Choosing the right workout split can be an incredibly daunting task for a lifter. You want the best plan to build muscle and increase strength, all while helping you hit any body composition goals you may have.

On top of that, everyone thinks their split is the best split. So, how do you know which is best for you?

The truth is that just about all splits work when the right exercises, recovery times, and progressive overload are included. But, some splits are tried and true, backed by decades of results, and the Push Pull Legs (or simply referred to as PPL) is one of those routines. 

In this post, we'll show you an awesome Push Pull Legs Workout for building muscle and improving strength, the exercises to include in your program, along with key training variables, like rep scheme, load, and how many days per week you should train.

Table of Contents:

We're going to briefly explain what a push pull legs split is before getting into the plan. If you're ready to jump into the program, continue scrolling to the routine.

A workout split is a method of organizing muscle groups or body parts into specific training days, helping with management and organization, in addition to mitigating fatigue and advancing muscle recovery. 

A Push Pull Legs routine, aka PPL split, works by dividing the muscle groups into upper-body push exercises, upper-body pull exercises, and legs. These training days will look like this:

Push day workouts will work upper body pushing muscles, primarily training:

You will still train the core, some upper back, and even some legs on these movements as well. 

Pull day workouts will work the deadlift and upper body pull muscles. This is going to primarily work your back and biceps, including:

Again, you’ll still get a fair amount of training for your core and posterior chain (spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings).

Leg day workouts will work the muscles of your entire lower body, including:

Keep in mind that this is not always exact and some exercises will have some overlap. For example, an upright row is going to train your delts and traps. Since there are fewer pushing muscles, it might be a good idea to train this on your pushing day.

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Here is a push pull legs routine for you to start with. Over time, you can work in alternative exercises and play around with rep schemes. Below the workout, we'll talk about training frequency options you can choose from when using this routine.

Feel free to adjust this push pull legs routine as needed. You can alter the rep schemes slightly to suit your needs as well as the exercises in this PPL split. It is important to note, however, that the exercises in these workouts are listed in order, which you can think of as “Heavy—>Light”.

This means that the exercises at the top of each workout are more suitable for heavy weights while those at the bottom are more suitable for lighter weights. Do not immediately start with heavy weights if you are new to lifting. Start light.

*The 1RM% are an estimate and don’t need to be exact. Work with a number which you could knock out another 2-3 reps.

The key to spreading out training days is to separate them as evenly as possible. You do not want to train Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and then rest Thursday to Sunday. Remember, regardless of how many days you train a week, all of these plans work by cycling through Push Pull Legs workouts.

This looks like:

Below are the best ways to arrange training days for your pull pull legs routine.

For a 3-days-a-week push pull legs routine, separate two sessions with one day of rest and one session with two days of rest.

A 3-day push-pull-legs workout schedule can look like:

Don’t put too much thought into it. The only thing to remember: DO NOT train two days in a row unless you absolutely have to.

For more great training options, check out our 3 Day Workout Split Guide!

With this option, you train one day, rest one day, train one day, rest one day. Easy. This will alter between working out 3 days a week and 4 days a week, but that’s just semantics as the training load remains the same.

An every-other-day push-pull-legs workout routine looks like:

Many trainees have found this effective as it keeps rest days to only one day and allows them to mentally push hard on the training day. Further, some find the changing of the days an interesting enough stimulus to keep things stimulating. 

A 4-days-a-week push pull leg routine gives you a few different options. The first is to work out two days in a row twice weekly with a day or two of rest in between. The main benefit of this schedule is the two-day rest period. Some trainees like this as it gives them time to travel or the weekend off to spend time with family.

The other option is to train two days in a row, then two single days, all with one day of rest. This option has the benefit of being more consistent with only having one day of rest.

Even though it’s the same load, some trainees find taking two days of rest to be a little too much and get them out of their groove. Further, this schedule allows you to go really hard on the two single sessions as you know you get to rest the next day.

