Push Pull Legs Program: Guide For Every Fitness Level

Looking for a smarter way to train your entire body without burning out? The Push Pull Legs (PPL) Program is one of the most effective and flexible workout splits for building muscle, increasing strength, and improving recovery.

Whether you're just starting out or pushing past a plateau, this proven method helps you train more efficiently—organizing your workouts by movement patterns for maximum results.

 

What Is the Push Pull Legs (PPL) Program?

The Push Pull Legs (PPL) program is a powerful and efficient strength training split that organizes workouts by movement pattern. This training method divides your routine into push, pull, and leg days to optimize muscle growth and training efficiency.

Incorporating regular exercise routines is essential for achieving consistent progress and preventing injury, and the push pull legs program offers a structured approach to exercise that helps maximize results. It’s one of the most popular routines for building muscle and strength, suitable for all fitness levels.

 

Ready to start your Push Pull Legs journey? Join GymNation today and get a FREE personal trainer session to kick off your custom PPL plan.

 

Push Workouts

These workouts focus on pushing movements which is extending limbs or pushing weight away from the body. They mainly work your chest, shoulders, and triceps(upper-body muscles). Typical exercises include:

• Bench Press

• Overhead Press

• Dips

• Incline Press

 

Pull Workouts

Pull days target the muscles used in pulling actions—also known as pulling movements—primarily the back and biceps. These muscles are often referred to as upper body pulling muscles. These workouts include:

• Deadlifts

• Barbell Rows

• Pull-Ups

• Face Pulls

• Bicep Curls

 

Leg Workouts

Leg days focus on the entire lower body, including the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core. Key movements include:

• Squats

• Romanian Deadlifts

• Lunges

• Leg Press

• Calf Raises

 

 

Why Choose a PPL Program?

The PPL split groups related muscle groups together, allowing you to maximize the effectiveness of your workouts by engaging multiple muscles and optimizing recovery between sessions.

• Maximize recovery time between sessions, which is a key benefit for muscle growth and improved performance

• Train more efficiently using compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses

• Build overall strength and muscle mass with a structured approach that helps you develop both muscle and strength efficiently

• Include isolation exercises to refine and grow specific muscles

 

Beginners should start with a 3-day PPL split. As you gain experience, move to a 5- or 6-day split to increase training frequency and see better results.

The 3-day and 4-day Push Pull Legs split are great starting points for beginners or anyone with a busy schedule. They let you train all major muscle groups without spending every day in the gym.

With a 3-day split, you train Push, Pull, and Legs once per week—perfect for building a solid foundation while giving your body plenty of time to recover. A common setup is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The 4-day version adds an extra session for more volume—usually two Push or Pull days. This helps you progress faster while still leaving enough rest days.

Both options are simple, effective, and easy to stick to. If you're just getting started or want a lower time commitment, 3 or 4 days per week is all you need to see real results.

The 5-day Push Pull Legs split is perfect for intermediate lifters who want more results without training every day. It lets you hit most muscles twice a week—ideal for building muscle and strength—while still giving you two full rest days.

You’ll train Push and Pull twice, and Legs once, keeping volume high and recovery balanced. Grouping related muscles—like chest, shoulders, and triceps on Push day—makes your workouts more efficient and helps you recover faster.

The 6-day Push Pull Legs split is a high-frequency routine designed for lifters who want to maximize muscle growth and can handle intense training. You’ll train Push, Pull, and Legs twice a week, typically Monday to Saturday, with Sunday off. It’s a popular choice among advanced lifters and those following programs like Reddit PPL.

This plan delivers serious results—but only if you stay consistent with training, rest, and nutrition. Without proper recovery, you risk fatigue and burnout.

If you’re newer to the gym or need more rest, stick with a 5-day split. But if you’re experienced and recover well, the 6-day version can help push your progress further. The structure is also flexible—you can swap in different exercises to keep training fresh and effective.

In the end, the key is consistency and recovery. Choose the version that fits your body and lifestyle best.

 

Best 3 Push Pull Legs Programs

Before selecting a PPL routine, take a moment to beat and evaluate your own schedule, available equipment, and current fitness level to ensure the best fit for your needs.

