A PPL workout, short for push, pull, legs, is a training split that organizes your week by movement pattern instead of by single body parts. It groups muscles that naturally work together, making your sessions focused and your recovery predictable.
This guide explains what each day covers, how to build a 3, 5, or 6 day routine, how much volume to aim for, and whether PPL fits your experience level.
Table of Contents
- What Is a PPL Workout?
- What Do Push, Pull, and Leg Days Train?
- Why Group Muscles by Movement Pattern?
- How Do You Structure a 3, 5, or 6 Day PPL Routine?
- How Many Sets and Reps Should Each Session Have?
- Is PPL Right for You as a Beginner or Intermediate?
- How Do You Apply Progressive Overload in PPL?
- What Are Common PPL Mistakes and When Should You Modify?
- How Do You Build a PPL Home Setup?
Key Takeaways
- PPL means push, pull, legs: Sessions are split by movement pattern, not by individual body parts.
- It scales 3 to 6 days: Train each muscle once weekly on 3 days, or twice weekly on 6 days.
- Volume drives results: Aim for roughly 12 to 20 hard sets per muscle group across the week.
- Best for intermediates: New lifters often progress faster on full body training first.
- Order matters: Avoid placing pull immediately before legs so a tired back does not limit leg work.
What Is a PPL Workout?
A PPL workout is a strength training split that divides every exercise into three session types based on movement pattern: push, pull, and legs. Instead of a chest day or a shoulder day, you train all the pressing muscles together, all the pulling muscles together, and the whole lower body together.
- Push: Pressing movements for chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Pull: Rowing and pulling movements for the back, biceps, and rear delts.
- Legs: Squatting, hinging, and lower body work for quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
You rotate these three sessions across the week, which is why PPL is one of the most flexible and widely used ways to organize training.
What Do Push, Pull, and Leg Days Train?
Each PPL day trains the muscles that share a common movement pattern, so the muscles assisting your main lifts get worked in the same session. This avoids the overlap that causes fatigue when unrelated days sit back to back.
Push Day
Push day trains the muscles that press weight away from your body, namely the chest, shoulders, and triceps, using lifts like bench press, overhead press, and dips.
Pull Day
Pull day trains the muscles that draw weight toward you, namely the back, biceps, and rear delts, using rows, pull ups, and curls. Knowing how a lift is classified helps here, as our guide on whether the deadlift is a push or pull movement explains.
Leg Day
Leg day trains the entire lower body, including quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. You can program it with squats, presses, and hinges, and our roundup of the best leg day exercises covers strong options.
Why Group Muscles by Movement Pattern?
Grouping muscles by movement pattern lets each muscle recover before its next session while keeping per session fatigue manageable. Muscles that assist a main lift, like triceps during pressing, get trained on the same day rather than being hit again a day later.
How you slice the work may matter less than hitting each muscle often enough with enough volume. A randomized trial found that spreading the same weekly sets across either two full body sessions or four upper and lower sessions produced similar gains in strength and muscle mass in untrained women when each muscle was trained twice per week.[1]
- Less interference: Related muscles fatigue together instead of across separate days.
- Predictable recovery: Each pattern gets a clear rest window before its next session.
The practical takeaway is that PPL is a sensible structure, not a magic one. Frequency and total volume still do the heavy lifting.
How Do You Structure a 3, 5, or 6 Day PPL Routine?
You structure PPL by choosing how many days you can train and recover from, then rotating push, pull, and legs across that schedule. A 3 day version trains each muscle once weekly, while a 6 day version trains each muscle twice.
3 Day PPL
Run push, pull, legs on three days such as Monday, Wednesday, Friday, with rest between sessions. This is the practical starting point for busy schedules or anyone new to the split.
5 Day PPL
Cycle push, pull, legs, push, pull and let the sequence roll into the next week rather than resetting. This adds upper body frequency for intermediate lifters who have stalled on 3 days.
6 Day PPL
Run push, pull, legs twice with one rest day, hitting each muscle group twice per week. Vary exercise selection between the two passes, then compare it with a 4 day split workout routine if six days feels like too much.
The video below walks through a well organized PPL routine, including how to order sessions and select exercises for each day.
How Many Sets and Reps Should Each Session Have?
Each session should include about two to three compound lifts plus one to three accessory exercises, with most working sets in the 6 to 15 rep range. The number that matters most is your weekly total, not how any single day looks.
A systematic review suggests that roughly 12 to 20 hard weekly sets per muscle group is a reasonable standard for muscle growth, often distributed across about two sessions per week.[3] When weekly volume is held constant, an umbrella review reported that frequency by itself does not meaningfully change hypertrophy, so higher frequency mainly helps by letting you accumulate that volume with less fatigue per session.[2]
- Weight selection: Pick a load that brings you within 1 to 3 reps of failure on your target rep count.
- Compounds first: Start with the heaviest multi joint lift while you are fresh, then add isolation work.
- Track the week: Count hard sets per muscle across all sessions rather than per workout.
If you train each muscle twice weekly, splitting 12 to 20 sets into two sessions keeps each workout productive without grinding you down.
Is PPL Right for You as a Beginner or Intermediate?