With these options in mind, different ways to program a 4-day push-pull-legs workout include:

Check out our 4 Day Workout Split Guide for more great 4-day training options!

You have one option for a 5-days-a-week push pull legs routine: to train three days in a row and then two days in a row, both with a single day of rest. This is the superior method as it allows for better recovery and more efficient workouts.

A 5-day push-pull-legs workout schedule looks like this:

Some may say you could work out five days in a row and then two days of rest. Remember that the most effective way is to spread the workouts out as evenly as possible.

Working out five days in a row can be tough. Breaking it up into three days of training and two days of training is the better split. Still, if you want the entire weekend free, go for five days in a row. 

Looking for more great 5-day routines? Check out our 5 Day Workout Split Guide and our 12 Week Powerbuilding Program with 5 Day Workout Split.

The vast majority of people don’t need to train six days a week. It’s arguably no more effective than four or five days a week and can even be detrimental to your gains. Only advanced trainees should do this.

But if you fall into the advanced trainee bracket and want to give this a shot, there’s only one way to train six days a week. Six days of training with one day of rest. Choose wisely. 

Check out our 6 Day Workout Split Guide for another great 6-day option!

Here are the training variables to consider to successfully follow the PPL split.

Even when lifting weights, altering the weights and other variables can create significantly different changes in the body. Unless you are specifically training as a powerlifter or a bodybuilder, you should work out across the whole spectrum of reps.

Even professional lifters use the entire range as there is a distinct relationship between hypertrophy (muscle growth) and strength or power development. A bigger muscle can become a stronger muscle, and a stronger muscle can make a bigger muscle.

Below are some guidelines for the repetition spectrum:

The vast majority of people will suffice, mainly working in the strength and hypertrophy range. The only real power exercise on this list is the push press. Other than that, a good rule of thumb is to have:

You can alter these a bit as you want, just be sure to have at least 1 exercise in each rep range.

Sets will range from 3-5 sets with 0:30-2:00 of rest in between. 

You can switch up the PPL plan to suit your training needs. Here are some common alterations to make the best Push Pull Legs routine for you.

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Any of these variations will work as long as you use progressive overload! To continue to grow, you need to add to your total load every week.

Four strategies for continuing to progress your push-pull-legs workout program are:

1. Swap out exercises: If you find that your growth has become stagnant after a few months running the Push Pull Legs routine, all you need to do is swap out similar movements. The only key is that they should have similar biomechanics. Examples are:

We'll get into more information on exercises shortly, giving you an even better idea of substitutions you can make.

2. Change the order of exercises: Instead of swapping out exercises, just swap the order. For example, instead of doing a push press first on the pushing day, train bench press first. 

3. Alter the rep scheme you are using: This is called periodization and consists of blocks where you change from training a movement in the power, strength, and hypertrophy range.

4. REST! Take a de-load week every once in a while or take off completely and just train core or HIIT. 

The majority of your exercises should consist of compound movements, which are effective for stimulating hypertrophy, building strength, and hitting multiple major muscle groups. As you train multiple muscle groups simultaneously, especially when compared to isolation movements, it will cut down on the length of your workouts.

You can still work in some isolation exercises for any muscle groups that you may be targeting for more growth.

Keep in mind that every compound lift doesn’t need to be a “big” compound movement. For example, upright rows and face pulls (you will do both) are compound movements but don’t use as much weight or muscle mass as a deadlift or bench press.

Let's take a look at the different movement patterns, along with some exercise examples, so you can better understand the best types of moves for your PPL program.

The six main movement patterns to include in your Push Pull Legs workout are:

Many of these exercises are done with a barbell or dumbbells, but if you are a beginner, want to train at home, or like the idea of minimal equipment, you can easily perform these movements with resistance bands. If you want to go this route, pick up one of these 11 Best Resistance Bands Sets so you can get started!

First, let's talk about the essential pushing exercises to include in your PPL routine, which are moves that target your pecs, delts, and triceps.

