Push Pull Legs: 4 & 5-Day PPL Split Routine

If you want an effective push pull legs (PPL) split routine you can use to build muscle, this page will show you how it’s done.

First thing I want to do is explain briefly what a push pull legs split routine is, and what the benefits are.

Then I’ll lay out the routine in full, so you can see which exercises you’ll be doing on which days, how many sets and reps to do, as well as how long to rest between each set.

Here’s what’s covered:

• What Is the Push Pull Legs Routine?
• Why Use a Push Pull Legs Routine?
• Push, Pull, Legs: The Workout Schedule
• Push Day Workout 1
• Pull Day Workout 1
• Leg Day Workout 1
• Push Day Workout 2
• Pull Day Workout 2
• Leg Day Workout 2
• Push/Pull/Legs Routine: Popular Questions

What Is the Push Pull Legs Routine?

As the name suggests, a push pull legs split involves training the major muscle groups in three different workouts:

• Push workout
• Pull workout
• Leg workout

The push workout is focused on the pushing movements for the upper body, which involve the chest, shoulders and triceps.

The pull workout is typically focused on pulling movements for the upper body, which involve the back and biceps.

With the legs workout, you train the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves.

Why Use a Push Pull Legs Routine?

A push pull legs workout schedule is an efficient way to train, in part because muscle groups that work together are trained together in the same workout.

Take the example of a pushing movement like the bench press. This exercise works not only the chest, but the shoulders and triceps as well.

These muscle groups are known as “prime movers” because they’re primarily responsible for moving the bar from point A to point B.

The idea is that you train the muscles that work together – in this case the chest, shoulders and triceps – on the same training days.

It’s a similar story with rows and pulldowns. In both exercises, the prime movers are the back and biceps, so you train them in the same workout.

With a push pull legs split, your muscles get plenty of time to recover between workouts.

On the pull days, when you’re training your back and biceps, your chest, shoulders and triceps are getting the chance to rest, recover and grow.

Likewise, you train your legs while your back and biceps are recuperating. And your legs, in turn, get a chance to recover on the upper body training days.

The 5-Day Push, Pull, Legs Split

• Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Day 2: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Day 3: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Day 4: Off
• Day 5: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Day 6: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Day 7: Off

That’s what the first week looks like.

In week two, you start with leg day, followed by the pushing and pulling workouts and a second leg and push day.

You keep on rotating the workouts in the same order – push, pull, legs – making sure to insert rest days where appropriate.

Here’s what a 5-day PPL routine looks like over a three-week period.

Week 1

• Monday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Tuesday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Wednesday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Saturday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Sunday: Off

Week 2

• Monday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Tuesday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Wednesday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Saturday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Sunday: Off

Week 3

• Monday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Tuesday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Wednesday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Saturday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Sunday: Off

It takes three weeks before the program repeats itself, and the push workout ends up back on Monday. The training frequency for each muscle group is twice every seven days.

Push, Pull, Legs: The Workout Schedule

This push pull legs workout schedule is designed to be done 4-5 days a week. 

The sets listed are your work sets. Always do 2-3 warm-up sets before the first exercise for each muscle group, in order to prepare your body for the heavier work to come, and reduce the risk of injury. 

You won’t need as many warm-up sets once you’ve done the first few exercises, as the overlap in muscle groups means that each exercise helps warm you up for the next one.

The numbers in brackets tell you how long to rest between each set.

With all that out of the way, here’s what the training program looks like. I’ll go into more detail about what days of the week to train in just a moment.

Push Day Workout 1

• Bench Press 4 sets x 5-8 reps [2 mins]
• Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets x 8-12 reps [2 mins]
• Dumbbell Flyes 2 sets x 12-15 reps [90 seconds]
• Lateral Raise 4 sets x 10-15 reps [90 seconds]
• Triceps Pressdown 3 sets x 10-15 reps [90 seconds]
• Overhead Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 [90 seconds]

Bench Press

Sets 4 Reps 5-8 Rest 2 minutes

Exercise number one is the bench press, which is a highly effective way to build size in your chest, shoulders and triceps. You’ll be using a relatively heavy weight that allows 5-8 reps per set. Because this is your first exercise, and you’re using a heavy weight, make sure to do several progressively heavier warm-up sets before your first work set.