Here are three simple and effective PPL routines designed for different experience levels. These sample schedules focus on structured progression, balanced recovery, and proper muscle targeting. Each plan includes foundational compound exercises and can be modified based on your equipment, preferences, or training goals.

 

3-Day Push Pull Legs Program (Beginner-Friendly)

This beginner-friendly Push Pull Legs (PPL) routine is ideal for those training three times a week. It’s perfect for new gym-goers or anyone with a busy schedule. You'll complete one Push, one Pull, and one Legs workout per week—typically on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—with rest days in between. This structure helps build total-body strength and muscle without overwhelming your recovery.

The focus is on major compound exercises to train multiple muscle groups efficiently. Each workout includes 3 to 4 movements and lasts under an hour. This makes it easy to stay consistent while still getting great results.

 

Weekly Schedule

• Monday – Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

• Wednesday – Pull (Back, Biceps)

• Friday – Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves)

 

Sample 3-Day Program

Day	Workout Focus	Key Exercises (Sets × Reps)
Monday – Push	Chest, Shoulders, Triceps	Barbell Bench Press – 3×8–10 Overhead Shoulder Press – 3×8–10 Triceps Pushdowns – 3×10–12
Wednesday – Pull	Back, Biceps	Deadlift – 3×5–6 Bent-Over Barbell Row – 3×8–10 Lat Pulldown or Pull-Ups – 3×10–12 Biceps Curls – 3×10–12
Friday – Legs	Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves	Back Squat – 3×6–8 Leg Press – 3×10–12 Leg Curl – 3×10–12 Calf Raise – 3×12–15

 

Keep your rest periods between 60–90 seconds, focus on proper form, and increase weight gradually over time. This routine sets the foundation for long-term progress, strength, and physique development.

 

5-Day Push Pull Legs Program

If you’ve built a solid training foundation and want to step up your weekly volume without committing to six gym days, the 5-day Push Pull Legs (PPL) routine is a smart progression. It increases training frequency while preserving recovery time, making it a great fit for intermediate lifters.

In this routine, you’ll train five days per week, repeating two workout categories (e.g., Push and Pull) while keeping the third (Legs) once per week. For example, an upper-body-focused 5-day split might look like this: Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull. This allows you to hit most upper-body muscle groups twice weekly and lower body once, with two full rest days for recovery.

To achieve the best results from the 5-day PPL routine, prioritize proper nutrition and recovery strategies, such as post-workout protein intake, to maximize muscle gain and strength development.

 

Weekly Schedule

• Monday – Push A

• Tuesday – Pull A

• Wednesday – Legs

• Thursday – Push B

• Friday – Pull B

• Saturday/Sunday – Rest

Repeat this cycle each week to maintain a consistent training rhythm.

 

Sample 5-Day Push Pull Legs Program

Day	Workout Focus	Key Exercises (Sets × Reps)
Monday – Push A	Chest, Shoulders, Triceps	Flat Barbell Bench Press – 3×5–8 Standing Overhead Press – 3×6–8 Chest Fly or Lateral Raise – 3×10 Triceps Extensions – 3×10–12
Tuesday – Pull A	Back, Biceps	Deadlift – 1×5 (heavy set) Pull-Up – 3×6–8 One-Arm Dumbbell Row – 3×8–10 Barbell Biceps Curl – 3×8–10
Wednesday – Legs	Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves	Back Squat – 3×6–8 Leg Press – 3×8–12 Romanian Deadlift – 3×6–8 Leg Curl – 3×10–12
Thursday – Push B	Chest, Shoulders, Triceps	Incline Bench Press – 3×6–10 Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3×8–10 Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 3×10 Triceps Pushups or Pushdowns – 3×10–12
Friday – Pull B	Back, Biceps	Bent-Over Barbell Row – 3×6–8 Chin-Up (underhand grip) – 3×6–8 Cable Row or Machine Row – 3×10 Hammer Curl – 3×10–12

 

With a 5-day Push Pull Legs routine, you’re training most muscle groups twice per week, which promotes faster progress than once-a-week training while still leaving you two full rest days. This split is a popular choice among intermediate lifters because it balances training volume, recovery, and flexibility.