The 9 best pushing exercises are:

The push press is the only power exercise on this entire list. That’s because a large percentage of trains have zero power exercise in their regimen and the push press is the easiest to perform.

Plus, addressing the issue of Push Pull Legs being bias towards the upper body, you will have to generate explosiveness with hip extension that will rely on the glutes. Being a power exercise, you will work just about every muscle in the body while concentrating on hip extension, the shoulders, and triceps.

The bench press is the most popular pressing exercise there is. And for a good reason. Trainees can use a significant amount of weight to overload the pec, shoulders, and triceps. 

While the bench press is the modern-day king of pressing, the overhead shoulder press used to reign supreme, and for many, it still does. This is a move that requires mobility and can be harder to progress on it, but that's all the more reason to include it in your routine.

Overhead is going to strengthen your shoulders and upper back while also activating your entire core for support. Plus, it will require you to fix the mobility and stability of your shoulders. 

Pro-tip: On light days, perform a shrug at the top of the movement for some serious upper-back track training. 

The incline dumbbell press is an extremely challenging exercise that targets your upper chest. Also, because the dumbbells allow horizontal shoulder abduction (moving your arm toward the center of your body), you will get more activation in the pectoral muscles as a whole.

Set the bench somewhere between a 30-40 degree incline

A misconception exists that the bench press is the best movement for the chest. It’s not. The dip is. The bench is still a great movement for strength and power development, but it doesn’t it the chest as much as people think. There’s an adage that goes around the old-school gym guys.

“Bench builds the tri’s. Dips build the chest”

If you want a huge chest, you need to do dips. They are the best pushing bodyweight exercise there is, and their movement pattern can’t be replicated. 

As mentioned above, the upright row is a movement that falls somewhere between a push and a pull exercise due to the muscles it works. However, it’s good to work this in on your pushing day.

The upright row will primarily work your delta and upper back while also hitting the biceps some.

The chest fly is a great movement for the chest, shoulders, and arms. It is particularly effective for the chest as you can really squeeze and create tension. Over time, you can build a really defined chest with the chest fly. It can be done with a cable machine, dumbbells, or a pec deck.

Do all three to switch things up. Moreover, try to hit the fly from different angles by adjusting the cable pulley level or doing incline, flat, and decline db chest fly.

An old-school classic and perhaps the best tricep isolation exercises there is. Use an EZ-curl bar as it will be much more comfortable for skull crushers.

Tricep pressdowns are a great exercise to target the triceps. Plus, there are a ton of varieties that you can do with this one move. Rope, reverse-grip straight bar, prone grip straight bar, Y-handle...the best option is to just do all of them. 

Check out our Pushing Exercises Guide to learn more about pushing movements.

Your upper body pulling muscles include your back, biceps, and rear delts, which is what these exercises will primarily target. 

The 8 best pulling exercises are:

Let's learn how to perform each.

Being the king of barbell movements, the deadlift reigns over them all. While used for lower-body exercises, the deadlift is genuinely a full body workout. Using the deadlift on your pulling day is a great way to run this program as it allows you to essentially hit your legs on two days of a Push Pull Legs split. It also allows you to concentrate on it separately from the squat.

The deadlift is going to primarily train the hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors. However, the quads are also used extensively in this movement to push into the ground (which is also a great cue!) along with the traps and lats to keep the upper back from solid. 

If you don't want to do conventional deadlifts, there are several deadlift alternatives that are almost as good in terms of building size and strength.

Not only are these the king of bodyweight pulling exercises, but they are the king of pulling exercises. Period.

Chin-ups are going to work literally every back in your muscle PLUS your biceps as you use an underhand grip. Studies show they will even activate more muscles than the lat-pulldown, making them the superior back exercise1. On top of that, you will also get a killer core workout.

Wondering what the difference between pull ups and chin ups are? Head to our article comparing Pull Ups vs Chin Ups to learn more.