Incline Dumbbell Press

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 2 minutes

Next up is the incline dumbbell press, using a bench angle of around 30 degrees. Like the bench press, this exercise also targets the chest, shoulders and triceps, but shifts the emphasis to the upper part of the chest.

Dumbbell Flyes

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 Rest 90 seconds

To finish off the chest, you’ll be doing a couple of sets of dumbbell flyes. Use a relatively light weight, and make sure to keep your reps slow and controlled. You don’t need to bring the dumbbells together at the top, as that’s when the tension tends to come off the chest. But you do want to bring the dumbbells down far enough so that you feel a stretch in the pecs.

Lateral Raise

Sets 4 Reps 10-15 Rest 90 seconds

Next, you’ll move to the lateral raise, which targets the side delts, helping to widen your shoulders. The anterior delts have already been worked hard with the chest exercises, and the rear delts are going to be trained in the pull workouts to come, and the lateral raise ensures that the side delts don’t miss out.

Triceps Pressdown

Sets 3 Reps 10-15 Rest 90 seconds

Next, it’s time for some isolation work for your triceps. Although your triceps have been worked with both the bench press and incline dumbbell press, a few extra sets of direct triceps will give them a nice boost in growth. If you’re pushed for time, just do one work set, followed by a few drop sets.

Overhead Triceps Extension

Sets 2 Reps 10-15 Rest 90 seconds

Finally it’s the overhead triceps extension, which challenges the triceps at longer lengths. Putting your muscles under a high level of tension when they’re in a stretched position, which is what you get with the overhead triceps extension, plays an important role in stimulating growth.

Pull Day Workout 1

• Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 8-12 reps [2 mins]
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row 3 sets of 5-8 reps [2 mins]
• Kneeling Cable Pullover 2 sets x 12-15 reps [90 seconds]
• Face Pulls 4 sets x 15-20 reps [90 seconds]
• Standing Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps [90 seconds]
• Hammer Curl 2 sets x 12-15 reps [90 seconds]

Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown

Sets 4 Reps 8-12 Rest 2 minutes

Pull day starts off with a vertical pulling exercise, in this case the reverse grip lat pulldown. This targets the lats, biceps and various other back muscles. If you prefer chin-ups, and you’re able to do four sets of 5-10 reps using good technique, go with chin-ups instead.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

Sets 3 Reps 5-8 Rest 2 minutes

Next, it’s time for a horizontal pulling movement, in this case the single-arm dumbbell row. To emphasise the lats, keep your elbows close to your side. Rather than straight up and straight down, the dumbbell should come up and slightly back.

Kneeling Cable Pullover

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 Rest 90 seconds

The kneeling cable pullover is a good finishing exercise for your back, and works your lats through a large range of motion. You can see how the exercise is done here.

Face Pulls

Sets 4 Reps 15-20 Rest 90 seconds

The face pull works both the side and rear delts, the biceps, forearms, along with various muscles in the upper back. Unlike exercises like the upright row, the face pull has a reputation as a very shoulder-friendly movement.

Standing Dumbbell Curl

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 90 seconds

Next, it’s time to move onto some isolation work for the biceps, and you’ll be starting off with the standing dumbbell curl. You can replace these with regular barbell or EZ bar curls.

Hammer Curl

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 Rest 90 seconds

Finally, we have the hammer curl. Holding the dumbbells with your thumbs up and palms facing each other still works the biceps, but brings a muscle known as brachialis into play. This muscle sits between the biceps and triceps, and will give your arms some thickness when viewed from the side.

