Push Pull Legs — Gym Intermediate
Classic 6-day/week PPL gym program for hypertrophy. Suitable for intermediate trainees looking to build muscle mass.
How this program works — and how to progress
An intermediate Push/Pull/Legs split doubles weekly volume per muscle across a six-day rotation. Add load in small increments when the rep-range ceiling holds for every set, and rotate rep ranges every few weeks to keep progress going. Take one lighter week when sleep or joints complain.
Load progression, by the numbers
The governing numbers: double progression inside the written ranges — once you own the top in every clean set, add 2.5 kg on the bar or the nearest increment and return to the bottom. Rotate rep ranges every 3-4 weeks (8-12 then 6-10 on the compounds) for an unfamiliar stimulus. And a lighter week every 6-8 weeks: the same lifts at 60 percent loads and half the sets — a recovery investment, not a step back. The reference volume range: 10-20 hard sets per muscle per week.
Who this program is for — and who it is not
For you after a year or more of consistent training, with a week that fits 5-6 sessions and the basic patterns mastered at respectable loads. Not for you below that — recovery will not keep up and volume will eat your technique (start with the gym beginner program). And if you only have three days, the same split runs as a two-week rotation with each part trained once a week.
12 weeks
6 days/week
Hypertrophy
Weekly Schedule
Push — Chest + Shoulders + Triceps
Pull — Back + Biceps
Legs
Push — Repeat
Pull — Repeat
Legs — Repeat
Rest
Rest day — relax or walk
Take a rest — your body needs it to recover
About the Push Pull Legs — Gym Intermediate — common questions
Six days is a lot — do three work?
Yes: the same push/pull/legs order runs as six sessions across two weeks instead of one, so each part trains once a week instead of twice. Progress is slightly slower and the destination is very close — and the one rule is not collapsing the whole volume into sessions that run past ninety minutes.
How do I know it's time for a lighter week?
Two signs usually arriving together: progress flat for two weeks despite sound sleep and food, plus one or more of: broken sleep, new morning joint aches, dread of training. The calendar — every 6-8 weeks — is a decent plan, but the body's signals are more honest than the calendar.
Can I add work for lagging parts like calves and core?
Yes, with one guardrail: your additions count inside the 10-20 weekly sets per muscle range, and they go at the end of the related session, not in place of its compounds. Four calf sets to close leg day and three core sets to close push and pull days is a common, working pattern — as long as the session stays under ninety minutes.
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