1988). Exercise selection across A/B days emphasizes stretch-bias picks per Pedrosa et al. (2023): incline DB > flat bench, incline curl > preacher, overhead triceps > kickback, deep squat > partials. The 3:2:1 phase pattern (accumulation × 3 + intensification × 2 + deload) follows our Periodization framework's short-block cadence — appropriate for the high-frequency stimulus.

Across 6 weeks expect 5-10 lb on most main lifts and visible muscle gain at MAV-saturation volume. Most trainees adopt this as their default after running it once.

06FAQ

Common questions

The facts most people check before they commit a block to it.

01How long is the Push Pull Legs — High Volume program?

Push Pull Legs — High Volume runs 6 weeks at 6 days a week, structured into 3 phases so the load builds and resets on schedule. In Squatly, the coach tunes it to you, so the plan keeps moving with your training.

02Who is Push Pull Legs — High Volume for?

6-day Push/Pull/Legs split for high-frequency hypertrophy. It sits in the Build Muscle category, and the coach reads your training to tell you whether it's the right fit before you commit a block to it.

03How does Push Pull Legs — High Volume progress over the weeks?

It opens with accumulation and finishes with deload. Each phase has a job — accumulate work, push intensity, or back off to absorb it — and the coach moves your load when your logged sets earn it, not on a fixed schedule.

04Does the coach adjust Push Pull Legs — High Volume to me?

Yes. The program is the starting structure; the coach reads your e1RM trend, your weekly volume, and your effort on each lift, then tells you when to push — when a load is getting easier, it's time to add weight. It shows you the trend lines behind every call, and you accept, edit, or reject it. With every workout, the plan gets more yours.

Tuned to you, every workout

Keep moving forward.

The program sets the structure. Your coach drives it forward — reading your numbers and pushing the weight up as you get stronger, so the plan stays yours and you keep progressing.

iOS · Works offline

Aleks · Coach

Three clean sessions at 185 × 5, last one at RPE 7. You’ve got more let’s take 190 on Monday.

Proposal — add weight

Last185 × 5RPE 7
Mon190 × 5▲ +5 lb
AcceptDeny