Leg Day Workout 1

• Back Squat 4 sets x 5-8 reps [3-5 minutes]
• Leg Press 3 sets x 8-12 reps [2-3 minutes]
• Leg Extension 2 sets x 12-15 reps [90 seconds]
• Seated Leg Curl 4 sets x 8-12 reps [2 minutes]
• Standing Calf Raise 4 sets x 5-8 reps [2 minutes]

Back Squat

Sets 4 Reps 5-8 Rest 3-5 minutes

First up is the back squat, which is a highly effective compound movement for building muscle mass in your lower body, the quads and glutes in particular. Don’t worry if you can’t perform full squats. A parallel squat (or even slightly higher than parallel) is still enough to make your thighs grow.

Leg Press

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 2-3 minutes

Like the squat, the leg press targets the thighs and glutes, but with less involvement from the muscles in the trunk. If you don’t have access to a leg press machine, you can do some higher rep squats, or go with one of these squat alternatives.

Leg Extension

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 Rest 90 seconds

The leg extension stimulates more growth in rectus femoris (one of the four muscles that make up the quads) than an exercise like the squat or leg press. If you want bigger quads, it’s a good idea to include both leg extensions and squats/leg presses in your training program.

Seated Leg Curl

Sets 4 Reps 8-12 Rest 2 minutes

While exercises that involve hip extension, like the Romanian deadlift, do hit the hamstrings hard, you need some kind of hamstring curl to fully develop the hamstrings. Studies comparing the seated vs lying leg curl show that the seated variation has the edge when it comes to hamstring hypertrophy.

Standing Calf Raise

Sets 4 Reps 5-8 Rest 2 minutes

Make sure to do these through a full-range of motion, and get a good stretch in your calves at the bottom of the movement. If you don’t have access to a standing calf raise machine, you can also do single-leg calf raises while holding a dumbbell.

Push Day Workout 2

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 5-8 reps [2 minutes]
• Lateral Raise 3 sets x 15-20 reps [90 seconds]
• Flat Dumbbell Press 4 sets x 8-12 reps [2 minutes]
• Cable Crossover 3 sets x 15-20 reps [90 seconds]
• Lying EZ Bar Triceps Extension 3 sets x 12-15 reps [90 seconds]
• Cable Triceps Kickback 2 sets x 15-20 reps [90 seconds]

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Sets 4 Reps 5-8 Rest 2 minutes

While the first push day workout started with a horizontal pressing exercise (the bench press), this one starts with a vertical pushing movement, which you can do with a barbell or dumbbells. The dumbbell shoulder press targets the triceps and shoulders, with most of the work being done by the anterior, or front deltoid.

Lateral Raise

Sets 3 Reps 15-20 Rest 90 seconds

The lateral raise, which you can do with dumbbells or a cable machine, targets the side delts. The advantage of doing them with a cable machine is that the delts are under tension throughout the whole of the movement.

Flat Dumbbell Press

Sets 4 Reps 8-12 Rest 2 minutes

Next is the flat dumbbell press, which is another horizontal pushing exercise working the chest, shoulders and triceps. The benefit of using dumbbells rather than a barbell is that dumbbells allow for a more natural movement, and tend to be a little easier on the joints.

Cable Crossover

Sets 3 Reps 15-20 Rest 90 seconds

While horizontal pressing exercises like the bench press activate the chest, one of the functions of pectoralis major is also to draw the arms across the body in a hugging-type movement, which is exactly what you get with the cable crossover. If you don’t have access to a cable machine, you can also do dumbbell flyes or use a pec deck machine.

Lying EZ Bar Triceps Extension

Sets 3 Reps 12-15 Rest 90 seconds

Rather than bringing the bar down to the forehead, position your body in such a way that the bar comes down behind your head. This puts the triceps under a higher level of tension when they’re in a stretched position, which plays an important role in stimulating growth.

Cable Triceps Kickback

Sets 2 Reps 15-20 Rest 90 seconds

Using a cable machine works the triceps over a larger range of motion, but you can also do kickbacks with a light dumbbell. Make sure to keep your upper arm parallel to the floor throughout the exercise.

