Push Pull Legs Routine: Complete PPL Guide

The push pull legs split is the most effective training structure for building muscle. Period.

It groups exercises by movement pattern instead of by body part. Push exercises work chest, shoulders, and triceps. Pull exercises hit back and biceps. Legs day covers everything below the waist.

This makes perfect sense from a recovery standpoint. When you bench press, your triceps and shoulders work hard. When you do overhead press, your chest gets involved. Splitting these into separate days would be inefficient.

The PPL split lets you train each muscle group 1-2 times per week depending on your schedule. Beginners can run it 3 days per week. Intermediate and advanced lifters can double up to 6 days per week for more volume and faster gains.

This guide gives you complete 3-day and 6-day PPL routines with exercise selection, sets, reps, and progression guidelines. Everything you need to start building muscle today.

TL;DR: The push pull legs split organizes training by movement pattern. Push day trains chest, shoulders, and triceps. Pull day hits back and biceps. Legs day covers quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Run it 3 days per week as a beginner or 6 days per week for advanced training. This is the most efficient way to organize your training for muscle growth.

What Is Push Pull Legs?

Push pull legs (PPL) divides your training into three workout types based on movement patterns.

Push workouts include all exercises where you push weight away from your body. This covers chest presses, shoulder presses, and tricep extensions. These movements naturally work together because they share muscle groups.

Pull workouts include exercises where you pull weight toward your body. Rows, pulldowns, pullups, and curls all fall into this category. Your back and biceps work as a unit during pulling movements.

Legs workouts train everything below your waist. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, leg curls, and calf raises all happen on leg day.

The beauty of PPL is that each workout allows the other muscle groups to recover. When you train push, your back and biceps rest. When you train pull, your chest and triceps recover. When you train legs, your entire upper body gets a break.

Push Day Muscles

Push day targets three major muscle groups that all work together during pressing movements.

Chest (pectorals) is the primary mover in horizontal pressing like bench press and pushups. The chest has three distinct regions: upper, middle, and lower. Good push workouts include both flat and incline pressing to develop the entire chest. Check out the most effective chest exercises for detailed exercise selection.

Shoulders (deltoids) have three heads: anterior (front), lateral (side), and posterior (rear). Push day primarily trains the front and side delts through overhead pressing and lateral raises. The front delts also get heavy work during all chest pressing. Learn more in the ultimate shoulder workout guide.

Triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm mass. They work during all pressing movements as a secondary muscle, then get direct work through extensions and pushdowns at the end of push day.

Some people add traps and core work to push day since these muscles aren't heavily taxed by pushing movements.

Pull Day Muscles

Pull day covers your entire back complex plus biceps.

Lats (latissimus dorsi) are the largest back muscles and create width. They're trained through vertical pulling like pullups and lat pulldowns. The lats also work during horizontal rows, especially when you pull to your lower chest.

Mid-back muscles include the rhomboids, mid-traps, and teres major. These create thickness and are trained primarily through horizontal pulling like barbell rows and cable rows. Our ultimate back workout guide breaks down back training in detail.

Upper back and traps get worked through both vertical and horizontal pulls. Shrugs can be added if you want extra trap development, though most people get enough trap work from heavy rowing.

Rear delts are technically part of the shoulders, but they act as pulling muscles. They get trained through rows and dedicated rear delt exercises like face pulls and reverse flyes.

Biceps work during all pulling movements as secondary muscles, then get direct work through various curling movements at the end of pull day.

Forearms and grip get intense work from all the pulling and holding involved in back training.

Legs Day Muscles

Legs day trains everything below your waist, which is roughly half your total muscle mass.

Quadriceps are the four muscles on the front of your thigh. They extend your knee during squats, leg presses, and leg extensions. Strong quads are essential for athletic performance and lower body development.

Hamstrings run along the back of your thigh and have two functions: they bend your knee and extend your hip. This means you need both leg curls (knee flexion) and Romanian deadlifts or hip thrusts (hip extension) to fully develop them.