PPL is best suited to intermediate lifters who have already built a base of technique and work capacity on simpler programs. Beginners can run it, but many coaches suggest three full body sessions per week for the first few months before switching.
- Newer lifters: Full body training practices key lifts more often and grows strength quickly on lower volume.
- Intermediate lifters: PPL adds room for more volume and exercise variety once simple routines stop producing progress.
If you can train four or more days and recover well, PPL gives you a clean way to scale volume up over time. A routine that trains each muscle twice a week follows the same frequency logic.
How Do You Apply Progressive Overload in PPL?
You apply progressive overload by gradually doing more over time, usually by adding a small amount of weight, an extra rep, or an additional set once you can complete your current sets with good technique. PPL makes this easy to track because each day has a clear focus.
- When to add weight: Once you hit the top of your rep range on all sets with clean form, increase the load slightly.
- Frequency progression: Move from 3 days to 5 or 6 days only when recovery and consistency are solid.
- Vary intensity: Alternating heavier and lighter weeks helps manage fatigue across a training block.
Small, steady increases beat chasing big jumps that you cannot repeat. Using machines like a leg press machine can make adding load on leg day simple and controlled.
What Are Common PPL Mistakes and When Should You Modify?
The most common PPL mistakes are poor session ordering, chasing too much frequency too soon, and ignoring recovery. The fix is to arrange days so a fatigued muscle never limits the next session, and to back off when joints or progress tell you to.
"Doing pull before legs is kind of backwards because your back is sore when you're training legs and that really limits you. If your legs are sore and you're training back that typically doesn't limit you."
Dr. Mike Israetel, PhD, Co-founder, Renaissance Periodization
- Mind the order: Place a rest day or a push day between pull and legs so a tired back does not cap your leg work.
- Watch overtraining: Stalled lifts, poor sleep, and lingering soreness signal you may need fewer days or less volume.
- Stop on pain: Sharp or persistent joint pain is a reason to stop the set, swap the movement, or seek professional advice.
Swapping exercises also helps, such as trading a barbell squat for a machine option. Our lower body machine workout guide and Smith machine leg workouts offer joint friendly alternatives.
How Do You Build a PPL Home Setup?
You can run a full PPL split at home with a few versatile pieces that cover pressing, pulling, and lower body work. Prioritize equipment that lets you load compounds and add weight in small steps across all three day types.
- Pressing and pulling: A bench plus adjustable resistance covers most push and pull movements at home.
- Lower body: Dedicated leg equipment makes leg day productive without a full barbell rack.
For leg day specifically, a RitFit 3 in 1 leg press, hack squat and calf raise package covers several patterns in one footprint, and browsing leg training machines helps you match gear to your space. Beginners adding upper body can start with beginner push up workouts on push day.
FAQs About PPL Workouts
What does PPL stand for in a workout?
PPL stands for push, pull, legs. It is a training split that organizes your sessions by movement pattern rather than by individual body parts. Push days train pressing muscles like the chest, shoulders, and triceps, pull days train the back and biceps, and leg days train the entire lower body including quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
Is PPL good for beginners?
PPL can work for beginners, but many coaches suggest starting with three full body sessions per week for the first few months. Beginners build strength and motor patterns faster with frequent practice of fundamental lifts. Once progress slows on a simpler routine, moving to PPL becomes a natural next step for adding volume.
How many days a week should I do PPL?
PPL scales from three to six days per week depending on your schedule and recovery. A three day version trains each muscle once weekly and suits busy lifters, while a six day version trains each muscle twice and tends to favor muscle growth. Five day setups sit in between, so choose the frequency you can recover from and repeat consistently.
How many sets should each PPL workout have?
Aim for roughly 12 to 20 hard sets per muscle group across the whole week, then divide that total across your sessions. In practice each PPL workout usually includes two to three compound lifts plus one to three accessory exercises. Focus on the weekly total rather than cramming every set into a single day.
Should I do push pull legs or legs pull push order?
Order matters because your back is heavily involved in many leg movements. Training pull right before legs can leave your back fatigued and limit your leg session. Many lifters prefer push, legs, pull or place a rest day between pull and legs so neither session is compromised by lingering fatigue.
Conclusion
A PPL workout splits your week into push, pull, and leg sessions, giving each muscle group focused work and a clear recovery window. Choose 3 days for a simple start or 6 days when you want each muscle trained twice.
Build your weekly volume toward 12 to 20 hard sets per muscle, progress in small steps, and order your days so a tired muscle never limits the next session. If you are newer, build a base on full body training first, then move to PPL.
Disclaimer
This article is for general educational purposes only and does not replace personalized advice from a qualified fitness or medical professional. Consult a professional before starting a new program, especially if you have an injury or health condition.
References
1. Pedersen H, Fimland MS, Schoenfeld BJ, Iversen VM, Cumming KT, Jensen S, Saeterbakken AH, Andersen V. A randomized trial on the efficacy of split-body versus full-body resistance training in non-resistance trained women. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2022;14(1):87. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9107721/
2. Bernárdez-Vázquez R, Raya-González J, Castillo D, Beato M. Resistance Training Variables for Optimization of Muscle Hypertrophy: An Umbrella Review. Front Sports Act Living. 2022;4:949021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9302196/
3. Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet. 2022;81:199-210. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8884877/