Pull Day Workout 2

• Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 8-12 reps [2 minutes]
• Wide Grip Seated Cable Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps [2 minutes]
• Rear Delt Row 2 sets x 10-15 reps [90 seconds]
• Incline Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 15-20 reps [90 seconds]
• Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps [90 seconds]
• Dumbbell Preacher Curl 2 sets x 12-15 reps [90 seconds]

Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown

Sets 4 Reps 8-12 Rest 2 minutes

Pull day two starts with another vertical pulling exercise. But this time, rather than the close grip underhand lat pulldown, you’ll be using a wider overhand grip. The lats are a big muscle, and the changes in hand position hit the back muscles from a different angle. If you prefer pull-ups, and you’re able to do four sets of 5-10 pull-ups using good form, do pull-ups instead.

Wide Grip Seated Cable Row

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 2 minutes

Next, it’s a horizontal pulling exercise, in this case the wide grip cable row. Rather than using a narrow grip with your elbows tucked into your side, do this exercise with a wide(wish) grip, flare the elbows out to the side and row the bar closer to your chest. This helps to emphasise the muscles in the upper back.

Rear Delt Row

Sets 2 Reps 10-15 Rest 90 seconds

Exercise three is another horizontal pulling movement, but done in such a way that it emphasises the rear delts and upper back rather than the lats. The elbows are flared out to the side, and the bar is pulled towards the upper part of the chest. This link shows you how it’s done.

Incline Dumbbell Shrugs

Sets 3 Reps 15-20 Rest 90 seconds

Dumbbell shrugs are an effective way to target the upper traps. Avoid rolling your shoulders at the top, and just go straight up and straight down. Because the range of motion is relatively small, which limits the amount of time the traps are under tension, make sure to hold the top position for 2-3 seconds.

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 90 seconds

The incline dumbbell curl allows you to position your arms behind your torso. This puts the biceps in more of a stretched position, targeting the long head of the biceps, which runs down the outside of your upper arm.

Dumbbell Preacher Curl

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 Rest 90 seconds

Unlike the incline curl, the preacher curl puts the arms in front of your body. This increases the tension on the short head of the biceps, which is located on the inside of your upper arm.

If you’re short on time, and building bigger biceps isn’t high on your list of priorities, you could skip the curls. Given all the work you’ve done for your back, the biceps will have seen plenty of action already. However, if you want to optimize biceps growth, you will need to train them directly.

Leg Day Workout 2

• Romanian Deadlift 4 sets x 8-12 reps [2-3 minutes]
• Bulgarian Split Squat 3 sets 8-12 reps [2-3 minutes]
• Leg Press 3 sets x 8-12 reps [2-3 minutes]
• Seated Leg Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps [2 minutes]
• Standing Calf Raise 4 sets x 15-20 reps [90 seconds]

Romanian Deadlift

Sets 4 Reps 8-12 Rest 2-3 minutes

The Romanian deadlift is initiated with a backward movement of the hips, the barbell is kept close to the body, and the movement stops roughly at the midpoint of the shin (or at the point where you reach the end of your hamstring flexibility). If your hamstrings are very tight, and you can only lower the bar just below the level of your knees, that’s fine.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 2-3 minutes

The Bulgarian split squat targets the quads, glutes, and even hamstrings to some degree. Compared with the squat, you get less spinal loading, which makes it ideal if a bad back stops you squatting as often as you’d like. Both sides of the body are worked independently, which helps even out any strength imbalances from one side to the other.

Leg Press

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 2-3 minutes

Next up is the leg press. One of the benefits of the leg press compared to the squat is that you don’t need to worry too much about technique. The weight is guided on rods, so all you do is focus on working your lower body as hard as possible.

Seated Leg Curl

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 2 minutes

Exercise number four is the seated leg curl, which is a knee flexion exercise for the hamstrings. Combining the leg curl with an exercise that emphasizes hip extension, such as the Romanian deadlift, helps to stimulate growth across the whole of the hamstrings. If you don’t have access to a leg curl machine, try one of these leg curl alternatives.

Standing Calf Raise

Sets 4 Reps 15-20 Rest 90 seconds

Finally, it’s the standing calf raise, but this time with higher reps and lighter weights. Don’t have access to a standing calf raise machine? Try single-leg calf raises while holding a dumbbell, or use a leg press machine.

