While a four-day powerlifting program is sufficient to reach a new level, a six-day split can further develop your strength, endurance, and lean mass.
In this blog, I’ve designed an easy-to-follow and effective 6 day powerlifting split program that can help you increase your strength and put on muscle mass in a safe and organized way.
This program involves performing heavy lifts on three days, accessory exercises for two days, and cardio and abs for one day. Combining all these exercises improve your overall fitness along with progressing your strength.
6 Day Powerlifting Schedule:
- Day 1: Squat and Mobility Work
- Day 2: Pull Workout
- Day 3: Bench and Mobility Work
- Day 4: Push Workout
- Day 5: Deadlift and Mobility Work
- Day 6: Cardio and Abs
- Day 7: OFF
Heavy lifting three times a week is the most I recommend because you need enough time to recover, and if you lift heavy throughout the week, you will not be able to work hard enough on those days.
6 Day Powerlifting Split Routine for Building Strength
| Recommended Program Duration | 10-12 Weeks |
| Sessions/Week | 6 days a week |
| Workout Goal | Strength and Physique Development |
| Targeted Gender | Men |
| Experience Require | Intermediate to Advanced |
Day 1 – Squat and Mobility Work
Warm-up for Squats
- 5-minute Lower Body Foam Rolling
- 5-minute Stationary Bike/Incline Treadmill (Low intensity)
- 2-minute Front and Lateral Leg Swings
- Perform leg press 3 sets of 15-20 reps (lightweight)
Squat Working Sets
| Round | Sets x Reps | Intensity | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 x 8 | 50% | 2-minute |
| 2 | 2 x 6 | 75% | 3-minute |
| 3 | 2 x 4 | 85% | 4-minute |
| 4 | 2 X 3 | 90% | 5-minute |
| 5 | 1 x 1 | 100% | 5-minute |
| 6 | 1 x 5 | 60% | – |
Mobility Exercises
- Downward Dog: 5-10 seconds hold x 5
- World’s Greatest Stretch: 5 reps on each side
- 90/90 Stretch: 5 reps on each side (5 seconds/side)
Day 2 – Pull Workout
| Pull Exercises | Sets x Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|
| Bent-Over Row | 3 x 10 | Back and Abs |
| Paused Deadlifts | 3 x 8 | Integrated Full Body |
| Weighted Pull-ups | 3 x 6 | Back and Biceps |
| Barbell Hang Clean | 3 x 10 | Integrated Full Body |
| Shoulder Shrugs | 3 x 10 | Traps and Shoulder |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 x 8 | Hamstrings and Lower Back |
Day 3 – Bench
Warm-up for Bench
- 5-minute Stationary Bike/Rower (Low Intensity)
- 3-5 minutes Upper Body Foam Rolling
- Resistance Band Pull-apart (2 sets x 10-12 reps)
- 1-minute Cat Cow Stretches
- Pin Press (2 sets x 15-20 reps with lightweight)
Bench Working Sets
| Round | Sets x Reps | Intensity | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 x 8 | 50% | 2-minute |
| 2 | 2 x 6 | 60% | 3-minute |
| 3 | 2 x 4 | 75% | 4-minute |
| 4 | 2 X 3 | 85% | 4-minute |
| 5 | 2 x 1 | 100% | 5-minute |
| 6 | 1 x 5 | 60% | – |
Mobility Exercises
- Cobra Pose: 5 reps of 10 seconds
- Standing Chest Stretch: 5 reps of 10 seconds
Day 4 – Push Workout
| Pull Exercises | Sets x Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press | 3 x 10 | Shoulder |
| Paused Squats | 3 x 8 | Lower Body |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3 x 6 | Triceps and Chest |
| Weighted Lunges | 3 x 10 | Lower Body |
| Paused Bench Press | 3 x 10 | Chest and Shoulder |
| Hip Thrusts | 3 x 8 | Glute and Hamstring |
Day 5 – Deadlift
Warm-up for Deadlift
- 3-5 minute Rowing or Biking
- 3-5 minute Full-Body Mobility Drills with Foam Rolling
- 1-2 minute Downward Dog to Inchworm
Deadlift Working Sets
| Round | Sets x Reps | Intensity | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 x 8 | 50% | 2-minute |
| 2 | 2 x 6 | 60% | 3-minute |
| 3 | 2 x 4 | 75% | 4-minute |
| 4 | 2 X 3 | 85% | 4-minute |
| 5 | 2 x 2 | 95% | 5-minute |
| 6 | 1 x 1 | 100% | – |
Mobility Exercises
- World’s Greatest Stretch
- Knee Hug to Inverted Hamstring Stretch
Day 6 – Cardio and Abs
40-Minute Cardio Workout
- 10-minute Treadmill
- 5-minute Bicycling
- 5-minute Battle Rope Waves
- 5-minute Jumping Rope
- 5-minute Wall Ball Shots
30-Minute Abs Workout
- Hanging Knee Raises (3 sets x 20 reps)
- Decline Bench Crunches (3 sets x 10 reps)
- High-to-Low Chop (3 sets x 10 reps per side)
- Kneeling Cable Crunches (3 sets x 20 reps per side)
- Weighted Front Plank (3 sets x 1-minute)
Tips and Techniques to Progress Your Strength
Strengthen Weak Muscles
Besides the exercises mentioned in this program, I recommend training your weaker muscle groups to improve your vulnerable areas.
For example, if your delts and tris are not strong enough, you won’t be able to bench press heavily.
That’s why it’s important to address and improve your weak areas for lifting big.
You can check out these isolation exercises that help strengthen specific muscle groups and improve strength imbalance.
Progressive Overload
Putting an additional weight on the bar after every one or two weeks is a great way to reach a new one-rep max (1RM).
For example, if you lift 200 pounds right now, you can increase the load by 12 pounds in the six weeks in the following ways:
- Week 1: 200
- Week 2: 202
- Week 3: 205
- Week 4: 207
- Week 5: 210
- Week 6: 212
Nutrition and Recovery
The higher volume training requires more focus on your diet. A balanced diet (1.5-2g protein per kg of a bodyweight, 5-8g carbs per kg a bodyweight, and 30% of total calories from fats) helps recover your muscle faster and promotes strength and hypertrophy.
Besides nutrition, sleeping around 7-8 hours sleeping a day and taking a sauna or ice bath a week are also crucial for muscle recovery.
Stay Consistent
Seeing progress requires patience and consistent training. Some people may be able to lift more weight over time, and others may find it difficult to increase any weight.
Scaling your strength level primarily depends on how consistently train, allow your muscles to recover, and feed your body optimum nutrition.
If you stay consistent and focus on everything properly, I believe you’ll surely see improvement over time.
Download The 6 Day Powerlifting Program PDF
I recommend making some adjustments to this program to suit your fitness level and goal.
