Push Pull Legs Split: The Complete PPL Workout Guide

Push pull legs is the workout split where you train pushing muscles one day, pulling muscles the next, and legs the day after — then repeat. Six training days, every major muscle group hit twice a week, clean separation so nothing overlaps.

That is the whole system. Here is how to make it work in practice.

What Is the Push Pull Legs Split?

PPL divides your training into three movement patterns:

• Push days: chest, shoulders, triceps — every movement where the load travels away from your body (bench press, overhead press, dips, cable flyes)
• Pull days: back, biceps, rear delts — every movement where you pull weight toward you (deadlift, barbell row, pull-up, face pull)
• Leg days: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves — squat and hinge patterns (back squat, Romanian deadlift, leg press, calf raise)

Run the cycle twice in a six-day week and every muscle gets two quality sessions with 48–72 hours to recover before it works again. That frequency is what drives the gains.

Push Pull Legs for Beginners: Is PPL Right for You?

PPL is an intermediate program, not an entry point. Before it makes sense, you need:

• At least three to six months of consistent gym training
• Solid technique on the main lifts (squat, deadlift, bench, row, overhead press)
• The schedule to realistically get to the gym six days a week

If you are newer to the gym, a full-body routine three days a week builds the same muscle with less total volume and faster recovery. Once the basics feel automatic and you want more training days, PPL is the natural next step.

For intermediate lifters who can commit to the schedule, it is hard to beat.

The Push Pull Legs Workout Schedule

The classic six-day structure:

Day	Training Focus
Monday	Push
Tuesday	Pull
Wednesday	Legs
Thursday	Push
Friday	Pull
Saturday	Legs
Sunday	Rest

You do not have to start on Monday. PPL is a rolling cycle — push, pull, legs, rest when needed, repeat. If life gets in the way midweek, just pick up where you left off.

Sample Push Day

• Barbell bench press: 4 × 5–8
• Incline dumbbell press: 3 × 8–12
• Overhead press (barbell or dumbbell): 3 × 8–10
• Lateral raises: 3 × 12–15
• Triceps cable pushdown: 3 × 10–12

Sample Pull Day

• Deadlift or rack pull: 3 × 4–6
• Barbell or cable row: 4 × 6–10
• Pull-up or lat pulldown: 3 × 8–10
• Face pull: 3 × 12–15
• Barbell or dumbbell curl: 3 × 10–12

Sample Leg Day

• Back squat: 4 × 5–8
• Romanian deadlift: 3 × 8–10
• Leg press: 3 × 10–12
• Walking lunge or leg curl: 3 × 10–12
• Standing calf raise: 4 × 12–15

Adjust volume to where you are now. Running six days at full intensity from week one is a fast path to burnout — build into it.

Upper Lower vs Push Pull Legs: Which Split Is Better?

This is the most-asked gym split question right now, and the honest answer depends on one thing: how many days you can train.

Upper lower runs four days a week — two upper-body sessions, two lower-body sessions. Each muscle gets two hits per week and you are in the gym four days total. It is more forgiving on recovery and easier to maintain across a busy schedule.

Push pull legs trains six days. The extra volume per muscle group is the point — if you can recover from it, you accumulate more quality sets per week and can drive more growth. PPL also lets you specialize: if your shoulders lag, you can load push days with extra lateral and overhead work without crowding the rest of the week.

The gap in results between the two splits is smaller than most people think. Research shows a difference of roughly 3–4% when adherence is controlled. The split you actually show up for six months in a row is the better split. Pick the one that fits your life.

Build a PPL Template and Track Every Session

The part most lifters skip: logging every single session.

PPL only compounds if you are applying progressive overload — adding weight or reps each week on each movement. That requires knowing exactly what you lifted last time. On a six-day program with dozens of sets across three movement patterns, memory is not enough.

The fix is a workout tracker that surfaces your previous set inline. When you sit down for bench press on Thursday's push day, you should see what you lifted on Monday's push day — weight, reps, set by set — right next to where you log today's numbers. No digging. Just last session's number staring at you, asking to be beaten.

GainLogger works exactly this way. Build your PPL routine once as a template: three session types, six exercises each, every target rep range configured. Then log against it every session. Your previous weights and reps appear beside the current set input automatically.

Hit a new bench press PR? GainLogger flags it mid-session. That instant notification is the fastest dopamine hit in the gym.

Once you build the template, you can share it with training partners running the same PPL program. Every person tracks their own progression against the same structure — so at the end of a twelve-week block you can all compare where your numbers landed.

Core logging is completely free. No paywall on your own progress data.

Streaks and the 12-Week PPL Commitment

PPL takes time to pay off visibly. Weeks one and two you are adapting to the volume. Weeks three through six the lifts start moving. By week eight to twelve you have real data: a strength chart per exercise showing eight to twelve data points of consistent upward progress.

That visual — your bench press climbing from 80 kg to 92.5 kg over a block — makes the work concrete. It also makes it addictive. Seeing the line go up and to the right is the most motivating graphic in training.

The streak protects the block. Miss a session and the chain breaks. Keep showing up and the chart climbs. GainLogger tracks your workout streak, fires milestone alerts at 10, 25, and 50 sessions, and logs every PR automatically so you can scroll back through your full strength history.

The streak you won't want to break.

Log Your PPL Sets from Your Wrist

Leaving your phone on the bench between sets is where logs fall apart. The rest timer dings, you pick up the bar, and three sets later your session has gaps.

GainLogger runs natively on Apple Watch and Wear OS. Tap to start a set, tap to finish it, watch the rest timer count down on screen — without unlocking your phone. The Apple Watch companion operates independently, so you can leave your phone in your bag and still capture every push, pull, and squat set cleanly.

Track Your PPL Plan the Right Way

Running Push Pull Legs consistently means you need a structured plan — and a log that makes progress visible across sessions. Muscle growth depends on progressive overload, which depends on knowing what you lifted last time. GainLogger shows you exactly that, set by set, right as you train. Build your PPL plan once as reusable templates, share it with training partners, and watch your numbers climb week after week — free.

Start Your Push Pull Legs Program Today

The structure is simple: push, pull, legs, repeat. Six days, three movement patterns, every muscle hit twice a week. The execution — showing up consistently, logging every set, adding load over time — is what separates lifters who plateau from lifters who keep climbing.

Build your PPL template in GainLogger free on iOS and Android. Three session types, set once, logged and tracked for every future session.

Watch your numbers climb.