The bent-over barbell row is going to destroy your back in the lateral plane (horizontal pulling). Like the chin-up, it will train your entire back but with different biomechanics, like giving your back a whole new stimulus. 

Since you are doing this movement bent-over, it is also a great movement to train your posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors) with an insane isometric hold. These muscles will fire like mad to give you a solid base to pull from.

Bent-over barbell rows work well, heavy or light. Traditionally done with an overhand grip, you can also easily switch to an underhand grip creating a new stimulus with essentially the same exercise.

If you are a beginner, stick to the traditional dumbbell row to focus on the dumbbell row’s biomechanics. However, once you have been training for a while, you might want to try these.

Kroc rows are similar to the dumbbell row, but they use a lot more weight and a lot more body momentum. Essentially, a Kroc row consists of using a very heavy dumbbell but doing a lot of reps. Think of a weight that you can do, maybe four or five good reps with a clean dumbbell row but knocking out 15+.

To do this, you use a very explosive motion at the bottom of the rep and a little body momentum. Don’t worry about “concentrating on the contraction”. The weight used will be more than enough to overload the muscles as you will be knocking out a ton of reps.

Note: Although this is done with high reps, treat it like a heavy exercise.

Time to take a seat and really focus on hitting the back. The close-grip seated row is a great exercise to use with lighter weight and high reps (Now you can focus on your mind-muscle contraction!). While the above exercises are focused on strength development, use this exercise to concentrate on hypertrophy.

"Close-grip” is listed as its biomechanics are substantially different from the bent-over barbell row. However, it’s a good idea to use various grips with this movement: Wide-grip, neutral grip, even a rope attachment.

Everything is virtually the same for the set-up. Still, the difference in grip will hit the back slightly different while also adding enough variety to keep this exercise exciting. 

For some more great row variations, check out our article on the best Seated Cable Row Alternatives,

When you think of traps, Olympic lifters are king. And what do all of these movements start with? A frontal shrug.

Nothing will make you look more swole than a nice set of upper traps. To really make them grow, you need some direct work, and that's where the frontal shrug comes in. Studies have shown that this variation, compared to other shrug variations, is the most effective in activating the most amount of muscle fibers2.

A frontal shrug is done by holding your hands in front of your body with a prone grip. While this could be done with dumbbells, the best bet is to just use a barbell.

Because the range of motion is naturally small, be sure to get a nice long pause at the top. A good practice is to use heavy weight with low reps but a long pause at the top (3+ seconds). This allows sufficient time under tension while using heavy-weight.

Face pulls are the ultimate accessory pulling movement and play an important role in a good push pull legs routine. This exercise is going to significantly increase the strength of your traps, rhomboids, and anterior delta. Collectively, this will increase your scapula control, improve your shoulder health, and fix your posture.

Want some more great options? Check out these Face Pull Alternatives.

It’s always a good idea to have a pulling exercise to specifically train elbow flexion. Besides building a bulging bicep, bicep curls will strengthen the elbow joint’s tendons and ligaments, helping to mitigate future injury as the elbow is a common location for an overuse injury. 

The cable machine is a great option to use for bicep curls as they are easier to swap out attachments or weights if you want to throw in some compound sets. Like the tricep extension, we’re not going to suggest one type; just consistently swap variations around.

Looking for even more information on pulling movements. Check out our Pulling Exercises Guide!

Leg day will hit your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, emphasizing compound lifts for serious muscle building.

The 6 best leg exercises for a PPL split are:

The back squat is a must-have in your training routine. They are the greatest exercise to create pure size and strength in the entire lower body.

Plus, you will get an insane core workout. Squats will make your quads, glutes, and hamstrings blow up.

The unpopular, but possibly more effective brother of the back squat, is the front squat. In actuality, front squats are the preferred movement by many professional athletes’ coaches as it has better transfer to athletic movements. It’s also going to drastically increase your mobility and core.

The front squat differs from the back squat as the bar is set in the front of the body. This little change causes a massive difference in the biomechanics of the movement. As the lifter descends, he must keep an excessively upright torso to keep the bar from falling.