Glutes are the largest and potentially strongest muscles in your body. They extend and externally rotate your hip. Every squatting and hip hinge movement trains glutes, with hip thrusts and Romanian deadlifts being especially effective.

Adductors (inner thigh) and abductors (outer thigh/hip) provide stability during all lower body movements. Squats and lunges train them adequately for most people.

Calves have two muscles: gastrocnemius (visible calf muscle) and soleus (underneath). Both need direct training through calf raises if you want them to grow. Get comprehensive exercise selection in our leg day essentials guide.

Who Should Use a PPL Split?

The PPL split works for almost everyone, but it's especially good for specific situations.

You have at least 3 days per week to train. PPL requires a minimum of three workouts per week to hit each muscle group once. If you can only train twice per week, an upper/lower or full body split makes more sense.

You want balanced development. PPL naturally creates proportional development because each major muscle group gets equal attention. You can't neglect pulling if half your upper body workouts are dedicated to it.

You're past the novice stage. Complete beginners can use PPL, but they'd progress faster on a full body routine done 3x per week. Once you've been training consistently for 3-6 months, PPL becomes highly effective.

You can commit to 6 days per week. The 6-day PPL setup (running the split twice per week) is where this program really shines. Each muscle group gets trained twice per week with adequate recovery between sessions. This frequency is optimal for muscle growth.

You want flexible progression. Unlike full body routines where one lagging lift can bottleneck your entire workout, PPL lets you progress different movements at different rates. If your bench press stalls but your squat keeps climbing, you can adjust one without affecting the other.

You enjoy variety. With three distinct workout types, PPL provides more variety than upper/lower splits while being more organized than body part splits.

PPL is less ideal if you can only train inconsistently, if you're brand new to lifting, or if you're focused purely on strength rather than muscle growth. Powerlifters often prefer different splits that allow for more squat, bench, and deadlift frequency.

3-Day PPL Routine (Beginners)

The 3-day PPL split is perfect for beginners or anyone who can only train three times per week.

You'll train each muscle group once per week with full recovery between sessions. This provides enough stimulus for growth while allowing plenty of time to adapt to training stress.

Schedule it as Monday (Push), Wednesday (Pull), Friday (Legs). Or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Just leave at least one rest day between workouts.

Each workout takes 45-60 minutes. The volume is moderate because you're only hitting each muscle once per week.

Day 1: Push

This workout trains chest, shoulders, and triceps with a mix of compound and isolation movements.

Workout notes: Start with heavy compound pressing for chest and shoulders. Bench press is your main lift, so give it maximum effort. Incline dumbbell press hits your upper chest, which is often a weak point. Military press builds overall shoulder strength and size. Lateral raises isolate the side delts for width. Finish with two tricep exercises to fully fatigue the muscle.

Warm up with 5-10 minutes of light cardio and dynamic stretching. Do 2-3 warm-up sets with light weight before your working sets on bench press and military press.

Day 2: Pull

This workout trains your entire back, rear delts, and biceps.

Workout notes: Bent over rows are your main horizontal pulling movement. Focus on pulling to your lower chest and squeezing your shoulder blades together. If you can't do 8 pullups with good form, substitute lat pulldowns and work on pullup progressions. Seated cable rows add more mid-back volume. Face pulls are essential for rear delt and upper back health. Finish with two bicep exercises: one for the biceps brachii (barbell curls) and one for the brachialis (hammer curls).

Your grip will be challenged during this workout. Use straps if your grip fails before your back muscles are fatigued.

Day 3: Legs

This workout covers quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Workout notes: Squats are your primary leg builder. Go as deep as your mobility allows while maintaining a neutral spine. Romanian deadlifts hammer your hamstrings and glutes through hip extension. Leg press adds extra quad volume without additional spinal loading. Leg curls ensure complete hamstring development through knee flexion. Leg extensions fully fatigue the quads. Calves need high volume and frequency to grow, so don't skip them.

