6 Day Gym Workout Schedule: The Complete Push/Pull/Legs Guide

Last updated: June 2026

6 Day Gym Workout Schedule: The Complete Push/Pull/Legs Guide

A 6-day gym schedule works by splitting training volume across six sessions, which makes each individual workout shorter and less draining than trying to pack the same volume into three or four longer sessions. The most effective structure for 6 days is push/pull/legs (PPL) run twice per week — each muscle group gets two dedicated training sessions with 48–72 hours of recovery between them.

This page covers who the 6-day schedule is actually suited for, the full workout plan with exercise tables for all six sessions, and how to progress on it without burning out.

Who the 6-Day Schedule Is For

A 6-day programme is not for everyone, and choosing it before you’re ready is a common reason people stall or get injured. It suits lifters who meet all three of these criteria:

• Training age: At least 12–18 months of consistent, progressive resistance training. Beginners don’t need 6 days — they make faster progress on 3 full-body sessions per week and the extra recovery days serve them better.
• Practical availability: You can genuinely get to the gym 6 times per week, consistently. Missing sessions on a 6-day split disrupts the muscle frequency timing more than missing sessions on a 3 or 4-day plan.
• Recovery capacity: Sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle stress are under control. A 6-day schedule places significant systemic demand on the body. Poor sleep or chronic high stress will blunt adaptation regardless of how good the programme is.

If any of those three aren’t in place, a 4-day upper/lower split will produce better results with lower dropout risk.

The 6-Day Push/Pull/Legs Schedule

PPL is the most efficient structure for 6 days because it groups muscles by function. Push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps) all contribute to pressing movements and can be trained and recovered together. Pull muscles (back, biceps) all contribute to rowing and pulling movements. Legs get their own two sessions.

Day	Session	Primary Muscles
Monday	Push A	Chest, shoulders, triceps
Tuesday	Pull A	Back (lats, traps, rhomboids), biceps
Wednesday	Legs A	Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
Thursday	Push B	Chest, shoulders, triceps
Friday	Pull B	Back, rear delts, biceps
Saturday	Legs B	Hamstrings, glutes, quads, calves
Sunday	Rest	—

Sessions A and B are not identical. They share the same muscle groups but use different primary exercises, rep ranges, and emphasis — Push A centres on horizontal pressing, Push B on vertical pressing. This variation prevents accommodation while maintaining the twice-per-week muscle frequency that research on training frequency supports for maximising hypertrophy.

The Six Workouts in Full

Rest 2 minutes between sets for compound exercises, 60–90 seconds for isolation work. Warm-up sets are not included in the numbers below.

Push A — Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Flat barbell bench press	4	5–8
Incline dumbbell press	3	8–12
Dumbbell flye	2	12–15
Lateral raise	4	10–15
Cable tricep pressdown	3	10–15
Overhead tricep extension	2	10–15

Pull A — Back, Biceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Reverse-grip lat pulldown	4	8–12
Single-arm dumbbell row	3	5–8
Kneeling cable pullover	2	12–15
Face pull	4	15–20
Standing dumbbell curl	3	8–12
Hammer curl	2	12–15

Legs A — Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell back squat	4	5–8
Leg press	3	8–12
Leg extension	2	12–15
Seated leg curl	4	8–12
Standing calf raise	4	5–8
Incline reverse crunch	3	12–15

Push B — Shoulders, Chest, Triceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell overhead press	4	5–8
Flat dumbbell press	4	8–12
Cable crossover	3	15–20
Lateral raise	3	15–20
Cable tricep pressdown	2	15–20
Lying EZ-bar tricep extension	3	12–15

Pull B — Back, Rear Delts, Biceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wide-grip lat pulldown or pull-ups	4	8–12
Wide-grip seated cable row	3	8–12
Rear delt dumbbell fly	2	10–15
Incline dumbbell shrug	3	15–20
Incline dumbbell curl	3	8–12
Dumbbell preacher curl	2	12–15

Legs B — Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads, Calves

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Romanian deadlift	4	8–12
Bulgarian split squat	3	8–12
Leg press	3	8–12
Seated leg curl	3	8–12
Standing calf raise	4	15–20
Ab wheel rollout	3	12–15

How to Progress on a 6-Day Split

The 6-day schedule only produces results if you’re systematically increasing the demand on your muscles over time. Use double progression: stay within the prescribed rep range and only add weight once you can complete the top end of that range cleanly across all working sets.

For example, if flat bench press calls for 4 sets of 5–8 reps:

• Session 1: 185 lb — 8, 7, 6, 5 reps
• Session 2: 185 lb — 8, 8, 7, 6 reps
• Session 3: 185 lb — 8, 8, 8, 7 reps
• Session 4: 185 lb — 8, 8, 8, 8 reps → add weight next session
• Session 5: 190 lb — 7, 6, 5, 5 reps → repeat the cycle

Every 6–8 weeks, take a deload week: reduce volume by roughly half and drop intensity by 10–15%. Progress on a 6-day split accumulates systemic fatigue faster than lower-frequency programmes, and deloads prevent this from capping your gains.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a 6-day workout schedule too much?
Not if you match volume to your recovery capacity and take a deload every 6–8 weeks. The risk isn’t the number of days — it’s too much volume per session or per week for your current fitness level. Start at the lower end of the rep ranges and build from there.

Can beginners follow a 6-day schedule?
No. Beginners make faster and more sustainable progress on 3 full-body sessions per week. The 6-day schedule is most appropriate after 12–18 months of consistent training, when full-body routines start producing diminishing returns.

What if I miss a session?
Shift the remaining sessions forward by one day. Missing a Push A session doesn’t mean skipping Push A — it means Push A happens on Wednesday instead of Monday. Don’t try to combine missed sessions into a single longer workout.