You can throw in some ab work every other workout, so you end up hitting the abs 2-3 times per week.

5-Day Push, Pull, Legs: The Short and Simple Version

If you’re pushed for time, The Short and Simple Version of the 5-day PPL split involves just three exercises per workout. It’s the type of thing you should be able to get done in your lunch hour, or before you go to work in the morning.

You can throw in some work for the abs and calves on your off days, or at the end of a workout if you have the time.

Push Day

• Bench Press 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Overhead Triceps Extension 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Pull Day

• Pull-up * 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 12-15 reps

* If you’re not strong enough to do pull-ups, just do lat pulldowns instead, but in a slightly higher rep range (8-12 reps).

Leg Day

• Barbell Squat 4 sets x 5-8 reps
• Seated Leg Curl 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Leg Extension 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Push Day

• Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Lateral Raise 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• Triceps Pressdown 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Pull Day

• Underhand Close-Grip Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Overhand Barbell Row * 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• Dumbbell Preacher Curl 3 sets x 12-15 reps

* Rather than using a narrow grip with your elbows tucked into your side, do this exercise with a relatively wide grip (hands roughly shoulder width apart), flare the elbows out to the side and row the bar closer to your chest. Doing it this way will emphasize the muscles in your upper back.

Leg Day

• Leg Press 4 sets 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Romanian Deadlift 4 sets 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Bulgarian Split Squat 3 sets x 12-15 reps

How to Progress on a PPL Routine

You’ll notice that the workouts use rep ranges, such as 5-8 or 8-12, rather than a fixed number of reps in each set.

For example, in the first push day workout, the prescription for the bench press is 4 sets of 5-8 reps.

The idea is that you select a weight that allows you to perform at least 5 reps in each set, but no more than 8.

Every time you go to the gym, you try to do more reps than you did the workout before. Once you’re able to do 8 reps in every set, increase the weight for the following workout.

It’s a form of progression known as the double progression method. Here’s an example of how it might look in practice:

Workout 1

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 6 reps
• Set 4: 100 pounds x 5 reps

Workout 2

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 6 reps
• Set 4: 100 pounds x 6 reps

Workout 3

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 4: 100 pounds x 7 reps

Workout 4

• Set 1: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 3: 100 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 4: 100 pounds x 8 reps

Workout 5

• Set 1: 105 pounds x 8 reps
• Set 2: 105 pounds x 7 reps
• Set 3: 105 pounds x 6 reps
• Set 4: 105 pounds x 5 reps

As you can see, in workout four, once you’re able to do 8 reps in all 4 sets, you add weight in workout five and repeat the cycle. 

This simple double progression method can work well for most exercises, and will produce decent gains in muscle mass over several months, just as long as you stay consistent and work hard.

It’s also important to make sure that your technique remains solid from one workout to the next. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’ve gotten stronger, when all you’re doing is cheating on those last few reps to get the weight up.

The exact number of workouts it takes to reach this point will vary from person to person, and from exercise to exercise. It might take 10 workouts or it might take 5. But wait until you can do 4 sets of 8 reps before adding weight.

How to Set Up a Push/Pull/Legs Routine

If you want to set up your own push/pull/legs routine, here’s the basic template to use.

Push Workout

• Chest: 2-3 exercises (e.g bench press, incline dumbbell press)
• Shoulders: 1-2 exercises (e.g. overhead press, lateral raise)
• Triceps: 1-2 exercises (e.g. pressdown, overhead triceps extension)

In terms of sequencing, you want to do your chest exercises first, followed by the shoulders, then the triceps.

Starting a workout by training triceps will fatigue them to the extent that they become the limiting factor when you’re training chest and shoulders.

That is, because your triceps are already fatigued, they’ll limit the amount of work you’re able to do for your chest and shoulders, which can have an adverse effect on muscle growth.

Pull Workout

• Back: 2-3 exercises (e.g lat pulldown, dumbbell row)
• Rear Delts: 1 exercise (e.g. bent over lateral raise, rear delt row)
• Biceps: 1-2 exercises (e.g. incline curl, hammer curl)

Some trainers do like to program exercises for the spinal erectors, such as rack pulls, as part of a typical back and biceps workout.

