The Ivysaur Intermediate Aesthetic Routine is a 5 day per week hypertrophy program built on a repeating 3-week cycle. Each session is built around two to four compound lifts for sets of 4 or 8, and four of the five days finish with accessories done as AMRAP sets of about 12. The set count goes up each week of the cycle (3, 4, then 5 sets on most lifts), and your main lifts go up 5 or 10 lbs at the start of every new cycle.
It was written by Reddit user u/lvysaur (with a lowercase L, which is why most people spell it Ivysaur), who posted it on r/lvysaur in April 2017 as the next step after the Ivysaur 4-4-8 beginner program. The goal is golden-era bodybuilding proportions, so most of the work goes to the chest, arms and upper back. Deadlift volume is lower than in 4-4-8, and the arms get much more isolation work.
It’s meant for lifters who’ve outgrown a beginner program. lvysaur’s rule is to switch once two or more of your lifts can’t hit a new PR at least once every 3 weeks. If you’re still adding weight every session, stay on 4-4-8. Workouts take about 60 to 100 minutes, and the week 3 sessions are the longest.
Table of Contents
Ivysaur Intermediate Aesthetic Routine Spreadsheet
This spreadsheet lays out 18 weeks of the program, which is six 3-week cycles with the lighter 6th cycle at the end. Enter your 1RMs on the Setup tab (or your working weights, if you already know them) and the loads for every squat, deadlift, bench, incline, overhead press, row and chin-up set fill in for you.
Log your reps for each set as you go. If you miss a set at a new weight, the sheet drops that exercise back to your working weight for the rest of the cycle. Make every set for all 3 weeks and the new weight carries into the next cycle. Each exercise and rep target is tracked on its own, and the Progression tab shows where each one stands.
Accessories are AMRAP sets, so you type in the weight you use and your reps. Chin-ups are entered as added weight (0 for bodyweight).
The spreadsheet is based on lvysaur’s printable tracker, which is linked in his original Reddit post if you’d rather train off paper.
Program Overview
- 5 training days per week (days 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6), with days 4 and 7 as rest days
- 3-week cycles that repeat. Most lifts are 3 sets in week 1, 4 in week 2 and 5 in week 3 (squat and deadlift go 4, 5 and 6)
- Every main lift except deadlift is trained twice a week, once for sets of 4 and once for sets of 8
- Deadlift is trained once a week, for sets of 4
- Accessories are AMRAP sets aimed at around 12 reps
- 66 working sets in week 1, 87 in week 2 and 108 in week 3
- Rest 1 to 4 minutes between sets, depending on the exercise
- Train abs on your rest days
- Every 6th cycle (weeks 16 to 18), do 2 fewer sets of every exercise
Workout Schedule
| Day | Exercise | Reps | Sets (week 1 / 2 / 3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Deadlift | 4 | 4 / 5 / 6 |
| Chin-ups | 8 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Barbell rows | 4 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Curls | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Day 2 | Bench press | 4 | 3 / 4 / 5 |
| Incline press | 8 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Flies | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Triceps extensions | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Day 3 | Squat | 4 | 4 / 5 / 6 |
| Overhead press | 8 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Calf raises | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Rear delt flies | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Lateral raises | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Day 4 | Rest | ||
| Day 5 | Chin-ups | 4 | 3 / 4 / 5 |
| Bench press | 8 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Barbell rows | 8 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Incline press | 4 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Day 6 | Squat | 8 | 4 / 5 / 6 |
| Overhead press | 4 | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Calf raises | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Curls | 12 (AMRAP) | 3 / 4 / 5 | |
| Day 7 | Rest |
Program Cheat Sheet
Here’s lvysaur’s original cheat sheet. Red lifts go up 5 lbs per cycle, blue lifts go up 10 lbs, and black lifts are AMRAPs.
How to Run the Ivysaur Aesthetic Routine
Starting Weights
If you already know your working weights for sets of 4 and sets of 8, use those. If you don’t, lvysaur’s conversion table works off your 1RM.
| Rep target | % of 1RM |
|---|---|
| 4-rep sets | 85% |
| 8-rep sets | 75% |
| 12-rep sets | 65% |
The spreadsheet uses the 85% and 75% numbers to set your starting weights for the main lifts.
You don’t attempt any PRs in your first 3-week cycle, so use it to find working weights for any exercises that are new to you. I’d err on the light side here. Be patient.
How to Add Weight
- Run the first cycle at your working weights with no increases.
- In week 1 of the next cycle, add 10 lbs to squat and deadlift, and 5 lbs to chin-ups, barbell rows, bench press, incline press and overhead press.
- If you complete every set with the heavier weight, keep it for week 2, then week 3.
- If you miss a set at any point, go back to your old working weight for that exercise for the rest of the cycle. You’ll try the increase again in week 1 of the next cycle.
- If you get every set through all 3 weeks, the heavier weight is your new working weight.
Progress each exercise on its own. The 4-rep and 8-rep versions of a lift are tracked separately, so if you fail the increase on 8-rep squats but make it on 4-rep squats, only your 4-rep squat weight goes up.
5 or 10 lbs every 3 weeks sounds slow next to a beginner program. lvysaur’s example is a lifter who benches 225 and squats 315 and never fails an increase. After a year, they’d be close to a 315 bench and a 495 squat.
If you’re confused, here’s lvysaur’s flowchart.
Accessory AMRAP Sets
Every 12-rep set is an AMRAP. Keep the reps around 12 and drop the weight between sets as needed, so they work like drop sets. Most strength programs have you leave a few reps in the tank on accessories. This one has you push them hard.
If you’re unsure how hard to go, start easy and add reps each week. If you’re getting well past 12 reps on every set, add weight.
Every 6th Cycle
Every sixth cycle (weeks 16 to 18), lvysaur has you do 2 fewer sets of every exercise and keep the weights the same. It’s loosely based on Greg Nuckols’ article on tapering and peaking.
That’s 15 weeks between lighter cycles, which is a long time in my opinion. If you’re missing lots of reps before then, take the lighter cycle early.
Ivysaur Intermediate Aesthetic Routine FAQs
How many days a week is the Ivysaur aesthetic routine?
5. The days are numbered 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 because days 4 and 7 are rest days.
When should I switch from Ivysaur 4-4-8 to the intermediate routine?
When your progress on Ivysaur 4-4-8 slows to less than one PR every 3 weeks on two or more lifts. The intermediate routine only adds weight once per 3-week cycle, so if you’re still setting PRs more often than every 3 weeks, stay on 4-4-8.
Is the Ivysaur aesthetic routine good for beginners?
lvysaur doesn’t recommend it for beginners. Progress would be slow compared with a beginner program, and there are 13 different exercises to learn. Start with 4-4-8.
How long are the workouts?
About 80 minutes, give or take 20, depending on which week of the cycle you’re in. Rest 1 to 4 minutes between sets based on how you feel and the exercise.
Can I change the exercises?
Yes. lvysaur left some of the exercise names vague on purpose so you can pick the version you like. If you’d rather do incline dumbbell press than incline bench press, go for it. You can also add your own accessories.
What’s the push to pull balance?
There’s slightly more pushing than pulling. lvysaur put the ratio at about 1.1 to 1. Bench, overhead press, incline press and flies count as push, and rows, chin-ups, deadlifts and rear delt flies count as pull.