Legs day is the most demanding workout of the week. Expect to be breathing hard and feeling it the next day.

This 3-day routine provides a solid foundation. Use a structured workout planner to track your progress and adjust as needed.

6-Day PPL Routine (Intermediate to Advanced)

The 6-day PPL split runs the push/pull/legs cycle twice per week. This doubles your training frequency for each muscle group.

You'll train Monday through Saturday with Sunday as a rest day. The schedule looks like: Push/Pull/Legs/Push/Pull/Legs/Rest.

The key difference from the 3-day version is exercise variation and rep ranges. The first three days focus on strength (lower reps, heavier weight). The second three days focus on hypertrophy (higher reps, more volume).

This setup maximizes both muscle growth and strength development. You'll get stronger on your heavy days and accumulate more growth stimulus on your volume days.

The 6-day split is demanding. You need good recovery habits: 7-8 hours of sleep, adequate protein (0.8-1g per pound bodyweight), and proper hydration. If you're not recovering between workouts, drop back to the 3-day version or use a 4-day upper/lower split.

Push A (Strength Focus)

First push workout emphasizes heavy pressing with lower reps.

Workout notes: This is your heavy pressing day. Focus on progressive overload on bench press and military press. These are your main strength builders. Incline dumbbells and dips add more pressing volume at slightly higher reps. Lateral raises maintain shoulder width development. Close grip bench press is a compound tricep movement that builds serious arm strength.

Track your numbers religiously on the main lifts. If you hit the top of the rep range for all sets, add weight next session.

Pull A (Strength Focus)

First pull workout focuses on heavy rowing and vertical pulling.

Workout notes: Deadlifts are optional here. Some people prefer them on leg day, others like them on pull day. Either works. If you deadlift on pull day, do them first when you're fresh. Bent over rows are your main horizontal pull. Add weight to pullups once you can do 3x8 with bodyweight. Cable rows and face pulls add volume for thickness and rear delts. Finish with heavy barbell curls.

Deadlifts are extremely taxing. If they impact your leg day performance, move them to leg day or alternate them weekly with another exercise.

Legs A (Strength Focus)

First leg workout emphasizes heavy squatting and hip hinging.

Workout notes: Heavy squats are your main lower body strength builder. Romanian deadlifts with lower reps build serious hamstring and glute strength. Bulgarian split squats address any left-right imbalances while adding single-leg strength. Leg curls ensure complete hamstring development. Leg extensions pre-exhaust or finish the quads. Calves need work twice per week at different rep ranges.

If you deadlift on pull day, you can swap Romanian deadlifts for hip thrusts or good mornings to manage fatigue.

Push B (Hypertrophy Focus)

Second push workout uses higher reps and different exercise variations for muscle growth.

Workout notes: This workout prioritizes muscle damage and metabolic stress over pure strength. Start with incline press to emphasize upper chest. Flat dumbbell press allows for a greater stretch than barbell. Dumbbell shoulder press provides a different stimulus than military press. Cable flies isolate the chest with constant tension. High-rep lateral raises build side delts. Finish with two tricep exercises taken close to failure.

Rest times are shorter here to maintain a pump and accumulate fatigue. Focus on the mind-muscle connection and controlled reps.

Pull B (Hypertrophy Focus)

Second pull workout emphasizes back width and arm development with higher volume.

Workout notes: Wide grip lat pulldowns maximize lat stretch and width development. Single-arm dumbbell rows allow you to focus on each side individually and achieve a full range of motion. Cable rows with higher reps accumulate volume for back thickness. Face pulls and rear delt flies ensure complete rear delt and upper back development. Finish with two bicep exercises using slightly higher reps than the strength day.

Control the negative (eccentric) portion of each rep. This is where much of the muscle damage occurs.

Legs B (Hypertrophy Focus)

Second leg workout uses different exercises and higher reps for maximum muscle growth.