 

It offers more total work than a 3- or 4-day routine but doesn’t require the full-time commitment of a 6-day plan. You’ll have the freedom to train hard, focus on weak points, and still have time outside the gym. For example, your second Push session could include more shoulder isolation work if you want to bring up that area, or you could rotate in different accessory exercises to support overall development.

 

The key to results is consistency and gradual progression. With steady effort, this 5-day PPL split gives you the structure and flexibility to keep building muscle without burning out.

 

6-Day Push Pull Legs Program

The 6-day Push Pull Legs routine is a high-frequency program designed for committed lifters—especially those moving from beginner to intermediate levels or beyond.

With this routine, you’ll train six days a week, running through the full Push, Pull, and Legs cycle twice weekly. This allows for maximum training volume, muscle group overlap, and consistent stimulation—great for driving both strength and size gains.

The 6-day PPL split blends compound strength-focused lifts with moderate-to-high-rep accessory work, making it a true hybrid between powerlifting and bodybuilding. It’s ideal for those who want a structured, progressive plan that covers all major muscle groups with just one rest day per week.

Many lifters use this structure to build serious muscle while targeting weak areas through smart accessory selection. As always, recovery is key—pay attention to sleep, nutrition, and rest to avoid burnout.

Before starting each session, it’s important to warm up with appropriate exercises to prepare your muscles and joints for the workout ahead and reduce the risk of injury.

Schedule: Six workouts per week. Classic scheduling is PPL, rest, PPL (with one rest day in the middle); however, a common variant is simply Monday through Saturday on, Sunday off. We’ll use the Monday–Saturday schedule for simplicity:

• Monday: Push 1 (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps)

• Tuesday: Pull 1 (Back/Biceps)

• Wednesday: Legs 1 (Quads/Hams/Glutes/Calves)

• Thursday: Push 2 (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps)

• Friday: Pull 2 (Back/Biceps)

• Saturday: Legs 2 (Quads/Hams/Glutes/Calves)

• Sunday: Rest

 

You repeat this cycle each week, ensuring each muscle group is trained at optimal frequency as discussed previously.

Routine Overview: Below is an example of how the Reddit PPL workout days are structured. Note that there are “Workout A” and “Workout B” versions for push, pull, and legs to add variety across the two weekly cycles:

 

• Push Day 1: Emphasize heavy chest press and shoulder press.

• Push Day 2: Emphasize incline presses and accessory shoulder work.

• Pull Day 1: Emphasize heavy deadlift and vertical pulling.

• Pull Day 2: Emphasize heavy row and different pull-up/chin-up variant.

• Leg Day 1: Emphasize squats and quad-focused work.

• Leg Day 2: Emphasize another squat or leg press plus hamstring-focused work.

 

Sample 6-Day Push Pull Legs Program

Day (Workout)	Key Exercises (Sets × Reps)
Push 1 (Mon)< br/>Heavy focus	Barbell Bench Press – 3×5-6< br/>Standing Overhead Press – 3×6-8 (lift the barbell from your shoulders to overhead)< br/>Close-Grip Bench Press – 3×8< br/>Lateral Raises – 3×10
Pull 1 (Tue)< br/>Heavy focus	Deadlift – 2×5 (ramp up to one top set)**< br/>Pull-Ups – 3×6-8< br/>One-Arm Dumbbell Row – 3×10< br/>EZ-Bar Biceps Curls – 3×10-12
Legs 1 (Wed)< br/>Heavy focus	Back Squat – 3×5-6< br/>Leg Press – 3×10< br/>Leg Curl – 3×10-12< br/>Standing Calf Raise – 4×8-10
Push 2 (Thu)< br/>Volume focus	Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – 3×8-10< br/>Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3×8-10< br/>Dumbbell Fly or Cable Fly – 3×10-12< br/>Triceps Pushdown – 3×12
Pull 2 (Fri)< br/>Volume focus	Barbell Bent-Over Row – 3×6-8< br/>Chin-Ups – 3×6-10< br/>Seated Cable Row – 3×10-12< br/>Hammer Curls – 3×12
Legs 2 (Sat)< br/>Volume focus	Front Squat – 3×6-8< br/>Romanian Deadlift – 3×8< br/>Walking Lunges – 3×10 each leg< br/>Seated Calf Raise – 3×12-15
Sunday: Rest	Recovery day – no training.