The Complete Guide to Push Pull Legs (PPL)

What Is Push Pull Legs?

Push Pull Legs (PPL) is one of the most popular training splits in strength training. It organises your workouts around three movement patterns:

• Push: exercises where you push weight away from your body (chest, shoulders, triceps)
• Pull: exercises where you pull weight towards your body (back, biceps, rear delts)
• Legs: all lower body movements (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves)

This split keeps things simple. Instead of thinking about individual muscle groups, you train by movement pattern. That means less overlap between sessions and better recovery.

Who Is PPL For?

PPL works well for a wide range of lifters:

• Beginners who want a clear structure without overcomplicating things
• Intermediate lifters looking to increase training volume and frequency
• Advanced lifters who want a flexible framework they can customise

If you can train at least 3 days per week, PPL is a solid choice. Training 6 days per week (hitting each pattern twice) is where this split really shines for building strength and size.

The Classic PPL Schedule

Here's how a typical 6-day PPL week looks:

Day	Session	Focus
Monday	Push	Chest, shoulders, triceps
Tuesday	Pull	Back, biceps, rear delts
Wednesday	Legs	Quads, hamstrings, glutes
Thursday	Push	Chest, shoulders, triceps
Friday	Pull	Back, biceps, rear delts
Saturday	Legs	Quads, hamstrings, glutes
Sunday	Rest	Recovery

You can also run it as a rolling 3-day cycle without fixed days. Just train Push, Pull, Legs, rest, and repeat.

Sample Push Day

A well-structured push session might look like this:

1. Barbell Bench Press: 4 x 6-8
2. Overhead Press: 3 x 8-10
3. Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 x 10-12
4. Lateral Raises: 3 x 12-15
5. Tricep Pushdowns: 3 x 10-12
6. Overhead Tricep Extension: 2 x 12-15

Start with your heaviest compound lifts when you're freshest, then move to isolation work.

Sample Pull Day

1. Barbell Rows: 4 x 6-8
2. Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldowns: 3 x 8-10
3. Seated Cable Rows: 3 x 10-12
4. Face Pulls: 3 x 12-15
5. Barbell Curls: 3 x 10-12
6. Hammer Curls: 2 x 12-15

Sample Leg Day

1. Barbell Squats: 4 x 6-8
2. Romanian Deadlifts: 3 x 8-10
3. Leg Press: 3 x 10-12
4. Walking Lunges: 3 x 10-12 each leg
5. Leg Curls: 3 x 12-15
6. Calf Raises: 4 x 12-15

How to Progress on PPL

The key to getting results from any programme is progressive overload. That means gradually increasing the demands on your muscles over time. With PPL, you can progress by:

• Adding weight when you hit the top of your rep range
• Adding reps within your target range before increasing weight
• Adding sets as your work capacity improves (carefully)

Track every session so you know exactly what to beat next time. This is where most people leave gains on the table. If you're guessing, you're not progressing.

Common PPL Mistakes

1. Too much volume too soon Don't jump straight into 6 days per week with 25+ sets per muscle group. Start moderate and build up.

2. Neglecting compounds Isolation exercises are great, but the big compound lifts (bench, rows, squats, deadlifts, overhead press) should be the foundation of your sessions.

3. Not tracking progress If you're not writing down what you lifted, you're guessing. Track your workouts to ensure you're actually progressing.

4. Skipping leg day We've all heard the jokes, but your legs contain the biggest muscles in your body. Train them hard and you'll see results everywhere.

Making PPL Work for You

The beauty of PPL is its flexibility. You can adapt it to suit your goals:

• Strength focus: Lower reps (3-6), longer rest periods, heavier weights
• Hypertrophy focus: Moderate reps (8-12), shorter rest, higher volume
• Mix of both: Heavy compounds first (3-6 reps), lighter isolation work after (10-15 reps)

You can also swap exercises based on your available equipment. Training at home with dumbbells? Replace barbell bench with dumbbell press. No cable machine? Use resistance bands for face pulls.

Final Thoughts

Push Pull Legs is popular for a reason. It's simple, effective, and scalable. Whether you're training 3 days or 6 days per week, PPL gives you a solid framework to build strength and muscle.

The most important thing? Stay consistent and track your progress. The lifters who see the best results are the ones who show up week after week and gradually push harder.