Guides

Push Pull Legs (PPL) Split: Sample Week and Exercises

Updated October 5, 2026 · General information, not medical advice.

A push/pull/legs (PPL) split divides training into three kinds of days: push (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull (back, biceps), and legs. Run it over three days and each muscle gets trained once a week. Run it over six days and each gets trained twice a week, which suits lifters who like frequent sessions.

How the split works

• Push day: pressing movements. Chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Pull day: rowing and pulling movements. Upper and mid back, rear shoulders, and biceps.
• Leg day: squatting, hinging, and calf work. Quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Grouping muscles that work together means a muscle is not hit hard by two sessions in a row. Your triceps get a rest on pull day, for example.

Is it right for you?

PPL works well if you can train 5 or 6 days a week and like variety. It is a poor fit if your schedule is unpredictable, because missing one day leaves a gap in the cycle.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests 3 to 4 training days per week for intermediate lifters and 4 to 5 for advanced lifters [1]. So a six-day PPL is on the high end for most people. A three-day PPL is a fine starting point.

How often should you train each muscle?

Twice a week is a common default, and the evidence is mixed. A 2016 meta-analysis found that twice a week produced more hypertrophy than once a week, though it did not control for total volume [2]. A later 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found no meaningful difference between frequencies once volume was equated [3]. So the six-day version is not required for results. It is a way to spread the same weekly work across more sessions.

Sample week: 6-day PPL (each muscle twice)

| Day | Focus | |---|---| | Mon | Push A | | Tue | Pull A | | Wed | Legs A | | Thu | Push B | | Fri | Pull B | | Sat | Legs B | | Sun | Rest |

For a 3-day version, run Push, Pull, Legs once, with a rest day between. Repeat next week.

Push A

• Barbell bench press
• Seated dumbbell press
• Incline dumbbell press
• Side lateral raise
• Triceps pushdown

Pull A

• Bent-over barbell row
• Wide-grip lat pulldown
• Seated cable rows
• Face pull
• Barbell curl

Legs A

• Barbell squat
• Romanian deadlift
• Leg press
• Lying leg curls
• Standing calf raises

Push B

• Standing military press
• Dumbbell bench press
• Cable crossover
• Seated side lateral raise
• EZ-bar skullcrusher

Pull B

• Pullups
• One-arm dumbbell row
• T-bar row with handle
• Reverse flyes
• Hammer curls

Legs B

• Front barbell squat
• Barbell hip thrust
• Dumbbell lunges
• Leg extensions
• Seated calf raise

Sets, reps, and rest

For hypertrophy-focused training, the ACSM recommends loads in the 1 to 12 RM range with an emphasis on 6 to 12 RM [1]. Heavy compound lifts at the start of the session may deserve longer rests. In one study, resistance-trained men who rested 3 minutes between sets gained more strength and thigh muscle thickness than those who rested 1 minute [4].

A simple layout is 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps on most lifts. This matches the protocol used in the rest-interval study [4] and the ACSM's rep guidance [1]. It is an example, not a prescription. More weekly sets per muscle have been linked to more growth [5], so add sets gradually as you recover.

Start with the big compound lifts, then do the smaller isolation exercises. The ACSM recommends ordering exercises so that large muscle group and multiple-joint exercises come before small muscle group and single-joint ones [1].

Making it work

• Keep the same exercises for several weeks and add reps or weight when you can. See the progressive overload guide.
• If six days is too much, drop to a three-day PPL or move to an upper/lower split.
• Plan an easier week every so often. A 2025 review describes pre-planned deloads every 4 to 8 weeks [6].
• Not sure which split? See how to choose a workout split.

Doing this in Liftrung

Liftrung's workout logger shows what you did last time beside every set. The gem ladder tracks each muscle group against your own baseline.

Key points

• PPL groups lifts into push, pull, and legs.
• Three days trains each muscle once a week; six days trains it twice.
• Once weekly volume is equal, frequency makes little difference [3].
• Put big compound lifts first, and use rep ranges of roughly 6 to 12 [1].

Sources

1. American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204579/
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/
3. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30558493/
4. Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26605807/
5. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. J Sports Sci, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27433992/
6. Bell L, Darragh IAJ, Travis SK, Rogerson D, Nolan D. A practical approach to deloading: recommendations and considerations for strength and physique sports. Strength Cond J, 2025;48(4):413-423. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000910

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