AI-built intermediate hypertrophy plan
12-16 weeks, 4-5 days/week in Push/Pull/Legs or Upper/Lower. EntrenAI structures 16-20 sets/group/week (Schoenfeld 2017), adaptive RIR 1-2, 4-week periodization. For those who already passed beginner phase.
Updated
What is an intermediate hypertrophy plan?
The intermediate hypertrophy plan is for someone with 12-24 months experience who has saturated beginner's fast gains. Typical signal: weekly progression drops from +1.25-2.5 kg/session to +2.5-5 kg/month, and you need more sophisticated stimulus.
Key changes vs beginner:
- Volume rises to 16-20 sets/group/week (Schoenfeld 2017 demonstrates dose-response up to 20 sets/group, plateau after)
- Frequency 4-5 days/week in Push/Pull/Legs (PPL) or Upper/Lower (U/L) format
- RIR 1-2 (closer to failure on final sets)
- Block periodization: 3 weeks progression + 1 week deload
- Exercise variability: rotate every 8-12 weeks to maintain stimulus
EntrenAI offers two formats by preference/availability:
- PPL 6 days: maximum frequency (each group 2×/week), high volume. For very committed.
- U/L 4 days: frequency 2 also, better time management. For professional with family.
The an intermediate lifter (4 days) week: what you train each day
This is the split the engine uses for an intermediate lifter (4 days): every muscle is hit twice a week (the frequency the evidence puts ahead of once), with 48-72 h between stimuli for the same group.
Mon
Upper
strength
Tue
Lower
strength
Wed
—
Thu
Upper
volume
Fri
Lower
volume
Sat
—
Sun
—
Your AI-generated plan
1. Initial validation.
- 12-24 months training with Olympic bar
- Squat >1×BW, bench >0.75×BW, deadlift >1.5×BW
- Successfully completed beginner plan (no longer progress each session)
- No active injuries
Without these criteria, intermediate plan saturates — use beginner plan or intermediate 3-day plan.
2. PPL 6-day structure (recommended):
- Monday - Push (bench, military, triceps, shoulders)
- Tuesday - Pull (deadlift, pull-ups, rows, biceps)
- Wednesday - Legs (squat, leg press, hamstrings, calves)
- Thursday - Push (variation: shoulder focus)
- Friday - Pull (variation: back focus)
- Saturday - Legs (variation: posterior leg focus)
- Sunday - Rest
3. U/L 4-day structure (alternative):
- Monday - Upper A (bench + row + accessories)
- Tuesday - Lower A (squat + hamstrings + accessories)
- Thursday - Upper B (military + pull-ups + accessories)
- Friday - Lower B (deadlift + quads + accessories)
4. Weekly volume per muscle group:
- Chest: 16-20 sets
- Back: 18-22 sets (more for breadth and functional dominance)
- Shoulders: 14-18 sets (includes lateral + posterior work)
- Quads: 16-20 sets
- Hamstrings + glutes: 14-18 sets
- Biceps: 12-16 sets
- Triceps: 14-18 sets (more from compound participation)
5. 4-week periodization:
- Wk 1-3: load progression, RIR 1-2 final sets
- Wk 4: deload -30 % volume, keeps technique with light loads
6. Exercise selection. Each 8-12-week block:
- 1 main compound per group (don't rotate)
- 2-3 accessories (rotate every 8 wk for stimulus variation)
- 1 isolation per group
Weekly sets per muscle, at this level's sweet spot
Between 10 and 16 effective sets per muscle per week: the range Schoenfeld (2017) links to more hypertrophy without exceeding what you recover from. The sets are spread across the days; chest does not fit in a single day.
Who is this plan for?
- Coming out of beginner plan. 12-18 months on bar, no longer progressing each session. 14-week plan, PPL or U/L.
- Amateur bodybuilder without competitive focus. 14-16-week plan, PPL 6 days if time permits.
- Professional with family (4 days available). U/L 4-day plan — frequency 2 with lower time commitment.
- Powerlifter in off-season wanting hypertrophy focus. 12 weeks as mass block before returning to strength specialization.
