The 6-Day Push-Pull-Legs Routine for Maximum Muscle Growth
Looking to maximize your muscle-building potential? The traditional 3-day split may leave you undertrained. To optimize hypertrophy, you need a high-frequency, intelligently structured routine that balances heavy compound movements with targeted isolation work.
Based on the hypertrophy-focused Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) system developed by strength coach Jeff Nippard, this 6-day routine is designed to optimize stimulus, manage fatigue, and ensure every muscle group gets the training frequency it needs to grow.
Here’s a complete breakdown of this evidence-based PPL split.
The Hypertrophy-Focused PPL Philosophy
This 6-day split (Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull, Legs, Rest) maximizes training volume and intensity. The approach integrates several key principles for muscle growth:
- RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion): Heavy compounds start sub-maximal (RPE 5-6), while isolation movements push closer to failure (RPE 8-10) to drive adaptation. Understanding how close to failure you should train is critical for applying this correctly.
- Targeted Isolation: Exercises are selected and modified to emphasize specific muscle heads—like adjusting the leg extension seat position to involve the rectus femoris.
- Machine Utilization: For hypertrophy phases, machines for movements like shoulder press reduce joint stress and stabilizer demands, allowing you to safely push sets closer to failure.
- Eccentric Focus: A controlled, slower negative (lowering) phase—like a 3-second lowering for skull crushers—increases time under tension and mechanical damage for growth.
Tracking this program is where SetsApart excels. With 6 training days and multiple exercises per session, knowing whether you’re hitting sufficient volume per muscle group is critical. The Volume Per Muscle Group feature shows your weekly hard sets at a glance—ensuring you’re in the 10-20 set range that research shows optimizes hypertrophy.
The 6-Day Program
Day 1: Quad-Focused Leg Day
The first leg day emphasizes the quads while incorporating essential hamstring work.
| Exercise | Sets/Reps | Key Technique & Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 3 sets of 4 reps (80% 1RM) | Sub-maximal (RPE 5-6) work to prime the body. Focus on pushing knees out until they align with toes. |
| Romanian Deadlift (RDL) | 3 sets of 10 reps | Keep the weight moderate in week one. Focus on getting a deep stretch in the hamstrings by pushing the hips straight back. |
| Unilateral Leg Press | 3 sets of 15 reps (each leg) | This is the first exercise to ramp up intensity to a true RPE 8-9. |
| Eccentric Accentuated Leg Extension | 3 sets of 10-12 reps | Use a 3-4 second lowering phase and adjust the seat further back to target the rectus femoris. |
| Seated Hamstring Curl | 3 sets of 10-12 reps | Research suggests seated curls cause more hamstring growth than lying curls due to training at longer muscle lengths. Use a drop set on the final set. |
Day 2: Chest, Delts, and Triceps Push Day
This workout balances heavy pressing with high-rep isolation for comprehensive upper body development.
| Exercise | Sets/Reps | Key Technique & Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 3 sets of 8 reps (72.5% 1RM) | Use a brief quarter-second pause on the chest for reps over six. |
| Machine Shoulder Press | 3 sets of 12 reps | Machine variation is less taxing on joints, allowing you to push sets closer to failure. |
| Dip | 3 sets of 12-15 reps | Get a deep stretch on the pecs at the bottom to maximize range of motion. |
| Eccentric Accentuated Skull Crusher | 3 sets of 8-10 reps | Focus on a 3-second controlled lowering phase to increase mechanical tension on the triceps. |
| Egyptian Cable Lateral Raise | 3 sets of 12 reps | Use a Myo-rep intensity technique on the last set (12 reps to failure, rest 10-15 seconds, hit 4 reps, repeat) to give the side delts extra stimulus. |
Day 3: Lat-Focused Pull Day
Prioritize lat width and back thickness with a focus on form and tempo control.
| Exercise | Sets/Reps | Key Technique & Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted Pull-up | 3 sets of 6 reps | Maintain an upright torso and tuck your shoulder blades down to focus on pure shoulder adduction, emphasizing the lats and teres muscles. |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 sets of 10-12 reps | Use a mag grip or neutral close grip. Focus on keeping elbows tucked and driving them down by “rolling toward your stomach.” |
| Constant Tension Kneeling Cable Pullover | 3 sets (to tempo failure) | Use a strict 1 second up, 1 second down tempo to maintain constant tension on the lats. |
| Hammer Curls | 3 sets | Focus on moving heavy weight. Grip the dumbbell hard—controlled momentum allows for heavier loading of the forearm flexors and brachioradialis. |
| Strict Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 sets | Keep the elbow locked back and focus on supinating (rotating) the dumbbells by driving through the pinkies to isolate the biceps. |
Day 4: Glute and Hamstring-Focused Leg Day
The second leg day shifts focus to the posterior chain with sub-maximal barbell work and high-rep quad accessories.
