Mesolab › Tools › Mesocycle generator
Mesocycle generator: a free hypertrophy program, week by week
Choose what you train for, how many days a week, and up to three muscles to bring up. This hypertrophy program generator builds a 6-week mesocycle: a split, exercises for every day, and the sets, reps and RIR for each week, deload included.
Your 6-week mesocycle
Upper / Lower ×2, 4 days a week, 6 weeks: 5 building weeks, then a deload in week 6.
Week by week
| Week | Total sets | RIR target | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 70 | 2 | Starting volume, near each muscle’s MEV |
| Week 2 | 91 | 2 | Up to one more set per exercise |
| Week 3 | 104 | 2 | Up to one more set per exercise |
| Week 4 | 104 | 2 | Up to one more set per exercise |
| Week 5 | 104 | 2 | Up to one more set per exercise |
| Week 6 | 49 | 3 | Deload: fewer sets, lighter weights |
Day 1: Upper A
| Exercise | Reps | Sets, wk 1–6 |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Barbell Bench PressChest | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Chest-Supported Dumbbell RowBack | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Barbell Overhead PressFront Delts | 8–15 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Seated Cable RowBack | 8–15 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Leaning Cable Lateral RaiseSide Delts | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Barbell CurlBiceps | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Overhead Tricep Extension — CableTriceps | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
Day 2: Lower A
| Exercise | Reps | Sets, wk 1–6 |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back SquatQuads | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Romanian DeadliftHamstrings | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Hip Thrust — BarbellGlutes | 8–15 | 2 · 3 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 1 |
| Standing Calf RaiseCalves | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
Day 3: Upper B
| Exercise | Reps | Sets, wk 1–6 |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Dumbbell PressChest | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Pull-UpBack | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Dumbbell Overhead PressFront Delts | 8–15 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Seated Cable RowBack | 8–15 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Leaning Cable Lateral RaiseSide Delts | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Hammer CurlBiceps | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
| Overhead Tricep Extension — DumbbellTriceps | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
Day 4: Lower B
| Exercise | Reps | Sets, wk 1–6 |
|---|---|---|
| Leg PressQuads | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Romanian DeadliftHamstrings | 8–15 | 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 |
| Seated Calf RaiseCalves | 10–20 | 3 · 4 · 5 · 5 · 5 · 2 |
Week 1 sets per muscle
Direct sets plus half of indirect sets, against each muscle’s MEV, MAV and MRV references. Check any week of your own with the sets per muscle calculator.
| Muscle | Sets | MEV / MAV / MRV | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | 8 | 8 / 16 / 22 | MEV to MAV |
| Front Delts | 10 | 6 / 12 / 16 | MEV to MAV |
| Side Delts | 9 | 8 / 16 / 22 | MEV to MAV |
| Rear Delts | 5 | 6 / 16 / 26 | below MEV |
| Biceps | 13 | 8 / 14 / 20 | MEV to MAV |
| Triceps | 13 | 6 / 14 / 18 | MEV to MAV |
| Forearms | 3 | 4 / 10 / 16 | below MEV |
| Back | 18 | 10 / 18 / 25 | MEV to MAV |
| Quads | 8 | 8 / 16 / 20 | MEV to MAV |
| Hamstrings | 13 | 6 / 12 / 20 | MAV to MRV |
| Glutes | 10 | 0 / 12 / 20 | MEV to MAV |
| Calves | 6 | 6 / 12 / 16 | MEV to MAV |
Train this block in Mesolab
The iPhone app builds this same plan from your answers, then fits it to the equipment you have, lets you swap any exercise, suggests a weight for every set from your own history, and carries each week's sets and RIR into the workout. Free to download; your first completed workout is free.
How the mesocycle generator builds a program
- Split. Your days a week pick the training split; the recommended one is marked, and every option in the list is one the app offers. A focus muscle can change which split is recommended.