Have <12 months on bar? Beginner plan is clearly superior. Goal is physique competition? Advanced plan or individualized coaching are more appropriate.
The 5-week mesocycle: sets up, RIR down, then deload
Each week adds one set per muscle and leaves one rep less in reserve (RIR). In week 5 volume drops by half so the muscle grows from what was accumulated. Then the next mesocycle starts slightly higher.
- Sets/muscle
- RIR
Your first weeks, in detail
Week 6
Mid-plan PPL — consolidated progression, RIR 1-2| Day | Session type | Detail | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday - Push A | Chest + shoulders + triceps | - Bench press 4×6-8 @ RIR 1-2 - Incline DB press 4×8-10 @ RIR 2 - Barbell military press 3×8 @ RIR 2 - Pec deck flies 3×12-15 @ RIR 1 - Lateral raises 4×12-15 @ RIR 1 - Cable triceps rope 3×12 @ RIR 1 | 75 min |
| Tuesday - Pull A | Back + biceps | - Conventional deadlift 4×5 @ RIR 2 - Weighted pull-ups 4×6-8 @ RIR 2 - Pendlay row 4×8 @ RIR 1-2 - Lat pulldown 3×10-12 @ RIR 1 - EZ-bar curl 3×10 @ RIR 1 - Alternate DB curl 3×12 @ RIR 1 | 80 min |
| Wednesday - Legs A | Quads + glutes | - Squat 4×6-8 @ RIR 1-2 - 45° leg press 4×10-12 @ RIR 1 - Bulgarian split squats 3×10/leg @ RIR 1-2 - Hip thrust 4×10 @ RIR 1-2 - Quad extension 3×15 @ RIR 1 - Standing calf raises 4×15 @ RIR 1 | 85 min |
| Thursday - Push B | Shoulder focus | - DB military press 4×8 @ RIR 1-2 - Incline barbell bench 4×8 @ RIR 2 - Incline flies 3×12 @ RIR 1 - Cable lateral raises 4×15 @ RIR 1 - Reverse flies 3×15 @ RIR 1 - Triceps machine dips 3×10-12 @ RIR 1 | 70 min |
| Friday - Pull B | Back focus | - T-bar row 4×8 @ RIR 2 - Neutral pull-ups 3×max @ RIR 1 - Low cable row 3×10 @ RIR 1 - Cable pullover 3×12 @ RIR 1 - Preacher curl 3×10 @ RIR 1 - Hammer curl 3×12 @ RIR 1 | 70 min |
| Saturday - Legs B | Posterior leg | - Romanian deadlift 4×8 @ RIR 1-2 - Front squat 3×8 @ RIR 2 - Lying hamstring curl 3×12 @ RIR 1 - Good mornings 3×10 @ RIR 1 - Seated calves 4×15 @ RIR 1 - Plank 3×60s | 75 min |
These examples are real extracts from the EntrenAI planning engine. Your personal plan adjusts to your level, equipment and availability.
Equipment needed
EntrenAI automatically substitutes any exercise if you don’t have the gear.
- Gym access with Olympic bar + squat rack + adjustable benches + basic machines
- Dumbbells up to 40 kg minimum (adjustable or full gym)
- High and low cable
- Pec deck or fly machine
- 45° leg press or hack squat
- 10 mm lifting belt for heavy squat and deadlift
- Flat shoes + basic trainers
- Mandatory log app (Hevy, Strong, Boostcamp)
What most people get wrong (and how to avoid it)
- 1
Jumping to 6 days without fatigue management
PPL 6 days without deload = guaranteed saturation in 6-8 weeks. Week 4 deload is NOT optional. EntrenAI blocks progression if it detects accumulated fatigue (deteriorated sleep, stalled loads 2 wk).
- 2
Excessive volume (>22 sets/group/week)
Schoenfeld 2017 shows plateau in hypertrophy response >20 sets/group/week. More volume is NOT better — it's saturation + more fatigue + wasted time. Stay in 16-20 sets.
- 3
Rotating exercises every week
Changing exercises weekly destroys progressive overload. Same main exercises minimum 8-12 weeks. Rotate accessories every 8-12-week block (not weekly).
