For those who’re able to take your coaching to the following stage, it could be time to think about a extra superior method. This six-day higher/decrease power cut up is designed for lifters who need greater than the fundamentals. Whether or not you’re targeted on powerlifting, bodybuilding, or strongman coaching, this setup offers you the instruments to construct power, measurement, and total functionality.
In comparison with a three-day power program, a six-day plan calls for extra out of your physique. There’s much less restoration time between classes, and also you’ll want good programming to keep away from burning out. That’s why this isn’t only a copy-paste cut up of higher and decrease days. It’s a well-thought-out sequence that prioritizes restoration, rotation of motion patterns, and development in each power and hypertrophy.
Who Is This For?
This program isn’t meant for novices. For those who’re new to lifting or want extra restoration time between classes, a three-day cut up targeted on squat, bench, and deadlift could be a greater match. However in case you’re an intermediate to superior lifter with stable approach and some years of coaching below your belt, this cut up may help you drive measurable progress in each measurement and efficiency.
And what does “higher/decrease cut up” actually imply? This type of exercise plan focuses on higher physique days and decrease physique days. The higher days are inclined to work chest, again, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. The decrease days deal with quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
And that is simply the beginning. The thought behind that is to assist muscle teams get well whilst you preserve a excessive coaching frequency. Higher physique exercises on in the future permit your decrease physique muscle tissue to get well earlier than transferring again and reversing your focus and doing decrease physique exercises whereas your higher physique recovers.
How the 6-Day Cut up Works
Every day targets a main compound raise and layers in accent work to construct out supporting musculature. There’s a stability of heavy and lightweight coaching days to maintain fatigue manageable whereas nonetheless pushing depth. This method is also known as undulating periodization. Some days are targeted on maximal power, whereas others emphasize velocity, quantity, or restoration.
Right here’s how the week is structured:
Day 1: Squat Focus (Heavy Leg Day)
Today is all about constructing your legs via barbell squats and posterior chain work. You’ll goal glutes, hamstrings, and total leg power with a mixture of compound and accent actions. Assume heavy squats, Romanian deadlifts, and leg curls. For those who begin on Monday, you will finish your session on Saturday. Beginning Day 1 on Sunday means your final day shall be Friday.
Day 2: Bench Press Focus (Chest & Triceps)
You’ll press heavy and observe up with actions that help urgent energy and measurement. Today consists of chest equipment like dumbbell presses and triceps isolation to enhance lockout power.
Day 3: Pull Day (Again & Posterior Chain, No Deadlifts)
Deadlifting right here would overlap an excessive amount of with Day 1’s squat work, so as an alternative, you’ll use rowing actions, pull-downs, and different pulling variations to focus on your again. This builds thickness and reinforces the muscle tissue utilized in deadlifts with out overloading the backbone midweek.
Day 4: Pace Squat + Arm Focus
You’ll squat once more, however this time it’s gentle and quick. The aim is energy output and bar velocity, which builds explosiveness and reinforces good approach. The remainder of the session focuses on biceps, one thing usually underemphasized in powerlifting applications.
Day 5: Overhead Press (Shoulders & Triceps)
Today prioritizes shoulder growth and overhead urgent power. Whereas chest urgent continues to be essential, overhead work trains completely different patterns and offers the chest an opportunity to get well. Anticipate urgent variations, lateral raises, and focused triceps work.
Day 6: Deadlift Focus (Heavy Pulling)
You’ll end the week along with your primary deadlift session. Since you’ve had time to get well for the reason that preliminary leg day, you’ll be recent and able to go heavy. From there, the main focus shifts to posterior chain equipment, hamstring curls, glute bridges, and extra.
Day seven is your relaxation day. It is the one time off throughout the coaching week, and it is an particularly good time to learn up on approach. We additionally advocate our YouTube collection in case you’re in search of some Sunday technique.
Structuring Every Exercise
Every coaching day follows a constant format:
- Main Raise: Squat, bench, deadlift, or overhead press carried out heavy or gentle relying on the day.
- Variation Motion: A raise that targets a weak level. For instance, a board press in case you battle with lockouts, or a paused squat to bolster management.
- Equipment (3–5 actions): These are based mostly in your particular person wants. Need greater arms? Prioritize biceps and triceps. Want extra higher again on your deadlift? Add rows and reverse flys.
The aim is to construct muscle and reinforce joint well being whereas bettering your main lifts. This mixture of quantity, depth, and motion selection helps drive development with out carrying you down.
Why It Works
Coaching six days per week means you’re asking quite a bit out of your physique. That’s why this program rotates between exhausting and lightweight days. You may squat heavy on Day 1, then use Day 4 to bolster motion high quality and velocity. This retains your nervous system engaged with out always maxing out. Simply ensure you observe the requirements for any protected exercise. Harvard has an excellent information on this.
It’s additionally value remembering that power and measurement go hand in hand. A powerful muscle is normally an enormous one. By coaching compound lifts a number of occasions per week with variation and intent. you’re sending the precise alerts for each hypertrophy and efficiency.
Last Ideas
This six-day higher/decrease cut up is a stable alternative for lifters who wish to put in critical work. It’s not simple, and it’s not meant to be. However in case you’re constant and take note of restoration, it may be probably the most efficient coaching constructions you’ll ever use.
If you’d like the total breakdown, units, reps, train decisions, and the right way to modify based mostly in your objectives, you’ll be able to entry the total PDF right here. I put a number of thought into this to verify it’s not simply intense, but in addition sustainable.
Keep robust, prepare good, and in case you’ve obtained questions on the right way to adapt this cut up to your objectives, drop a remark or attain out.
