Push Pull Legs Routine: The Complete Guide

Push pull legs, or PPL, is one of the most popular training splits in any gym: one day for pushing movements, one for pulling, one for legs. It scales from three days a week to six, and every major muscle group gets direct work. This guide covers the 3-day, 4-day, and 6-day versions with day-by-day tables, exercise options, warm-up, progression, and FAQs.

What Is PPL and Why Does It Work?

PPL organizes training by movement pattern rather than by individual muscle:

• Push day: chest, shoulders, triceps. Presses, raises, triceps extensions.
• Pull day: back, biceps, rear delts. Rows, pull-ups, curls.
• Legs day: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves. Squats, hinges, lunges, calf raises.

The logic: every muscle gets dedicated volume, and because the days train different patterns, a muscle that works hard Monday has the week to recover.

In the classic three-day PPL, each muscle trains about once a week; at six days, twice weekly. Frequency research is nuanced: meta-analyses that equalize weekly volume find frequency makes little difference to muscle growth¹², so weekly sets per muscle are what matter. Twice a week just makes volume easier to accumulate, the sweet spot in training muscle groups twice a week: the science. Still deciding? Our how many days a week you should work out guide covers the trade-offs.

The Classic 3-Day PPL

The classic 3-day PPL spreads the three sessions across the week with a rest day between each:

Any order works with rest days between; for back-to-back days run Push, Pull, Legs so leg day gets the longest recovery.

Day 1: Push

Day 2: Pull

Day 3: Legs

That’s roughly 16 to 18 working sets per session, two to three minutes of rest on compounds, one to two on isolation, a rep or two in the tank³. It’s also the setup we recommend in our best 3-day gym workout routine.

Exercise Options for Push Day

Push day needs a horizontal press, a vertical press, a fly, and triceps:

Exercise Options for Pull Day

Pull day needs a vertical pull, a horizontal pull, rear delt and biceps work:

Exercise Options for Legs Day

Legs day is a squat pattern, a hinge pattern, and isolation:

The 4-Day PPL + Upper Hybrid

Four days a week? The popular upgrade adds one upper-body day to the PPL sessions:

Rest on the other three days; the midweek break keeps Thursday squatting fresh.

Friday: Upper

The extra upper day takes chest, back, shoulders, and arms to twice weekly; legs stay at once. If legs are the priority, swap Upper for a second leg session, or use a straight upper/lower split. More options in our best 4-day gym workout routine.

The 6-Day PPL

The six-day version runs PPL twice: Push A, Pull A, Legs A, Push B, Pull B, Legs B, one rest day, with different exercises per A/B pair.

Six days demands real recovery: sleep and food back it up, and per-session volume stays moderate. Place the rest day right after Legs B; squatting leaves the deepest fatigue. If five days fits better, the best 5-day gym workout routine and best 6-day gym workout routine compare options.

How to Progress: Double Progression

The split doesn’t build muscle by itself; the cleanest way to make each week harder is double progression:

1. Pick a rep range for each exercise (the tables above do).
2. Add reps within that range, from the bottom toward the top.
3. Hit the top with good form, add the smallest weight increment, and drop back to the bottom.

If your range is 6-8, the goal is 8 clean reps; once there, add weight and start at 6. Log every set, weight, reps, and how hard it felt, so the next session has a target. Workout Quest makes this easy: log sets, earn XP, and watch your strength curve climb.

Weekly Volume: How Many Sets Do You Need?

Muscle growth follows a graded dose-response: a 2017 meta-analysis found each additional weekly set per muscle was associated with a small but significant increase in muscle size⁴, and the 2026 ACSM position stand now recommends at least 10 weekly sets per muscle for hypertrophy⁵. Even fewer than five works⁴; volume only helps if you recover from it.

Add volume a set or two at a time. After six to ten weeks expect a stall: the cue for a deload week, one week at roughly half the usual sets and weight.

Warm Up Before Every Session

A warm-up is part of the workout, not optional time before it: a meta-analysis found performance improved in 79% of criteria examined when warm-ups combined aerobic work, dynamic movement, and activity-specific practice⁶:

1. General warm-up (3-5 minutes): easy cardio to a light sweat, nothing breathless.
2. Mobility for the day’s patterns: band pull-aparts before push, lat and hip openers before pull, hip and ankle work before legs.
3. Ramp-up sets before the first compound: 3-4 progressively heavier sets, each well short of failure.