Workout notes: Leg press allows you to push heavy weight without spinal loading after squatting earlier in the week. Hip thrusts are the best glute builder, period. Bulgarian split squats with higher reps create serious quad and glute burn. Extra leg curl volume ensures hamstring growth. Leg extensions to failure finish off the quads. High-rep calf raises maximize metabolic stress.

This workout creates an insane pump. Expect significant muscle soreness the next day, especially in your glutes and quads.

You can customize this 6-day routine in our workout planner to fit your specific needs and available equipment.

Exercise Selection by Muscle Group

Choosing the right exercises for each muscle group determines your results.

Here's a breakdown of the best movements for each muscle, organized by priority.

Chest: Prioritize horizontal pressing (bench press variations), then add incline pressing for upper chest, then isolation work (flies, cable work) for stretch and pump. Dips also work great as either a main or accessory movement.

Shoulders: Heavy overhead pressing builds overall mass. Lateral raises are essential for side delt width. Face pulls and rear delt flies hit the often-neglected rear delts. Front delts get plenty of work from chest pressing, so they rarely need isolation work.

Triceps: Close grip bench press and dips are great compound movements. Cable pushdowns and overhead extensions are excellent isolations. The long head (overhead movements) and lateral/medial heads (lockout movements) both need attention.

Back width: Pullups and lat pulldowns with various grip widths are your primary tools. Focus on pulling your elbows down and back, not just moving the weight.

Back thickness: Barbell rows, dumbbell rows, and cable rows all build thickness. Vary your pulling angle (to your lower chest, mid-chest, and upper chest) across different workouts. Deadlifts build the entire posterior chain.

Rear delts: Face pulls are the best overall rear delt movement. Reverse flies, rear delt rows, and wide-grip cable rows also work. These need dedicated work because they don't get much stimulation from other exercises.

Biceps: Heavy barbell or dumbbell curls for overall mass. Hammer curls or rope curls for the brachialis and forearms. Preacher curls or concentration curls for peak contraction. Don't overthink biceps, they grow from progressive overload on the basics.

Quads: Squats are king for overall leg development. Leg press adds volume without fatigue. Leg extensions isolate the quads. Lunges and split squats work great as accessory movements.

Hamstrings: You need both hip extension (Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, good mornings) and knee flexion (leg curls) movements. The hamstrings have two distinct functions and both need training.

Glutes: Hip thrusts are the most effective glute builder based on EMG studies. Squats, Romanian deadlifts, and Bulgarian split squats also provide excellent glute work. The glutes respond well to both heavy weight and high reps.

Calves: Both seated calf raises (soleus, bent knee) and standing calf raises (gastrocnemius, straight leg) are needed for complete development. Calves respond better to high frequency and volume than most muscles.

Browse our complete exercise library for detailed instructions on every movement.

Sets, Reps, and Progressive Overload

The set and rep scheme determines whether you're training for strength, hypertrophy, or endurance.

Strength training uses 3-6 reps per set with 85-95% of your one-rep max. Rest periods are 3-5 minutes to allow full recovery. This rep range maximizes neural adaptations and teaches your body to recruit maximum muscle fibers. Use this range for your main compound lifts on strength-focused days.

Hypertrophy training uses 6-12 reps per set with 70-85% of your one-rep max. Rest periods are 90 seconds to 3 minutes. This rep range maximizes muscle tension and metabolic stress, the two primary drivers of muscle growth. Most of your training should fall in this range.

Muscular endurance training uses 12-20+ reps per set with 60-70% of your one-rep max. Rest periods are 60-90 seconds. This rep range creates significant metabolic stress and pump. It works well for isolation exercises, rear delts, calves, and finishing movements.

The truth is that all rep ranges build muscle when taken close to failure. The 6-12 rep range is most efficient because it balances weight, volume, and fatigue, but you should use all three ranges across your training week.

Progressive overload is the gradual increase in training stimulus over time. Without it, you won't grow. Your muscles adapt to the stress you place on them, so you must continuously increase that stress.

Here are the main ways to progressively overload:

Add weight: Once you can complete all prescribed sets and reps with good form, add 5 pounds to upper body lifts and 10 pounds to lower body lifts. This is the most straightforward and effective method.

