Push Pull Legs Routine: The Best Workout Split for Building Muscle

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If you ask me what the single best training split is for intermediate to advanced lifters, I’ll give you the same answer every time: push pull legs. It’s not trendy. It’s not complicated. It works — and the volume of research and real-world results behind it backs that up completely. The push pull legs split organizes your training around movement patterns and muscle groups in a way that maximizes recovery, minimizes overlap, and lets you hit each muscle with enough frequency and volume to drive consistent progress. Whether your goal is building muscle, gaining strength, or both, this is the framework I come back to again and again.

What Is Push Pull Legs?

Push pull legs is a training split that divides your workouts into three categories based on how your muscles function during movement. It’s elegant in its simplicity, and that’s a big part of why it works so well.

• Push Day targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps — all the muscles involved in pushing movements like the bench press and overhead press.
• Pull Day targets your back, biceps, and rear delts — muscles engaged during pulling movements like rows, pull-ups, and deadlifts.
• Leg Day targets your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves — the full lower body in a single dedicated session.

You can run this PPL split two different ways. The 6-day version has you training Monday through Saturday in a Push/Pull/Legs/Push/Pull/Legs pattern, which is ideal if you’re an experienced lifter who can handle high volume and recover well. The 3-day version spreads the three sessions across the week — think Monday, Wednesday, Friday — which works better for lifters who are still building their work capacity or have a busier schedule. Both approaches are effective. Your recovery, lifestyle, and training age determine which one is right for you.

The Complete Push Pull Legs Routine

Below is the exact push pull legs routine I recommend to intermediate lifters. The exercise selection, rep ranges, and set volumes are all chosen with both muscle growth and long-term joint health in mind. Follow progressive overload — add weight or reps week over week — and this program will deliver results for months.

Push Day — Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

• Bench Press — 4 sets x 6–8 reps
• Overhead Press — 3 sets x 8–10 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press — 3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Lateral Raises — 3 sets x 15 reps
• Tricep Pushdowns — 3 sets x 12 reps
• Overhead Tricep Extension — 2 sets x 12 reps

Tracking your lifts is something I consider non-negotiable on a push pull legs routine — and that’s where having a dedicated workout journal makes a real difference. I’ve been recommending the Fitness Workout Journal for Women & Men to my clients for a while now because it strikes the right balance between structure and flexibility. The A5 format fits easily in a gym bag, and the layout makes it simple to log sets, reps, and weights for every exercise in this program. When you’re chasing progressive overload session after session across three different training days, having a written record isn’t optional — it’s how you actually make progress.

Pull Day — Back, Biceps, Rear Delts

• Deadlifts — 3 sets x 5 reps (or Barbell Rows — 4 sets x 6–8 reps)
• Pull-Ups — 3 sets x AMRAP
• Seated Cable Rows — 3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Face Pulls — 3 sets x 15–20 reps
• Barbell Curls — 3 sets x 10 reps
• Hammer Curls — 2 sets x 12 reps

Pull day is your most taxing session of the week, especially if you’re deadlifting heavy. Nutrition timing around this session matters, and protein intake post-workout is a real factor in recovery. This is where a quality shaker bottle becomes a practical piece of equipment, not just an accessory. The VELOMIX 2-Pack 28 oz Protein Shaker Bottles are what I keep in my gym bag. The dual wire whisk design mixes protein powder cleanly with no clumps, the 28 oz capacity is generous enough for a proper post-workout shake, and getting two bottles in one pack means you always have a clean one ready to go. Leak-proof construction is something I won’t compromise on, and these deliver.

Leg Day — Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves

• Squats — 4 sets x 6–8 reps
• Romanian Deadlifts — 3 sets x 8–10 reps
• Leg Press — 3 sets x 10–12 reps
• Walking Lunges — 3 sets x 12 reps per leg
• Leg Curls — 3 sets x 12 reps
• Standing Calf Raises — 4 sets x 15 reps

Leg day in a push pull legs routine is a grind, and staying hydrated through the session makes a noticeable difference in performance and endurance. I’ve been using the BlenderBottle Strada Insulated Stainless Steel Shaker Cup on heavy training days and it’s genuinely impressive. The insulated stainless steel construction keeps cold drinks cold for hours, which matters when you’re ninety minutes deep into squats and Romanian deadlifts. It also doubles as a clean shaker for intra-workout amino acids or post-session protein. The 24-ounce size is compact enough to sit on the rack beside you without being in the way. Most of my clients who train seriously end up with one of these.

