Day 1 · Monday
Push A
Chest, shoulders, triceps (heavier)
Free workout plan
Push pull legs workout plan
The classic PPL split, run twice a week. Each muscle group gets two sessions, with a heavier A day and a higher-rep B day so you aren't grinding the same weights every time.
- Days a week
- 6
- Per session
- 60 min
- Level
- Intermediate
- Goal
- Build muscle
- Equipment
- Barbell, Dumbbells, Cable station, Machines
Who it's for
Intermediate lifters with at least 6 months of consistent training and a full gym, who can commit to six sessions a week and sleep well enough to recover.
Your week
Day 2 · Tuesday
Pull A
Back, rear delts, biceps (heavier)
Day 3 · Wednesday
Legs A
Squat focus
Day 4 · Thursday
Push B
Chest, shoulders, triceps (higher reps)
Day 5 · Friday
Pull B
Back, traps, biceps (higher reps)
Day 6 · Saturday
Legs B
Hinge focus
Warm-up and cool-down
Warm-up · 8 min
- 5 minutes of easy cardio: brisk walk, bike or rower, enough to feel warm.
- A few slow reps of the world's greatest stretch and inchworms to open the hips and shoulders.
- One or two light sets of the first exercise before your working sets.
Cool-down · 5 min
- Walk slowly for a minute or two until your breathing settles.
- Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds a side, easing in rather than forcing range.
How to progress
The progression rule
On the first lift of each day, add 2.5 kg once you hit the top of the range on every set. On the other lifts, add a rep a week until you reach the top of the range, then increase the weight. Every 6-8 weeks, take an easier week with about half the sets.
Safety and technique tips
- Six days is a lot. If you feel run down, sleep badly or your lifts drop two sessions in a row, take an extra rest day.
- Use a spotter or safety bars on heavy squats and bench presses.
- Keep the heavy lifts 1-2 reps short of failure; save all-out sets for the last set of small isolation moves.
- If you can only train four days, the upper/lower plan gives a similar weekly workload.
Make it yours
Customise it in the workout generator
Change the days, the session length, your equipment or your goal, and get a week built for you, with any exercise swappable.
Questions people ask
Is push pull legs good for beginners?
Usually not as a six-day plan. Beginners progress just as well on three full-body sessions a week with far less time in the gym. PPL suits lifters who already train consistently and want more weekly volume.
Can I run push pull legs three days a week?
Yes, but each muscle is then trained once a week. For most people, a three-day full-body plan or a four-day upper/lower split trains each muscle twice and works better.
How long should a PPL session take?
About 60 minutes including the warm-up, with longer rests on the first heavy lift and shorter rests on the small moves.
Do I need a rest day?
Yes, at least one full rest day a week, and an easier week every couple of months. Muscles grow during recovery, not during the session.
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