Push Pull Legs: the 6-day PPL split, laid out
Push pull legs — PPL — splits training into three days by movement pattern: a push day (chest, shoulders, triceps), a pull day (back, biceps, rear delts), and a leg day (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). Run those three twice through and you've trained every muscle twice in a week.
Here's the thing to be honest about up front: there is no single canonical PPL. It's a structure, not one person's program — which is exactly why it's everywhere. What's below is a solid, representative 6-day version. Every exercise is swappable for an equivalent that trains the same muscle in the same pattern; the structure is what matters, not the specific list.
How PPL is organised
Each day you lead with the heavy compounds in a lower rep range while you're fresh, then move to isolation work for higher reps once the big lifts are done. Rest 1–2 minutes on the hypertrophy work and longer on the heavy compounds — a top set of squats needs more recovery than a lateral raise.
The weekly schedule
Six training days, one rest day, each muscle hit twice.
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Push |
| Tuesday | Pull |
| Wednesday | Legs |
| Thursday | Push |
| Friday | Pull |
| Saturday | Legs |
| Sunday | Rest |
If six days a week is more than you can recover from, run it as a 3-day version — one push/pull/legs rotation per week — which is a genuinely good beginner setup. Or step to a four-day upper/lower like PHUL, which still hits each muscle twice in fewer sessions.
Push day
Chest, shoulders and triceps.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 5–8 |
| Overhead Press | 3 | 6–10 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8–12 |
| Lateral Raise | 3 | 12–20 |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3 | 10–15 |
| Overhead Triceps Extension | 3 | 10–15 |
Pull day
Back, biceps and rear delts.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 | 5–8 |
| Pull-Up (or Lat Pulldown) | 4 | 8–12 |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 8–12 |
| Face Pull | 3 | 15–20 |
| Barbell Curl | 3 | 8–12 |
| Hammer Curl | 3 | 10–15 |
Leg day
Quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 4 | 5–8 |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8–12 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10–15 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 10–15 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 12–15 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 12–20 |
The second rotation
The second push/pull/legs of the week can repeat the same exercises or swap variations — dumbbell press instead of barbell, hack squat instead of back squat — to vary the stimulus. This is normal and expected, not a deviation from the program. Keeping the same lifts is fine too; just be consistent enough to track progress.
How to progress
Use double progression: pick a rep range, beat the top of it across all your sets, then add weight and reset to the bottom of the range. So if bench is prescribed at 5–8 and you hit 8 on every set, add weight next time and you'll be back at 5-ish — that's the loop that drives everything.
One placement note: the deadlift sits on pull day here, but it's taxing and can blunt your rowing afterward. If your rows fall apart after pulling, move the deadlift to leg day instead — it trains the posterior chain either way.
To set sensible starting loads on the big lifts, work back from a recent hard set rather than guessing — you can estimate your max without testing one.
PPL vs the bro split
The honest comparison: PPL trains each muscle twice a week, a bro split trains each once. Frequency research mildly favours the twice-a-week approach for most lifters, but both build muscle when total weekly volume is matched. PPL's edge is that it spreads that volume across two sessions, which is usually easier to recover from set-for-set.
Common questions
Is PPL good for beginners?
It can be run as a 3-day version (one push/pull/legs rotation per week), which suits beginners. The 6-day version is better for intermediates who can recover from training six days a week.
How many days a week is PPL?
Most commonly six (each of push, pull and legs done twice), but it scales from three to six days depending on schedule and recovery.
PPL vs bro split — which is better?
PPL trains each muscle twice a week; a bro split trains each once. Research favours the higher frequency for most lifters, but both build muscle when total volume is matched.
Can I swap exercises on PPL?
Yes — PPL is a structure, not a fixed program. Swap any movement for one that trains the same muscle in the same pattern.
Before you load the bar, set realistic working weights for the big compounds — run a recent set through the 1RM calculator and build your push, pull and leg numbers from there.