- Exercises. Each day gets its exercises from day templates: compound lifts first, isolation work after. A focus muscle's lifts lead their sessions.
- Starting sets. Week 1 aims to reach each muscle's minimum effective volume (MEV), counting direct sets in full and indirect sets as half. A focus muscle starts above its MEV, and nothing starts past its maximum recoverable volume (MRV).
- Progression. Each exercise gains about one set a week: at most two over the block, and never more than five in a session.
- Effort. Every set has a reps-in-reserve (RIR) target that holds for the whole block: 2 for Size and Both, 1 for Strength.
- Deload. Week 6 drops each exercise to one set fewer than week 1 and raises the RIR target to 3, so fatigue clears before the next block.
That is the same order and the same numbers the app uses: this page asks Mesolab's planner for the program rather than keeping a copy of it. The mesocycle guide explains the reasoning behind each step.
Hypertrophy, strength or both: reps and RIR by goal
| Goal | Compound lifts | Isolation lifts | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size (hypertrophy) | 8–15 reps | 10–20 reps | 2 |
| Strength | 3–6 reps | 8–12 reps | 1 |
| Both | First compound of each day 4–6 reps, then 8–15 | 10–20 reps | 2 |
Muscle grows across a wide rep range when sets are taken close to failure, so Size uses moderate loads and more volume. Strength trades reps for load on the compound lifts. Both opens each day with one heavy compound lift and spends the rest of the session on muscle-building work.
Which training split for 2 to 6 days a week
| Days | Recommended | Also offered |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Upper / Lower | Full body ×2 |
| 3 | Push / Pull / Legs | Upper / Lower / Full body, Full body ×3, Arnold split |
| 4 | Upper / Lower ×2 | Push / Pull / Legs + 1 day |
| 5 | Push / Pull / Legs + 2 days | Push / Pull / Legs + Upper / Lower, Body part |
| 6 | Push / Pull / Legs ×2 | Arnold split ×2 |
The recommendations are for no focus muscles. Training each muscle about twice a week suits most people building muscle, which is why upper/lower and push/pull/legs twice through lead at 4 and 6 days.
What is a mesocycle?
A mesocycle is a training block of several weeks, usually four to six, that builds volume toward a peak and ends with a lighter deload week. It sits between the microcycle, usually one training week, and the macrocycle, the season or year a run of blocks adds up to. Planning in mesocycles gives progression a shape: start at a volume you recover from, add work as you adapt, back off before fatigue costs you quality, then start the next block from where this one ended.
Common questions
How long should a mesocycle be?
Four to six weeks including the deload suits most people training for muscle. The generator uses six, the app's default: five building weeks and a deload. In the app you can set your own length and deload week.
How many sets per muscle should a hypertrophy program have?
For most muscles, between their MEV and MAV: roughly 8 to 16 hard sets a week for chest, side delts and quads, and 10 to 18 for back. The table under the program shows where week 1 sits for each muscle; the sets per muscle calculator lists the references for all 14.
What happens in the deload week?
Fewer sets and more reps in reserve: each exercise does one set fewer than in week 1, with an RIR target of 3. In the app the suggested weights are lighter too. It is planned, not a sign you failed the block.
How do I know what weight to use?
Pick a weight you can lift for the bottom of the rep range with the RIR target left in reserve. The RIR calculator turns one recent set into a weight for any reps and RIR. In the app the weight is suggested for every set.
Can I change the exercises?
Not on this page: it shows the planner's picks from Mesolab's exercise library. In the app you can swap any exercise for an alternative that trains the same muscle, add your own, and tell it which equipment you have.
Is this program generator free?
Yes, with no signup. The Mesolab app is free to download and your first completed workout is free; training after that needs a subscription.
Is this program right for a beginner?
The structure is: moderate volume, a fixed effort target and a planned deload. A beginner can start with fewer days (2 or 3) and use the RIR target to keep sets honest while learning the lifts. Anyone with an injury or medical condition should check with a professional first.