Push Pull Legs Split: 3-Day and 6-Day Plans

A push pull legs split groups your training by movement pattern. Push day trains the muscles that press. Pull day trains the muscles that row and curl. Leg day trains the lower body. The result is a simple, repeatable week that scales from 3 to 6 sessions.

This guide shows you how each day is built. It compares the 3-day and 6-day versions. It ends with a sample week and the exact sets and reps to start with.

What goes on push, pull and leg days

Each day owns a group of muscles that work together. That overlap is the strength of the split. A muscle gets direct work and indirect work on the same day, then rests while the other days run.

• Push: chest, front delts, side delts and triceps. Main lifts are presses, both flat and incline, plus overhead pressing.
• Pull: lats, upper back, rear delts and biceps. Main lifts are rows and vertical pulls.
• Legs: quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Main lifts are a squat pattern and a hip hinge.

Order each session from big to small. The ACSM position stand on progression models recommends large before small muscle group exercises and multiple-joint before single-joint exercises. It also advises a 2–10% load increase once you can beat your target reps by one or two.

3-day vs 6-day push pull legs

The 3-day version runs each day once per week. The 6-day version runs the cycle twice. Both work. The right choice depends on your schedule and your recovery.

The case for 6 days

Six days lets you hit every muscle twice per week. A 2016 meta-analysis on training frequency compared once-per-week and twice-per-week training on a volume-equated basis. Its conclusion is direct.

"It can therefore be inferred that the major muscle groups should be trained at least twice a week to maximize muscle growth; whether training a muscle group three times per week is superior to a twice-per-week protocol remains to be determined."

Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger, Sports Medicine, 2016 (PubMed)

Twice-weekly frequency also splits your weekly sets into smaller, higher quality sessions. Your fifth set of the day is rarely as good as your first.

The case for 3 days

A later 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found no significant difference between higher and lower frequency when weekly volume was equal. So frequency is mostly a tool for fitting in volume. If 3 days is what you can attend, put more sets in each session and you will still grow.

A large 2025 dose-response analysis by Pelland and colleagues pooled 67 studies and 2,058 participants. It found that hypertrophy rose with weekly set volume, with diminishing returns. Frequency itself added little for size once volume was counted. Weekly sets are the number to protect.

Quick decision guide

• 3 days (PPL once): busy weeks, beginners, or lifters who recover slowly. Use 5–6 exercises per day.
• 4–5 days (rolling PPL): run push, pull, legs, rest, and repeat. Each muscle gets about 1.5 hits per week.
• 6 days (PPL twice): intermediate and advanced lifters with time to train. Use 4–5 exercises per day.

Sets, reps and effort for each day

Train most work in the 6–12 rep zone, with some lighter, higher-rep isolation work. Keep main lifts at RPE 7–8, which means 2–3 reps left in the tank. Push isolation sets closer, to RPE 8–9.

Use these starting targets for each muscle across the week:

• Weekly hard sets per muscle: 10–20. Start near 10–12 and add sets when progress stalls.
• Compound lifts: 3–4 sets of 6–10 reps at about 70–80% of 1RM.
• Isolation lifts: 2–4 sets of 10–15 reps.
• Rest: 2–3 minutes on compounds, 60–90 seconds on isolation.

Progress with double progression. Pick a rep range, such as 8–10. When you hit the top of the range on all sets, add load and work back up.

Sample 6-day push pull legs week

This plan runs each day twice. Day A leans heavier. Day B leans on volume and different angles.

Push A (Monday)

• Barbell bench press: 4 x 6–8
• Seated dumbbell overhead press: 3 x 8–10
• Incline dumbbell press: 3 x 8–12
• Cable lateral raise: 3 x 12–15
• Overhead cable triceps extension: 3 x 10–12

Pull A (Tuesday)

• Barbell or chest-supported row: 4 x 6–8
• Pull-up or lat pulldown: 3 x 8–10
• Seated cable row: 3 x 10–12
• Face pull: 3 x 12–15
• Barbell curl: 3 x 8–12

Legs A (Wednesday)

• Back squat: 4 x 6–8
• Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8–10
• Leg press: 3 x 10–12
• Lying leg curl: 3 x 10–12
• Standing calf raise: 4 x 8–12

Push B, Pull B, Legs B (Thursday to Saturday)

• Push B: incline barbell press 4 x 8–10, machine chest press 3 x 10–12, dumbbell lateral raise 4 x 12–20, cable fly 3 x 12–15, skull crusher 3 x 10–12.
• Pull B: lat pulldown 4 x 8–12, one-arm dumbbell row 3 x 10–12, rear delt fly 3 x 15–20, incline dumbbell curl 3 x 10–12, hammer curl 2 x 12–15.
• Legs B: hack squat or front squat 4 x 8–10, hip thrust 3 x 8–12, Bulgarian split squat 3 x 10–12, seated leg curl 3 x 12–15, seated calf raise 4 x 12–15.

Sunday is a rest day. This week gives chest, back, quads and hamstrings roughly 12–16 direct sets each.

Running it as 3 days

Run Push A, Pull A and Legs A on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Add one exercise from the matching B day to each session. Use 3–4 sets per movement to keep weekly volume near 10–12 sets per muscle.

How to progress a PPL block

Run the split for 4–6 weeks before you change exercises. Track every set so you can see whether reps or load are going up. Add one set per muscle per week only if you recover well and performance holds.

After the block, take a lighter week. Cut sets by about half and keep the loads. Then start the next block with fresh rep targets or new exercise variations.

Build it in the free builder

Open the free split builder and choose a push pull legs layout. Enter your days per week (3, 4, 5 or 6), your equipment (full gym, dumbbells only, or home setup) and any muscle you want to bring up. The builder balances weekly sets per muscle and lays out each day for you.

Want a ready-made plan? Browse the starter programs and pick a PPL template that matches your schedule.