| Exercise | Sets/Reps | Key Technique & Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 sets of 3 reps (80-85% 1RM) | Sub-maximal work (RPE 6-8). Pack your lats tight and keep the bar close to your body to ensure a straight bar path and proper center of gravity. |
| Machine Hack Squat | 3 sets of 10-12 reps | High-rep sets to build quad work capacity. Allow your knees to travel forward to emphasize the quads. |
| Unilateral Hip Thrust | 3 sets | Focus on squeezing each glute and posteriorly tilting the pelvis at the top with chin tucked. |
| Nordic Ham Curls & Prisoner Back Extensions (Superset) | 3 supersets | For back extensions, place hands behind the head to extend the moment arm, increasing glute demand. |
Day 5: Shoulder-Focused Push Day
This is your pressing power day, prioritizing overhead movements and targeted shoulder volume.
| Exercise | Sets/Reps | Key Technique & Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press (OHP) | 4 sets of 4 reps (80% 1RM) | Arch your upper back and squeeze your glutes to lock everything in place, ensuring pressing power transfers efficiently. |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3 sets of 10 reps (RPE 7-8) | Use a grip only one hand’s width narrower than your normal grip—not the narrowest possible grip—for maximal strength transfer. |
| Low to High Cable Crossovers | 3 sets of 10-12 reps | Target the upper pecs. On the last set, use a 50% drop set at failure. |
| Overhead Tricep Extensions | 3 sets | Use full ROM with cables for steady tension. Focus on keeping the elbow fixed and getting a deep stretch on the triceps at the bottom. |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise 21s | 3 sets | A mechanical drop set: 7 full ROM reps, 7 top-half reps (cutting out the easy bottom portion), and 7 bottom-half reps. |
Day 6: Mid-Back Focused Pull Day
The final workout targets rear delts and mid-back thickness with grip and form variations.
| Exercise | Sets/Reps | Key Technique & Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Omni Grip Lat Pulldown | 3 sets of 10-12 reps | Vary your grip each set (Wide, Moderate, Close Reverse) to allow the biceps to assist as your lats fatigue, maintaining intensity across all sets. |
| Chest Supported Row | 3 sets of 10-12 reps | Focus on exaggerating scapular protraction at the bottom (letting the shoulder blades separate) and squeezing your upper back at the top. |
| Rope Face Pulls | 3 sets | Target the rear delts and external rotators by pulling the rope slightly upward and rotating your shoulders externally, rather than straight back. |
| Easy Bar Bicep Superset | 2 supersets | Pronated (overhand) curl first to fatigue the forearm flexors, then immediately flip to a supinated (underhand) curl to force the biceps to take over. |
Programming Considerations
This routine uses progressive overload through percentage-based loading on the main lifts. Each week, you’ll add small amounts of weight or reps to ensure continued adaptation.
Key points:
- Week 1 starts conservative—this allows you to establish technique and build work capacity
- RPE targets increase over the training block, reaching higher intensities in weeks 3-4
- Rest periods: 2-3 minutes for heavy compounds, 60-90 seconds for isolation work. For more on optimal rest between sets, see our detailed breakdown.
SetsApart tip: Log each workout and mark your hard sets. The app will automatically track your weekly volume per muscle group, making it easy to see if you’re accumulating enough stimulus across all six days.
Who This Program Is For
This 6-day PPL split is designed for intermediate to advanced lifters who:
- Can commit to 6 training days per week
- Have solid technique on the compound lifts
- Want to maximize hypertrophy with a structured, evidence-based approach
If you’re time-constrained, you may get better results from a minimum effective dose approach or a more condensed workout split.
Consistency over the long term matters more than any single program. Pick a structure you can sustain, track your hard sets, and watch the progress accumulate.
Source
This article was inspired by and summarizes key insights from the following video. Check out the video for more detail and subscribe to the channel—it’s a great resource for evidence-based training.
Watch the full video: Jeff Nippard’s Push Pull Legs Routine