A push day opener: 5 minutes on the bike, 2 sets of 15 band pull-aparts, then bench ramp-ups at roughly 40%, 60%, and 80% of working weight. Pull and leg days do the same with a row or squat. Our warm-up exercises guide has full options.

Beginner vs Intermediate Programming

The split is the same; the programming differs.

Beginners start on the 3-day version: moderate volume, 8-12 reps per set per ACSM guidance for novices, loads up roughly 2-10% once you can hit a rep or two past target⁷, a rep or two in reserve. First weeks are for technique, not intensity.

Intermediates move to 4-6 days, more weekly sets, and A/B variation. ACSM recommends 3-4 training days a week for intermediates and 4-5 for advanced⁷; double progression plus planned deloads carries most gains, and the 2026 position stand stresses consistent participation over complexity⁵.

When to move up: add a day when the 3-day schedule stops feeling productive, recovery allows more sessions, and technique holds. Six days before you can recover from three is the fastest route to mediocre sessions.

How to Fit PPL Into 3, 4, or 6 Days

Rest-day placement, three rules:

1. Never train the same muscle on consecutive days; PPL never does.
2. Keep a rest day after leg day; squat and hinge fatigue is deepest.
3. In a 6-day week, put the rest day after the second leg day; never run two leg days back to back.

Every schedule clears the WHO recommendation of muscle-strengthening activity for all major muscle groups on two or more days a week⁸.

Common PPL Mistakes

• Too much pressing, too little pulling. Three pressing moves per pulling one is a fast route to shoulder problems; balance with rows and face pulls.
• Treating leg day as squat-only. Hamstrings need their own work; Romanian deadlifts and leg curls aren’t optional.
• Adding volume instead of progressing. More exercises isn’t progression; adding weight or reps is. Double progression beats a longer workout.
• Running six days without the recovery to back it up. If sleep and food don’t support it, four harder days beat six mediocre ones.
• Not tracking. PPL only works if you know what you did last week.

FAQ

How many days a week should I train PPL?

Most lifters do 3 or 6 days; 4 is the compromise. With matched volume, research finds frequency makes little difference to growth²; pick the schedule you can sustain. The how many days a week you should work out guide goes deeper.

Is PPL good for beginners?

Yes. The 3-day version is a fine starting split: moderate volume, 8-12 reps per set⁷, and a rep or two in reserve. Prefer more practice per movement? Full-body training works too; our best 2-day gym workout routine is the gentler start.

Should deadlifts go on pull day or leg day?

Either works. The conventional deadlift is a hinge that pulls: put it on pull day if you want it early with fresh grip, and keep Romanian deadlifts for leg day hamstrings. Don’t max out on heavy deadlifts and squats in the same week.

Can I do cardio on PPL rest days?

Yes, if it’s light enough not to compromise the next session: walks, cycling, swimming, or mobility all support recovery. Intense cardio before leg day can blunt squat performance; see our active recovery guide.

How long until I see results with PPL?

Strength climbs within the first month or two; visible changes accumulate over several months of consistent training. The rate depends on history, sleep, and nutrition, so compare against last week, not a calendar.

Conclusion

The push pull legs routine earns its popularity: simple structure, full muscle coverage, and workable schedules from three to six days. Start with the classic 3-day version, add an upper day for more frequency, and progress with double progression. Consistency beats any split on paper.

Ready to start? Get Workout Quest on the App Store or Google Play, or learn more at workoutquestapp.com.

References

Footnotes

1. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. “Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/ ↩

2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. “How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency.” Journal of Sports Sciences, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30558493/ ↩ ↩²

3. Grgic J, et al. “The effects of short versus long inter-set rest intervals in resistance training on measures of muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review.” European Journal of Sport Science, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28641044/ ↩

4. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. “Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Journal of Sports Sciences, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27433992/ ↩ ↩²

5. Currier BS, et al. “American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897 ↩ ↩²

6. Fradkin AJ, Zazryn TR, Smoliga JM. “Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19996770/ ↩

7. Ratamess NA, et al. “Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204579/ ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. World Health Organization. “WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour,” 2020. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128 ↩