What Is Push Pull Legs?
Push Pull Legs — commonly shortened to PPL — is a workout split that organises your training by movement pattern rather than individual muscle groups. Every session falls into one of three categories:
- Push days — exercises where you push weight away from your body: chest, shoulders, triceps
- Pull days — exercises where you pull weight toward your body: back, biceps, rear delts
- Leg days — everything below the waist: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
By grouping muscles that work together, PPL keeps synergistic muscle groups in the same session and gives antagonist groups full recovery before their next hit.
It's been around for decades. It works. And it scales from beginner to advanced with minimal adjustment.
Why PPL Is So Popular
PPL took off because it solves a real problem: how do you train more frequently without overtraining?
Bro splits — chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, arms on Wednesday — hit each muscle once a week. That's fine for beginners, but research consistently shows that training a muscle 2x per week produces more hypertrophy than 1x per week at the same total volume.
PPL, run as a 6-day programme, hits each muscle group twice per week. You get the frequency advantage without piling excessive volume into a single session.
Even run as a 3-day programme, PPL gives you a clean, efficient structure with full-body coverage.
The Two Versions: 3-Day vs 6-Day PPL
3-Day PPL (Beginner-Friendly)
Train Monday / Wednesday / Friday, or any three non-consecutive days.
| Day | Focus |
|-----|-------|
| Day 1 | Push |
| Day 2 | Pull |
| Day 3 | Legs |
Each muscle group hits once per week. Less volume, more recovery — ideal if you're new to structured training or have limited time.
6-Day PPL (Intermediate/Advanced)
Run the full cycle twice per week with one rest day.
| Day | Focus |
|-----|-------|
| Monday | Push |
| Tuesday | Pull |
| Wednesday | Legs |
| Thursday | Push |
| Friday | Pull |
| Saturday | Legs |
| Sunday | Rest |
This is the format most people mean when they say "PPL." Higher frequency, more total volume, faster progress — but it demands more recovery capacity and consistency.
A Sample Push Pull Legs Programme
Here's a solid starting PPL template. Adjust weights based on your current strength levels.
Push Day
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|----------|------|------|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 6–8 |
| Overhead Press | 3 | 8–10 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 10–12 |
| Lateral Raises | 4 | 12–15 |
| Tricep Pushdowns | 3 | 12–15 |
| Overhead Tricep Extension | 2 | 12–15 |
Pull Day
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|----------|------|------|
| Barbell Row | 4 | 6–8 |
| Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldown | 4 | 8–10 |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 10–12 |
| Face Pulls | 3 | 15–20 |
| Barbell or Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10–12 |
| Hammer Curls | 2 | 12–15 |
Leg Day
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|----------|------|------|
| Barbell Squat | 4 | 6–8 |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8–10 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10–12 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 10–12 |
| Walking Lunges | 2 | 12 each leg |
| Calf Raises | 4 | 15–20 |
How to Apply Progressive Overload in PPL
A programme is only as good as its progression. The same weights for the same reps every week produces nothing after the first month.
The simplest approach: add weight when you hit the top of your rep range across all sets.
For example, if your target is 6–8 reps on bench press and you hit 8 reps on all four sets, add 2.5–5kg next session. If you don't hit the top of the range, keep the weight the same and aim for more reps.
For RPE-based lifters, a good rule is to keep your working sets between RPE 7–9. If a weight starts feeling like RPE 6 consistently, it's time to go heavier. If you're grinding at RPE 10 every session, you've gone too far too fast — adjust down or deload.
Tracking this manually is tedious. A good gym app takes care of it for you.
Common PPL Mistakes
Skipping leg day. It's a cliché because it's real. Legs are the hardest sessions. They also produce the most systemic hormonal response and drive overall muscle growth. Skip them and you leave serious gains on the table.
Too much volume on push days, not enough on pull. Beginners tend to love chest and shoulders and underinvest in back work. The result is postural problems and muscle imbalances. Aim for roughly equal volume on push and pull.
No rest days in the 6-day version. Your muscles grow during recovery, not during training. If you're not sleeping and eating enough, six sessions a week will stall your progress faster than three would.
Ignoring weak points. PPL gives you a structure — it doesn't give you a personalised plan. If your lagging muscle group is rear delts, you need to bump volume there, not just run the template blindly.
Not tracking. Progression without tracking is just hoping. Write down what you lifted. Use a log. Without data, you're guessing.
Is PPL Right for You?
PPL works well for most people, but it's not the only option.
Start with PPL if you:
- Can train 3–6 days per week consistently
- Have been lifting for at least a few months and know the basic compound lifts
- Want a structured programme with clear muscle group focus
Consider something else if you:
- Are a complete beginner (a full-body 3x/week programme may serve you better initially)
- Can only train 2 days per week (an upper/lower split might be more efficient)
- Have sport-specific demands that require different scheduling
Tracking Your PPL Programme With Soma
PPL is a great structure. But the gains come from executing it with precision — knowing your weights, hitting progressive overload, managing volume over time, and eating to support recovery.
Soma tracks your training sessions and nutrition in one place. Log your push, pull, and leg days, track your progressive overload targets automatically, and see how your calorie and protein intake aligns with your training volume. When your programme needs to adapt — because you're stuck at a plateau or you've been consistently outpacing your targets — Soma's AI coach can tell you what to change.
It's the difference between running a programme and running it *well*.
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