Personally, I prefer to include them in a lower body workout, mainly because erector spinae is heavily involved in exercises like squats and deadlifts. Training the spinal erectors on both leg days and pull days is going to be too much for most people.

Leg Workout

• Quadriceps: 2-3 exercises (e.g. squat, leg extension)
• Hamstrings: 1-2 exercises (e.g. Romanian deadlift, leg curls)
• Calves: 1-2 exercises (e.g. standing calf raise, seated calf raise)
• Abs: 1-2 exercises (e.g. rollouts, weighted crunch)

Exercises like squats, Bulgarian split squats, and leg presses do work gluteus maximus as well as the quads, so it’s not strictly necessary to train the glutes directly.

However, if you do want to beef up your glutes, you can also include exercises like the barbell hip thrust or cable hip extension on leg day.

Push Day Exercises

Technically, there’s no such thing as pushing muscles, as most muscles generate movement by pulling on bones, rather than pushing them back to their original position.

However, while there’s no such thing as pushing muscles, the chest, shoulders and triceps are typically involved in pushing-type movements, which is why they’re trained together on push day.

The push workouts involve exercises like the dumbbell bench press (both flat and incline), barbell bench press (flat and incline), overhead press (both barbell and dumbbell), flyes, and dips, along with some isolation exercises for the triceps.

• Flat Barbell Bench Press
• Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
• Incline Barbell Bench Press
• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
• Cable Crossover
• Dumbbell Flyes
• Dips
• Standing Barbell Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Lateral Raise
• Triceps Pressdown
• Lying EZ Bar Triceps Extension
• Overhead Triceps Extension
• Upright Row *

NOTE: With an exercise like the upright row, it can be tricky to know whether it’s a pull or a push day exercise.

That’s because it works the lateral deltoid and upper traps, which are typically trained on a push day. But it also works the elbow flexors (the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis), which are usually trained with the back.

So, is the upright row a push or a pull day exercise?

Personally, I use it mainly as an exercise for the shoulders, meaning it’ll be trained on push day.

Pull Day Exercises

The pull workouts center on exercises like rows (barbell, dumbbell and cable), pull-ups/chin-ups, lat pulldowns, as well as dumbbell/barbell curls for your biceps.

• Seated Cable Row
• Barbell Row
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
• Lat Pulldown
• Pull-Ups
• Chin-Ups
• T-Bar Row
• Face Pulls
• Incline Curl
• Preacher Curl
• Hammer Curls

Leg Day Exercises

The leg workouts involve exercises like the parallel squat, leg press, leg extension, Bulgarian split squat, leg curl, Romanian deadlift and calf raise.

• Squat
• Leg Press
• Hack Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squats
• Leg Extension
• Deadlift
• Romanian Deadlift
• Lying Leg Curl
• Seated Leg Curl
• Standing Calf Raise

Push, Pull, Legs: 4-Day Routine

With the 4-day PPL routine, you train for two days, take a day off, train for two days, then take the weekend off.

In the first week, the chest, shoulders and triceps are hit twice, while everything else is worked once. Week two gives you a second workout for the back and biceps, while the third week gives your lower body some extra attention.

Here’s what the 4-day PPL split looks like:

Week 1

• Monday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Tuesday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Friday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

Week 2

• Monday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Tuesday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Friday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

Week 3

• Monday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Tuesday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Friday: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Legs)
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

Then in week four, the push workout ends up back on Monday, and you start the cycle all over again.

With the 4-day PPL routine, you do 4 pushing workouts, 4 pulling workouts and 4 leg workouts over a three-week period.

Strictly speaking, you’re not training each muscle group twice a week.

However, the 4-day routine does hit your muscles twice every seven days (although not always every calendar week), in the sense that the major muscle groups get 4-6 days of recovery from one workout to the next.