This means little hip flexion and more knee flexion, resulting in a much larger load placed on the quadriceps. If I could only do two lower body exercises, it would be the front squat for the anterior muscles and the deadlift for the posterior muscles.

You can read more about the differences between the two squats in our article comparing the Front Squat vs Back Squat.

The barbell hip thrust is the best exercise to train the glutes. Not only will it create a powerful butt and hamstrings, but it’s also going to have an incredible transfer of performance to the deadlift and back squat.

Just be warned: Start light! Trainees unaccustomed to this exercise are not used to the amount of activation they get in their glutes and hamstrings. This can leave you incredibly sore if you do too much too soon.

The leg press is the only machine on this list. It is an extremely effective way to train your entire lower body while taking strain off of your lower back, allowing you to get more volume in without getting injured.

Also, you can alter the muscle activation by changing the seat angle and leg placement. Neither is better or worse than the other so play around with different variations.

Check out our article on Leg Press Alternatives for more moves that work the same muscles in the same ways.

Lunges are tough. Real tough. Many trainees find this exercise to be harder than squats or deadlifts. That also means they are very effective. While lunges are not a true unilateral exercise, as you use both legs to perform the movement (known as bilateral), the emphasis is placed on the forward leg.

Lunges will kill your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles and significantly increase your balance and coordination (they’re not as easy to perform as they look!).

One of the great things about lunges is that they are incredibly effective with just body weight or holding dumbbells to increase the load. Lunges are generally done with at least 10 reps (5 per leg) as they are not very suitable for heavy loads. Many great lifters' common practice is to only use body weight with lunges and perform very high volumes with them - as in 100+ steps.

Looking for similar moves to target the same muscles? Check out these Lunge Alternatives!

Dumbbell and kettlebell sumo deadlifts are an amazingly effective yet underutilized exercise. Due to the higher amount of knee flexion and wider stance in a sumo deadlift, you will get more activation in the quadriceps and that pesky area for many, the inner thigh; otherwise known as the hip adductors.

Because the mobility required for the sumo deadlift is much more difficult for people, using a single dumbbell or kettlebell is a much better option for universal use. Use higher reps for this one, which gives your training some stimuli variety.

Here are the top alternative or additional exercises you can include in your program. Just take the same workout we've provided and put some of these alternatives in place of the exercises you want to switch up.

Alternative Pushing Day Exercises

Alternative Pulling Day Exercises

Alternative Leg Day Exercises

Dumbbell Press

T-Bar Row

Trap Bar Deadlift

Close-Grip Bench Press

Rack Pulls

Leg Press

Push-ups

Landmine Rows

Romanian Deadlift

Landmine Presses

Pull-Ups

Bulgarian Split Squat

Seated Shoulder Press or Dumbbell Press

Swimmers

Calf Raises

Arnold Press

Lat Pull Down

Leg Curl

Overhead Tricep Extensions

Standing Single Arm Row (with Cable)

Leg Extension

Prepare to maximize your strength with our exclusive 13-week strength training program. 3, 4, and 5 day per week programming options.

Using a Push Pull Legs workout routine for your training program offers a ton of great benefits. Here are a few of them.

We just covered everything you need to know about this amazingly effective push pull legs workout split. Use this push pulls legs routine as your base while adjusting the plan to fit your needs and training level. 

Versatility, adaptability, and awesome results - that's what we like to see in a great workout split! As long as you maintain the fundamental ideas, a PPL workout plan will work for you.

Interested in more great workout routines? Check out our Upper Lower Workout Program and the Bro Split Workout Program. Or, for a full body workout routine, try our Full Body Workout Plan!

References:

Lee JH, Cynn HS, Choi WJ, Jeong HJ, Yoon TL. Various shrug exercises can change scapular kinematics and scapular rotator muscle activities in subjects with scapular downward rotation syndrome. Human Movement Science. 2016;45:119-129. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2015.11.016