Add reps: If you're supposed to do 3x8 but only manage 3x6, your goal is to work up to 3x8 before adding weight. This is called double progression and it's excellent for consistent gains.

Add sets: Going from 3 sets to 4 sets of an exercise increases total volume by 33%. Be careful with this method as it can lead to excessive fatigue.

Improve form: Using a fuller range of motion or slower tempo increases time under tension. Lifting 185 pounds with a 2-inch range of motion is not the same as lifting 185 pounds through a full stretch and contraction.

Reduce rest time: Completing the same work in less time increases training density. This is better for conditioning and endurance than pure muscle growth.

Track your workouts in a training log or app. Write down exercises, sets, reps, and weight used. Without tracking, you're guessing, and guessing doesn't build muscle.

Learn more about the mechanisms behind muscle growth in our guide to the science of building muscle.

PPL vs Other Splits

The push pull legs split isn't the only option. Here's how it compares to other popular training splits.

Full Body Split (3x per week): You train all major muscle groups in each workout. This is ideal for beginners because it provides high frequency (each muscle trained 3x per week) with manageable volume per session. Full body workouts are also great if you can only train 3 days per week. However, as you get stronger and need more volume per muscle group, full body workouts become extremely long and fatiguing. PPL allows more volume per muscle without marathon workouts.

Upper/Lower Split (4x per week): You alternate between upper body and lower body workouts. This provides excellent frequency (2x per week for all muscles) and is easier to recover from than 6-day PPL. The downside is that each upper body workout must train chest, back, shoulders, and arms, which can become quite long. PPL separates pushing and pulling, making each workout more focused.

Bro Split (5-6x per week): Classic bodybuilding split where you train one muscle group per day (chest Monday, back Tuesday, shoulders Wednesday, arms Thursday, legs Friday). Each muscle is only trained once per week. While this allows maximum volume per session, the low frequency is suboptimal for natural lifters. Research shows that training each muscle 2-3x per week produces better results than once per week. Bro splits also create imbalances, PPL naturally balances pushing and pulling.

Push/Pull Split (4x per week): Similar to PPL but without a dedicated leg day. Legs are trained on both push and pull days. This can work if you're training for upper body development, but most people need dedicated leg days for balanced development.

The best split is the one you'll actually follow consistently. PPL works exceptionally well because it provides high frequency (6-day version), focused workouts, natural balance between push and pull, and flexible progression. It's not perfect for absolute beginners or powerlifters focused purely on the big three lifts, but for general muscle building it's hard to beat.

Check out more complete programs in our workout routines library.

Common PPL Mistakes

Even with a great program structure, execution mistakes can limit your results.

Mistake 1: Imbalanced push and pull volume. Many people love training chest and neglect back work. This creates postural problems and shoulder issues. Your total pulling volume should equal or exceed your pushing volume. If you're doing 12 sets for chest, you should do at least 12 sets for back. The PPL structure makes this easy to track.

Mistake 2: Neglecting legs. Legs day is hard. It's tempting to skip it or give minimal effort. Don't. Your legs contain half your muscle mass. Training them hard creates a greater hormonal response and burns more calories. Plus, nobody respects a big upper body on chicken legs.

Mistake 3: Too much volume too soon. The sample routines in this guide provide appropriate volume for most people. Don't add extra exercises or sets thinking more is better. Muscle is built during recovery, not during the workout. Start with the prescribed volume and only add more if you're recovering well and progress has stalled.

Mistake 4: Not tracking progressive overload. If you don't write down what you did last workout, how do you know if you're getting stronger? Track your lifts. Progressive overload is the most important factor in building muscle. Without systematic progression, you're just randomly exercising.

Mistake 5: Poor exercise execution. Using too much weight and half-repping your exercises builds ego, not muscle. Full range of motion with controlled tempo beats heavy weight with poor form every time. Film yourself or get a training partner to check your form.