Other 4-Day Training Splits

• Push/Pull Dumbbell-Only Workout Routine
• 4-Day Workout Split – Push/Pull/Legs/Full
• 4-Day Upper/Lower Split
• 4-Day Push/Pull Split

Other 5-Day Training Splits

• 5-Day Upper/Lower/Push/Pull/Legs
• 5-Day Upper/Lower/Push/Pull/Legs Dumbbell-Only Workout Routine
• 5-Day Upper/Lower Split
• 5-Day Push/Pull/Legs Dumbbell-Only Workout Routine
• Arnold x Upper Lower Split

PPL Workouts: Popular Questions

Should deadlifts be done on pull day or leg day?

Personally, I like to do deadlifts on leg day, as the spinal erectors (muscles in your back that run up either side of the spine) are heavily involved in squats and deadlifts.

If you’re doing squats on leg day and deadlifts on pull day, the lower back muscles don’t get much of a chance to recover, which is going to hinder their ability to adapt and grow.

Deadlifts can be performed on pull day, depending on how often you’re training, where your rest days are, and what exercises you’re doing on leg day.

For example, if your leg day workout consists of the leg extension, leg curl and leg press, the spinal erectors aren’t seeing much action, and you could get away with deadlifts (or a deadlift variation, like rack pulls) on pull day.

Likewise, if your training split is set up in such a way that you have a rest day between pull day and leg day, doing deadlifts on pull day is also a viable option.

But in most cases, I think you’re better off doing deadlifts on leg day.

When doing PPL workouts, should you do the same exercises per muscle group twice a week?

That depends a lot on you and what your goals are. If you want to get stronger, then it’s important to practice the exercises you want to get stronger at. In which case, you’d be better off doing the same exercises. But if your main goal is to build muscle, using different exercises leads to more complete development of a muscle group than training that same muscle with a single exercise. 

How can I add an arm day if I’m doing a push/pull/leg split?

The standard push/pull/legs split will include arm work, so you won’t need a separate arm day. The push day hits the triceps, while the pull day hits the biceps. However, if you want to do some extra work for your biceps and triceps to make them grow a little faster, try feeder workouts – a short, high-rep workout that’s done for a particular muscle the day after you train that muscle. You can read more about feeder workouts here.

Can I incorporate leg workouts in any of my push/pull days?

Legs can be split into push and pull movements, which turns a push/pull/legs split into a push/pull split.

A push/pull workout plan is ideal for people who don’t like leg days. Rather than devote an entire day to training legs, you incorporate leg workouts in your push/pull days.

On push day you do some quad-dominant lower body exercises, such as the squat and leg press, while pull day workouts include some work for your hamstrings, like the leg curl and Romanian deadlift.

Do you need a rest day between push and pull days?

No, you don’t need a rest day between push and pull days, because you’re training different muscles. On the pull days, when you’re training your back and biceps, your chest, shoulders and triceps are getting the chance to recover and grow.

Is a push/pull/legs routine or upper/lower split more effective for a beginner/intermediate lifter?

As a rule, an upper/lower split is more effective for someone who’s just starting out, and is able to train with weights 4 days a week.

A PPL routine, on the other hand, is better suited to someone who’s moved past the beginner stages of training, and can lift weights 5-6 days a week. Pick the routine you’re more likely to stick with, as (given a similar overall training volume) the gains will be much the same for the average lifter.

I’m clean bulking and want to get rid of extra belly fat and love handles. When should I do HIIT if my workout is push/pull/legs rest and repeat?

A clean bulk involves trying to gain muscle while minimizing fat gain by putting yourself in a small calorie surplus. But if you want to get rid of fat from your belly, you’ll need to be in a calorie deficit.

Trying to do a 6-day push/pull/legs routine while in a calorie deficit, and doing HIIT at the same time, is going to be too much for most people. Forget about HIIT for the time being, and just focus on gaining muscle.

When should I change my workout routine so my muscle growth doesn’t slow down?

There’s no rule that says you have to change your workout routine after a fixed period of time. If you’re making progress and seeing results, then stick with what you’re doing.

And by progress, I’m talking about your performance in the gym. Are you lifting heavier weights, or doing more reps with the same amount of weight, compared to last month?