How to Customize PPL for Your Goals

One of the biggest strengths of the push pull legs split is how adaptable it is. The structure stays the same — you’re always organizing training by push, pull, and legs — but the variables inside that structure flex based on what you’re chasing.

Training for Strength

If strength is the primary goal, shift your rep ranges down to 3–6 on the main compound lifts — bench press, overhead press, deadlifts, and squats. Rest periods should be longer, typically 3 to 5 minutes between heavy sets, to allow full neuromuscular recovery before the next effort. Keep the accessory work slightly higher in reps to maintain muscle balance without crushing your recovery. Progressive overload here means adding weight to the bar as the priority.

Training for Hypertrophy

For muscle growth, the moderate rep range of 8–12 is your primary zone, with rest periods of 60 to 90 seconds between sets to keep metabolic stress elevated. This is where the accessory movements in the routine — lateral raises, face pulls, hammer curls, calf raises — become especially important. Volume drives hypertrophy, so make sure you’re hitting that weekly target across both sessions if you’re running the 6-day version.

3-Day vs 6-Day PPL: Which One Is Right for You?

The 3-day version is the right starting point if you’ve been training for less than two years, if your recovery between sessions is slow, or if life simply doesn’t allow for six gym days per week. Each muscle group gets hit once per week, which is still enough stimulus to grow — especially if your nutrition and sleep are dialed in. The 6-day version is appropriate if you’re an experienced lifter who can recover from higher weekly volume, wants to hit each muscle group twice per week, and can commit to six sessions consistently. Twice-weekly frequency has a meaningful edge for hypertrophy in well-trained individuals, so the 6-day approach is worth the investment if you’re ready for it.

Whether you’re running 3 days or 6, logging your workouts consistently is how you bridge the gap between effort and progress. The Nextnoid Hardcover Fitness Journal Workout Planner is one I recommend specifically because the hardcover construction holds up to daily gym use without falling apart after a few weeks. The A5 format is practical, the layout supports structured logging for both gym and home workouts, and the build quality is noticeably better than standard spiral-bound alternatives. If you’re serious about running this push pull legs routine with real accountability, this journal earns its place in your bag.

PPL vs Upper/Lower vs Full Body: Which Split Is Best?

The honest answer is that the best split is the one that fits your training age, schedule, and recovery capacity. But here’s how the three main options compare in practical terms.

Full body training works best for beginners. Hitting every muscle group three times per week with relatively low per-session volume is ideal for building the neuromuscular foundation that makes all future training more effective. If you’ve been training seriously for less than a year, start here.

Upper/lower splits are a strong middle ground for lifters who’ve outgrown full body but aren’t yet managing the volume demands of push pull legs. Four days per week, each muscle group hit twice, with manageable session lengths — it’s an efficient and well-researched approach for early intermediate lifters.

Push pull legs is where intermediate to advanced lifters live. The higher per-muscle volume, logical grouping by movement pattern, and flexibility to run 3 or 6 days makes it the most scalable and effective option for anyone past the beginner stage. If you’ve been training consistently for 1.5 to 2 years or more and you’re ready to take volume and structure seriously, the push pull legs routine is the split I’d put you on first.

Final Thoughts

Push pull legs has earned its reputation as one of the most effective training frameworks in evidence-based fitness — and after years of coaching and personal training experience, I’d agree completely. The structure is logical, the recovery balance is smart, and the flexibility to run it across 3 or 6 days makes it accessible to a wide range of lifters. Follow the routine outlined here, track your progress religiously, fuel your sessions properly, and stay consistent. That formula works. Start with the 3-day version if you need to, graduate to the 6-day when you’re ready, and let the program do what it’s designed to do.