Mistake 6: Training to absolute failure every set. Going to failure occasionally is useful, but doing it every set of every exercise leads to excessive fatigue and poor recovery. Most sets should end 1-2 reps before failure. Save true failure for the last set of isolation exercises.

Mistake 7: Inconsistent training. The program only works if you show up consistently. Missing a workout here and there is fine, but chronically inconsistent training produces chronically mediocre results. Commit to the program for at least 12 weeks before evaluating results.

Mistake 8: Ignoring recovery. Sleep 7-8 hours per night. Eat enough protein (0.8-1g per pound of bodyweight). Stay hydrated. Manage stress. You can have the perfect program, but without proper recovery you won't grow.

Mistake 9: Constantly changing the program. Program hopping is one of the biggest reasons people fail to make progress. Stick with PPL for at least 3 months before switching. Changing exercises every week prevents you from tracking meaningful progression.

FAQ

Can beginners use push pull legs?

Yes, but the 3-day version is better than the 6-day version for beginners. New lifters need more recovery time and don't yet require the high volume of a 6-day split. Start with the 3-day PPL routine, master the basic movement patterns, and switch to the 6-day version after 3-6 months of consistent training.

Should I do PPL or upper/lower split?

Both work well. PPL is better if you can train 6 days per week because it allows higher weekly volume with better recovery for each muscle group. Upper/lower is better if you can only train 4 days per week. A 4-day upper/lower split provides better frequency than a 4-day PPL (where you'd only hit each muscle once per week). Choose based on your schedule and recovery capacity.

How long should PPL workouts take?

The 3-day PPL workouts take 45-60 minutes. The 6-day PPL workouts take 60-75 minutes, with strength days potentially running longer due to longer rest periods. If your workouts consistently exceed 90 minutes, you're either resting too long, doing too many exercises, or spending too much time on your phone. Efficient training is effective training.

Can I add abs to PPL?

Yes. Add 2-3 sets of an ab exercise at the end of each workout. Weighted crunches, cable crunches, hanging leg raises, and planks all work well. Alternatively, dedicate 10-15 minutes to core work 2-3 times per week on separate days. Your abs will also get indirect work from squats, deadlifts, and overhead pressing.

What if I can't train 6 days per week?

Run the 3-day version. Or consider a 4-day upper/lower split instead. You could also run PPL on a rotating schedule (Push/Pull/Legs/Rest/Push/Pull/Legs/Rest), which gives you a 4-on, 4-off pattern over 8 days. The key is consistency, whatever schedule you choose.

Do I need to deadlift on PPL?

Deadlifts are optional but highly effective. You can do them on pull day (as shown in the 6-day routine) or on leg day after squats. Some people alternate deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts weekly to manage fatigue. If conventional deadlifts bother your lower back, Romanian deadlifts or trap bar deadlifts are excellent alternatives. The main point is to include some form of hip hinge movement.

How long until I see results from PPL?

You'll feel stronger within 2-3 weeks as neural adaptations occur. Visible muscle growth takes 6-8 weeks for most people. Significant transformation requires 3-6 months of consistent training and proper nutrition. Track progress photos and measurements monthly rather than obsessing over daily mirror checks. Progress happens gradually, then suddenly.

Start Your PPL Plan

The push pull legs split is the most effective training structure for building muscle.

It provides the right balance of volume, frequency, and recovery. The movement-based split makes logical sense and prevents the muscle group neglect that plagues bro splits.

Start with the 3-day version if you're new to training or have limited time. Progress to the 6-day version when you're ready for higher volume and frequency.

Track your workouts religiously. Add weight or reps progressively. Focus on form, not ego. Eat enough protein. Sleep enough. Stay consistent.

The program works, but only if you work the program.

Build your customized PPL routine with our free workout planner. Set your goals, choose your exercises, and track every workout.

For on-the-go training, download the LoadMuscle app to access your PPL routine from anywhere with video demonstrations, automatic progression tracking, and rest timers.

Stop researching and start training. Your first push workout starts today.