What Is Push Pull Legs, and Is It a Good Split?
Push pull legs (PPL) splits your training into three workouts: a push day for chest, shoulders and triceps, a pull day for back and biceps, and a leg day. It's a very good split if you run it often enough. Six days a week hits each muscle twice, which research suggests builds more muscle than training it once.
Run three days a week, each muscle gets trained only once, which still works but leaves some growth on the table unless your sessions are high in volume. Below is how PPL works, how often to run it, what the research on frequency and volume says, and full six-day and three-day plans you can follow.
How Does a PPL Split Work?
Each workout groups muscles that work together. Push day covers pressing muscles: chest, front shoulders and triceps. Pull day covers rowing and pulling muscles: back, rear shoulders and biceps. Leg day covers quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Because the groups don't overlap much, each muscle rests while you train the others.
That's the main appeal. You can train hard on consecutive days without hitting the same muscles twice in a row. Here's what each day typically includes:
| Day | Muscles | Example exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Push | Chest, shoulders, triceps | Bench press, overhead press, incline dumbbell press, lateral raise, triceps extension |
| Pull | Back, rear delts, biceps | Pull up or pulldown, barbell row, cable row, face pull, curl |
| Legs | Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves | Squat, Romanian deadlift, leg press, leg curl, calf raise |
Some lifters add abs to leg day or rotate them across all three sessions. The structure is flexible, as long as each muscle gets enough hard sets across the week.
Should You Run Push Pull Legs Three or Six Days a Week?
Six days, if your schedule and recovery allow it. Running the cycle twice means each muscle is trained twice a week, and studies comparing once-weekly with twice-weekly training found better growth with twice. Three days a week works, but each muscle then gets just one session.
A 2016 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine of 10 studies found that training each muscle twice a week promoted greater muscle growth than training it once, when total volume was the same. Whether three times beats twice wasn't clear.
A larger 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found frequency made no significant difference when weekly volume was equal, and suggested people choose their frequency "based on personal preference." The practical takeaway: twice a week makes it easier to fit in enough volume without marathon sessions, which is why the six-day version tends to work better for most lifters.
Does PPL Build Muscle as Well as Other Splits?
Yes. No split is magic. What builds muscle is the total number of hard sets each muscle gets per week, spread so you can recover and train hard each time. PPL, upper/lower and full-body routines all build muscle well when the weekly volume is similar.
A 2026 meta-regression in Sports Medicine covering 67 studies found that weekly set volume drove muscle growth, with diminishing returns at higher volumes, while frequency had little effect on growth on its own. Frequency did help strength, which favors running your main lifts more than once a week.
A 2023 network meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine of 119 hypertrophy studies ranked multiple sets with heavier loads, twice a week, as the top prescription for muscle growth. A six-day PPL delivers exactly that. For a full comparison of split styles, see our guide on full body vs split workouts.
What Does a Six-Day PPL Plan Look Like?
Run push, pull and legs, then repeat, with one rest day a week. Make the first round heavier and the second round lighter with more reps, so you train across a range of loads. Aim for roughly 10 or more hard sets per muscle across the week.
| Day | Session | Main lift | Accessories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Push A | Bench press, 4 ร 5 to 8 | Overhead press, lateral raise, triceps pushdown |
| Tue | Pull A | Barbell row, 4 ร 6 to 8 | Pull ups, face pull, barbell curl |
| Wed | Legs A | Back squat, 4 ร 5 to 8 | Romanian deadlift, leg curl, calf raise |
| Thu | Push B | Incline dumbbell press, 3 ร 8 to 12 | Dips, cable lateral raise, overhead triceps extension |
| Fri | Pull B | Lat pulldown, 3 ร 10 to 12 | Cable row, rear delt fly, incline curl |
| Sat | Legs B | Leg press, 3 ร 10 to 15 | Bulgarian split squat, seated leg curl, calf raise |
| Sun | Rest |
A 2017 meta-analysis in the Journal of Sports Sciences found more weekly sets led to more growth, with 10 or more sets per muscle tending to beat fewer than 5. Two sessions of 4 to 8 sets per muscle hit that range comfortably. Our guide on how many reps and sets to build muscle covers how to adjust it.
What Does a Three-Day PPL Plan Look Like?
Train push, pull and legs once each, on non-consecutive days if possible. Because each muscle is trained only once, give every session more volume: about 8 to 10 hard sets for each main muscle. It's a good option if you can only train three days, though a three-day full-body routine is an equally strong choice.
A sample week:
| Day | Session | Exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Push | Bench press, incline dumbbell press, overhead press, lateral raise, triceps extension |
| Wed | Pull | Pull ups, barbell row, cable row, face pull, curl |
| Fri | Legs | Squat, Romanian deadlift, leg press, leg curl, calf raise |
The downside is that muscles go a full week between sessions, and long sessions can make later sets less productive. If you find the third and fourth exercise for a muscle getting sloppy, a full-body or upper/lower routine spreads the same volume more evenly across the week.
Is a PPL Split Good for Strength?
Yes, especially the six-day version, because it lets you practise each main lift twice a week. Strength responds to how often you train a lift and how heavy you go. Put your heaviest pressing, pulling and squatting at the start of the first round, and keep that work in lower rep ranges.
A 2018 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine of 22 studies found strength gains rose with training frequency, from an effect size of 0.74 at once a week to 1.08 at four or more times. That effect seemed to come mainly from the extra volume, since frequency didn't matter when volume was equal.
The 2023 network meta-analysis ranked heavier-load, multiset, three-times-a-week training highest for strength. A six-day PPL gives you two heavy exposures per lift, which is close, and you can add an extra heavy set of your main lift on the lighter day if strength is your priority. Our guide on rest between sets explains how long to rest on those heavy sets.
FAQ
Is push pull legs good for beginners?
It can work, but many beginners do better with full-body or upper/lower routines first. They hit each muscle more often with simpler sessions, which helps you practise the main lifts. Once you're training consistently and want more volume, a six-day PPL is a natural next step.
How many rest days do you need on push pull legs?
One rest day a week is typical on the six-day version, and the three-day version has rest days built in. Because each session trains different muscles, you can train on consecutive days. Our guide on how many rest days a week you need covers recovery in more detail.
Can you do push pull legs four or five days a week?
Yes. Some lifters rotate through the cycle on four or five days, so each muscle is trained every five to seven days. That works, as long as weekly volume per muscle stays high enough. Track your weekly sets so no muscle group gets neglected.
Where do abs go in a push pull legs split?
Anywhere you like. Many lifters add two or three ab exercises at the end of leg day or pull day, or a few sets at the end of every session. Pick whichever spot you'll stick with, and count those sets in your weekly plan.
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