If so, you’re on the right track, so keep going. It’s only when that progress comes to a halt that it’s time for a change.

Is the 3-day push/pull/legs routine enough for an advanced lifter to gain/maintain?

An advanced lifter can certainly maintain their existing muscle mass with a 3-day push/pull/legs routine. However, most advanced lifters are going to need more than three training days to keep the gains coming.

Training a muscle group once a week can and will make your muscles grow. But, for most people at least, it’s probably the least effective way to set up a training program.

If you want to train three times a week, a 3-day full-body workout would be a better option.

Or, you could do a push/pull/full, where the pushing exercises are done on day one, the pulling exercises are done on day two, then you train your whole body on day three.

Here’s what it looks like:

• Monday: Quads, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Push)
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Hamstrings, Back, Biceps (Pull)
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Full-Body
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

This way, each muscle group is trained twice a week rather than once. Most research shows that you’ll get better results hitting a muscle group more often than once a week.

If I am following a push, pull, leg routine, how many exercises should I do for the minor muscle groups (biceps, triceps) when compared to the major ones?

Do 1-2 exercises for the minor muscle groups, and 2-3 for the larger ones. Because the biceps and triceps are involved when you train your back, chest and shoulders, you won’t need as many exercises and sets to make them grow.

How many exercises should be in a push/pull/legs split?

The minimum number of exercises in each workout on a push/pull/legs split would be 3.

A push workout would include a chest-focused exercise (e.g. bench press), a shoulder-focused exercise (e.g. overhead press) and an isolation movement for the triceps (e.g. triceps pressdown).

In a pull workout, you’d want a lat-focused exercise (e.g. lat pulldown), an upper-back focused exercise (e.g. barbell row), and an isolation movement for your biceps (e.g. dumbbell curl).

An effective leg workout would include at least one quad-dominant leg exercise (e.g. squats), one hamstring-dominant leg exercise (e.g. leg curls), and an exercise for your calves (e.g. standing calf raise).

How many days a week should I follow a push/pull/legs split?

If you want to maximize gains in muscle size and strength, I recommend 4-6 training days per week.

Are lateral raises push or pull?

Given that the lateral raise targets mainly the side and front delts, it’s common practice to do the lateral raise on push day.

However, you can also make a case for doing the lateral raise on pull day. That’s because exercises typically done as part of pull day workout, such as the reverse pec deck and seated row, also hit the side delts.

More on the subject is here: Should I Train Shoulders On Push Day Or Pull Day?

Can I do push/pull/legs twice a week?

Yes, you can do a push/pull/legs split twice a week, which is typically going to involve training six days a week.

A 6-day PPL is useful if you’ve got several years of serious training behind you, and you’re finding it hard to put on muscle mass.

They’re popular with bodybuilders, who typically need a large amount of training to ensure that every region of every muscle is developed to its full potential.

Competitive bodybuilders will often lift weights six days a week, sometimes twice a day, simply because that’s the only way to fit in all the exercises and sets they need to make their muscles grow.

Even if you have no plans to step on stage in a bodybuilding contest, but you’ve moved past the beginner and intermediate stages of training and your progress has come to a halt, a 6-day split can get things moving in the right direction.

For advanced lifters, increasing your weekly training volume (which I’m defining as the number of hard sets you do for a muscle group) is sometimes all the stimulus your muscles need to start growing again.

The traditional way to do a push/pull/legs split twice a week involves training Monday through Saturday, then taking Sunday off.

However, there’s no rule that says your training routine has to fit neatly into a 7-day week. Most training programs are set up that way, more out of convention and convenience than anything else.

Your muscles don’t know which day of the week it is, and I much prefer inserting a rest day every fourth day. That is, instead of doing PPLPPL, you’d do PPLRPPLR instead. This means the routine doesn’t match perfectly with a 7-day week and runs over an 8-day period instead.

Here’s what it looks like:

• Day 1: Push
• Day 2: Pull
• Day 3: Legs
• Day 4: Rest
• Day 5: Push
• Day 6: Pull
• Day 7: Legs
• Day 8: Rest