- 4
Eating in deficit during hypertrophy
To build muscle: moderate caloric surplus (200-400 kcal/day), protein 1.8-2.2 g/kg, sleep 8h+. Hypertrophy plan in deficit produces 30-50 % less gain. Want recomp (lose fat + gain muscle)? Halve expectations.
- 5
Ignoring legs (upper body focus)
Some skip leg days because 'they're hard'. Result: disproportionate body + lower systemic hormonal production. Squat and deadlift produce testosterone/GH peaks benefiting ALL groups. Skipping legs compresses upper gains too.
- 6
Doing intense HIIT cardio
Z3+ cardio (HIIT, sprints) interferes with hypertrophy (Hickson 1980, Wilson 2012). Want cardio? 2-3 short Z2 sessions (20-30 min) on non-training days. NO HIIT, NO intense running.
- 7
Changing plan every 6-8 weeks
Plans need minimum 12-16 weeks to produce complete adaptation. Changing at 6-8 weeks from 'boredom' = lose initial investment. Variation is in accessories + loads, not full plan.
- 8
Not filming technique on heavy compounds
In intermediate, loads climb significantly. Side video 1 set/week of heavy squat, deadlift, bench — detect accumulated errors before injury.
Other Hypertrophy plan variants
Back to the general Hypertrophy plan
- AI-built beginner hypertrophy planThis beginner hypertrophy plan is built on technique: Full Body 3 days a week, 12-16 weeks and a conservative RIR of 2-3 to progress without overtraining.
- AI-built advanced hypertrophy planThis advanced hypertrophy plan combines specialization blocks, drop sets and rest-pause, 5-6 days a week, for lifters with more than 3 years of training.
- AI-built 3-day hypertrophy planThis 3-day hypertrophy plan uses a Full Body format: 12-15 weekly sets per group, frequency 2 for key groups, adaptive RIR and 60-75 minute sessions.
- AI-built 4-day hypertrophy planThis 4-day Upper/Lower hypertrophy plan is the sweet spot between volume and recovery: 16-18 weekly sets per group, frequency 2 and adaptive RIR.
- AI-built 5-day hypertrophy planThis 5-day hypertrophy plan combines Upper/Lower and Push/Pull/Legs: 18-22 weekly sets per group over 12-16 weeks for intermediate and advanced lifters.
- AI-built 6-day hypertrophy planThis 6-day hypertrophy plan repeats Push/Pull/Legs twice a week: 22-28 weekly sets per group over 12-16 weeks, for advanced lifters who recover well.
- AI-built women's hypertrophy planThis women's hypertrophy plan targets glutes, hamstrings and back: 4-5 days a week, 16-20 sets per group and volume adjusted to your menstrual cycle phase.
Frequently asked questions
PPL 6 days if you have time (75 min × 6 = 7.5 h/wk) and commitment. Higher frequency = better stimulus. U/L 4 days if you have time constraints or family life — still frequency 2 with 4 sessions of 80 min.
Typical intermediate 75 kg male: 1-2 kg lean mass. 60 kg female: 0.5-1 kg. Speed ~50 % of beginner's (who gains 3-5 kg/14 wk). Frustrating but realistic — progression curve flattens with experience.
Creatine 5 g/day: 1-2 kg additional lean mass gain in 12-week blocks. Proven and safe. Whey/casein protein: makes reaching 1.8-2.2 g/kg/day easier. Essential for intermediate wanting to maximize.
Indicators: stop load progression, immediate deload (-30 % volume 1 wk), review nutrition (in surplus?) and sleep (7.5 h+?). If after deload + correct nutrition still stuck, plan needs exercise variation.
Frequency 2 is clearly superior for intermediate (Schoenfeld 2016 meta-analysis). 'Bro split' (5 days, 1×/group/wk) is inefficient compared to PPL frequency 2 or U/L frequency 2.
Indicators 24-36 months training: stalled loads for 8+ weeks with intermediate plan + optimized nutrition, visible advanced physique. Advanced plan introduces techniques like drop sets, rest-pause, mechanical drop sets, group specialization.
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