Workout Plans

Push / Pull / Legs: The Complete Guide to the Classic Split

September 25, 2026 · 5 min read · Training

Push/pull/legs (PPL) is one of the most popular ways to organise strength training. It groups exercises by movement pattern, so muscles that work together are trained together and then get several days to recover.

The three days

Day	Movement	Main muscles	Example exercises
Push	Pressing away from you	Chest, shoulders, triceps	Bench press, overhead press, incline dumbbell press, lateral raise, triceps pushdown
Pull	Pulling toward you	Back, rear shoulders, biceps	Pull-up or lat pulldown, barbell or cable row, face pull, curl
Legs	Lower body	Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves	Squat, Romanian deadlift, leg press, leg curl, calf raise

Why it works

Logical grouping. A pressing exercise uses your triceps, so training triceps on the same day means they’re fresh again by the next push day.
Room for volume. Each session focuses on fewer muscles, so you can do more sets for each one. A meta-analysis found a dose-response relationship between weekly sets and muscle growth, with roughly 10+ sets per muscle per week producing the most (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).
Recovery built in. When you train push, your pulling muscles and legs rest.

3 days or 6 days?

The key question is frequency. A meta-analysis found that training each muscle at least twice a week produced more growth than once a week (Schoenfeld et al., 2016).

Times each muscle is trained per week

PPL, 3 days1 ×

Full body, 3 days3 ×

Upper/lower, 4 days2 ×

PPL, 6 days2 ×

Frequency per muscle for common splits. Training each muscle at least twice a week beat once a week in a meta-analysis (Schoenfeld et al., 2016).

View as table

Item	×
PPL, 3 days	1
Full body, 3 days	3
Upper/lower, 4 days	2
PPL, 6 days	2

PPL 3 days a week trains each muscle only once a week. It can work, but you’ll need plenty of sets in each session.
PPL 6 days a week (push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs, rest) trains each muscle twice — the more effective version, but a big time commitment.

If you can only train three days, a full-body routine is usually a better choice. With four days, consider an upper/lower split.

A sample 6-day week

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Push A	Pull A	Legs A	Push B	Pull B	Legs B	Rest

Use two versions of each day: A days built around heavier compound lifts (5–8 reps), B days with more moderate weights (8–15 reps).

Sample sessions

Push A

Exercise	Sets × reps
Bench press	4 × 5–8
Overhead press	3 × 6–10
Incline dumbbell press	3 × 8–12
Lateral raise	3 × 12–15
Triceps pushdown	3 × 10–15

Pull A

Exercise	Sets × reps
Pull-up or lat pulldown	4 × 6–10
Barbell or chest-supported row	3 × 6–10
Cable row	3 × 10–12
Face pull	3 × 12–15
Dumbbell curl	3 × 10–12

Legs A

Exercise	Sets × reps
Back squat	4 × 5–8
Romanian deadlift	3 × 6–10
Leg press or split squat	3 × 10–12
Leg curl	3 × 10–15
Calf raise	3 × 10–15

Who is PPL for?

Good fit	Probably not ideal
Intermediate lifters who enjoy training often	Complete beginners
People who can reliably train 5–6 days a week	Anyone with 2–3 days available
Lifters who want high volume per muscle	People with physically demanding jobs who struggle to recover

Common mistakes

Running PPL 3 days a week with low volume. Each muscle then gets one modest session per week.
Too many exercises per day. Five or six is plenty; quality beats quantity.
Ignoring legs. Leg day is the one most often skipped. Don’t.
No lighter weeks. Six days a week adds up; plan a deload every 6–8 weeks.

Push B, Pull B and Legs B

The B days use moderate weights and higher reps:

Push B	Pull B	Legs B
Incline dumbbell press 3 × 8–12	Single-arm row 3 × 10–12	Front squat or hack squat 3 × 8–12
Seated dumbbell press 3 × 10–12	Lat pulldown 3 × 10–12	Bulgarian split squat 3 × 10 each
Cable fly 3 × 12–15	Rear-delt fly 3 × 12–15	Hip thrust 3 × 10–12
Lateral raise 3 × 15	Hammer curl 3 × 10–12	Leg curl 3 × 12–15
Overhead triceps extension 3 × 12	Face pull 3 × 15	Calf raise 3 × 15

How the weekly volume adds up

Across a 6-day week, each major muscle gets roughly 9–16 direct sets, more once you count helper muscles. That sits well within the dose-response relationship between weekly sets and growth (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). If recovery is a struggle, cut one set from each exercise before cutting a day.

How to progress

A days: double progression in the 5–8 rep range. Add weight when every set reaches 8.
B days: add reps first, then weight.
Every 6–8 weeks: a lighter week with half the sets.

Making PPL fit your week

Days available	Layout
6	Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull, Legs, Rest
5	Rotate: Push, Pull, Legs, Rest, Push, Pull, Rest; then continue from Legs
4	Upper/lower is usually a better fit

FAQ

Can I do PPL with 4 or 5 days? Yes — rotate through the days continuously (push, pull, legs, rest, push…). Each muscle is then trained about 1.5 times per week.

Where does core work go? Add 2–3 sets at the end of any two sessions.

The bottom line

PPL is a logical, flexible split. Run it six days a week to hit each muscle twice — and if you have fewer days, full-body or upper/lower will usually serve you better.

Sources

Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2016). Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. Journal of Sports Sciences. doi:10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197

This article is general education for healthy adults, not medical advice. Check with a qualified professional before starting a new exercise or nutrition plan, especially if you have a medical condition. Full disclaimer.