Push Pull Legs (PPL)
Push muscles, pull muscles, legs — each with its own day, each trained twice a week on the classic six-day rotation. The most popular split in modern lifting, written out in full.
The program
The canonical week runs Push/Pull/Legs/Push/Pull/Legs/rest, hitting everything twice. Fewer days? Keep the rotation rolling across your training days instead of restarting each week — the order is the program.
Push — chest, shoulders, triceps
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 × 4–6 | The heavy slot |
| Overhead press | 3 × 6–8 | |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 8–12 | |
| Lateral raise | 3 × 12–15 | |
| Triceps pushdown | 3 × 10–12 | |
| Overhead triceps extension | 3 × 10–12 |
Pull — back, rear delts, biceps
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell row | 4 × 4–6 | The heavy slot |
| Pull-ups or lat pulldown | 3 × 8–10 | |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 8–12 | |
| Face pull | 3 × 15 | Shoulder insurance |
| Barbell curl | 3 × 10–12 | |
| Hammer curl | 3 × 10–12 |
Legs — quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 × 4–6 | The heavy slot |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | |
| Leg press | 3 × 10–12 | |
| Leg curl | 3 × 10–12 | |
| Standing calf raise | 4 × 12–15 |
How to progress
Double progression everywhere: work within the rep range at a fixed weight, and when every set hits the top of the range, add weight and return to the bottom. The heavy compound slots progress slower and matter most — anchor them to percentages of an estimated max (the 1RM calculator's table maps range to percentage), and re-estimate monthly rather than maxing out.
Volume is the split's luxury and its trap: when sleep or recovery slips, cut accessory sets before touching the compounds. And benchmark the compounds occasionally against the strength standards — a split this size should be moving those numbers, or it's decoration.
Frequently asked questions
Is PPL good for beginners?
It works, but it's rarely optimal first. A beginner progresses fastest practicing the big lifts three times a week, which full-body programs deliver and a six-day split doesn't. PPL earns its place once you've outgrown linear progression — typically after 6–12 months — when each muscle needs more volume than a full-body day can hold.
Do I have to train six days a week?
No. The rotation is the program, not the calendar: run Push/Pull/Legs continuously on whatever days you train, and take rest days without skipping a workout — three training days simply means each workout comes around once a week instead of twice. Six days is the full-volume version; the rotation makes any schedule work.
Can I swap exercises?
Yes — the slots matter, the specific movements less so. Keep the first slot of each day a heavy compound (a press, a row or pulldown, a squat or hinge) and swap accessories freely for equipment or joint comfort: dumbbell press for barbell, cable row for barbell row, leg press for hack squat. Change movements every few months, not every week — progression needs continuity to measure.
How heavy should the compound lifts be?
The 4–6 rep compounds want roughly 80–85% of your one-rep max, the 8–12 rep work roughly 65–75%. You don't need to test a max to find these — estimate it from any hard set with a 1RM calculator and work from the percentage table.
More free programs
A program is a plan. A coach is a feedback loop.
AirFit Coach builds a program like this one around your equipment and schedule, lets you log sets on iOS, Android or the web, and proposes the next progression each week — you approve it before anything changes. It will build the day around it too: a daily protocol for sleep, mornings and mobility. Want a person running it? Trainers on AirFit deliver the same thing with a human on the other end.
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