Push Pull Legs: The Complete Routine

Push Pull Legs splits training by movement pattern: pushing muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps) one day, pulling muscles (back, biceps) the next, legs the third. It's popular because it's hard to get wrong: every muscle gets trained hard, then gets days to recover while you train something else.

The classic 6-day version

Run the three days twice per week, one rest day. Rep ranges assume you're finishing 1-2 reps shy of failure.

Push: Bench Press 4×5-8 · Military Press 3×6-10 · Incline Dumbbell Press 3×8-12 · Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3×12-15 · Tricep Pushdown 3×10-15

Pull: Deadlift 3×3-6 · Pull Ups 3×6-10 · Seated Cable Row 3×8-12 · Face Pull 3×12-20 · Barbell Curl 3×8-12

Legs: Squat 4×5-8 · Romanian Deadlift 3×8-12 · Sled Leg Press 3×10-15 · Lying Leg Curl 3×10-15 · standing calf raise 3×12-20

Fewer days? Still works

• 5 days: run the cycle continuously (push, pull, legs, push, pull … restarting each week where you left off).
• 4 days: push / pull / rest / legs / upper; the fourth day mixes the leftovers.
• 3 days: one push, one pull, one legs day weekly. Volume per session rises; it becomes a fine intermediate plan, though a full-body or upper/lower split usually fits 3 days better.

Making it actually work

1. Log everything and beat the log. The split is scaffolding; progressive overload is the mechanism.
2. Respect the big lifts. The first exercise of each day drives most of the results, so treat the rest as accessories, not main events.
3. Count your weekly sets. Twice-through PPL lands most muscles in the 10-20 weekly set range; check against the volume guide before adding more.
4. Don't skip leg day twice. The classic PPL failure mode. If a day dies, the next session picks up where the cycle stopped; don't just repeat push.