The fitness world is saturated with workout routines that promise to transform your physique. However, one workout strategy that has stood the test of time: the Push Pull Leg routine.
What is a Push Pull Leg routine?
The Push Pull Leg (PPL) routine represents a fractional approach which breaks down exercises into three categories of movements: Push, Pull and Leg.
The Push Pull Leg routine is well established due to its effectiveness and ease (1).
Push: This category includes exercises that focus on the muscles involved in pushing movements, such as chest, shoulders and triceps, and consists of pushing a load. The main exercises are, among others, bench press, push-ups, dips or military press.
Pull: Here are exercises that involve pulling or lifting the weight towards you, working mainly muscles such as the back and biceps. In this case, it consists of working eccentrically. The pull-up or rowing are classic examples.
Legs: This group incorporates everything related to leg training, from the quads to the hamstrings and calves. Exercises such as deadlifts and sumo squats are basic to this.
There are 3 types of routines (1):
- Full bodyroutines: are those in which exercises for the main muscle groups of the body are included. Usually one or two exercises are performed for each main muscle group.
- Hemispheric routines: routines that group a series of upper or lower body exercises. Upper body sessions alternate with lower body sessions.
- Routines divided by muscle groups or movements: this is the way of grouping specific muscles in each session. The weider routine is the most famous of them all and is the one that works a different muscle group each day. This is where we can classify the push-pull-leg routine as it groups certain muscle groups and alternates 3 types of session.
Thus, the push pull leg routine is a form of split routine that groups muscle groups that work simultaneously in different movements(movement patterns).
Full body vs. split routine ( pushpull leg routine)
Which routine can help me more if my goal is muscle hypertrophy? This is the question that some researchers have asked themselves to determine which type of training structure is more conducive to muscle hypertrophy.
[article ids=”43238″] Schoenfeld et al. (2015)(2) studied the differences between structuring training with a full body routine and a split routine to increase maximal strength and hypertrophy.
The split routine used in this study was not a push pull leg routine, but instead used a routine in which push pull exercises were performed on the first day, leg exercises on the second day, and arm and shoulder exercises on the third day.
The results of the study determined that both types of routines are effective in increasing maximal strength but in relation to hypertrophy the group that trained with a full body routine obtained better results.
Despite this, the authors concluded that the most important variable in relation to hypertrophy was weekly training frequency, above training volume. This training frequency has to be high to achieve the desired hypertrophy effects.
Prieto G.P. et al (2020) (1) carried out a review of some of the myths related to strength, among which was the issue that concerns us in this section. Only 3 articles were found that addressed this issue and all of them seem to indicate that full body routines obtain slightly better results than the split routine.
It should be noted that none of the studies chose a push pull leg routine such as the one presented here, instead opting for other forms of split routines.
Therefore, scientific research comparing the effects of training with full body and split push pull leg routines is needed to reach more specific conclusions on this issue.
El Programa de Entrenamiento con drop sets, es una rutina enfocada a maximizar tu ganancia de masa muscular, empleando un método respaldado por la ciencia.
Esta herramienta del entrenamiento consiste en realizar inicialmente una serie con carga elevada, bajas repeticiones y llevadas al fallo muscular. Inmediatamente después, sin tiempo de descanso, se reduce la carga entre un 20-40% del peso total y se vuelve a realizar el máximo número de repeticiones.
Advantages of the push pull leg routine
As main advantages of this type of Push Pull Leg routine we find:
- There is greater recovery time for the muscle groups, allowing the possibility of using higher training loads, thus causing greater muscle tension (1).
- The fact of performing several exercises of the same muscle group can serve to increase metabolic stress, thus enhancing acute anabolic hormone secretion, cellular inflammation and muscle ischemia (1).
- Finally, these types of routines generate less overall fatigue (3).
There are multiple advantages of the push pull leg routine over other training programs. Below, we will explore the most important ones.
Simplicity
One of the main attractions of the Push Pull Leg routine is its simplicity.
“Divide and conquer,” as Julius Caesar said.
The clear segmentation makes it easy for beginners to enter the world of fitness without feeling overwhelmed.
Recovery
By working on different muscle groups each day, you allow more effective time for r, which is crucial for growth and injury prevention (2).
Adaptation
The Push Pull Leg routine is highly adaptable. If you have more time one day and want to do a longer workout, you can. If you need a rest day, the three-day cycle facilitates this.
Disadvantages of the push pull leg routine
When using split routines we can differentiate the following disadvantages:
- Itis not going to have a great hormonal response due to the fact that it is directly linked to the amount of musculature involved in it, a fact that occurs in a greater way in full body routines (4).
- If the most important variable in hypertrophy is the training frequency of each muscle group, doing a push pull leg routine training 3 days a week is not going to be enough to generate a high degree of hypertrophy. As we will see later, it is possible to do a push pull leg routine in which the same muscle group is worked 2 times in the same week.
Structure of the Push Pull Leg Routine
One of the biggest advantages of the push pull leg routine is its flexibility in time organization. Different structures adapt to different needs.
Con esta rutina tendrás decenas de ejercicios con soporte fotográfico y con una rigurosa progresión. Podrás potenciar el tren inferior ejecutando los múltiples ejercicios con soporte visual de los que dispone la rutina.
3 Day Push Pull Leg Routine
In this version you perform a Push day, followed by a Pull day, and finally a Leg day.
Each session is separated by at least one rest day, allowing sufficient time for muscle recovery and minimizing the risk of injury.
Example of 3-Day Leg Push Pull Routine
|
Monday – Push |
Wednesday – Traction |
Friday – Legs |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press: 3 sets of 10-14 repetitions | Assisted Pull-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions | Pull-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions |
| Pull-ups: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Shoulder shrugs: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Deadlifts: 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions |
| Military press: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Biceps curl: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Lunges: 3 sets of 10 reps per leg |
| Dumbbell triceps: 3 sets of 12-16 repetitions | Rowing barbell: 3 sets of 12-16 repetitions | Leg press: 3 sets of 14-18 repetitions |
4 Day Push Pull Leg Routine:
If you’re looking for a compromise between training frequency and rest, the 4-day routine might be your best option. In this case, you can opt for a second day of Push or Pull, depending on your needs, or opt for a full body approach where you train the whole body.
This structure increases the frequency with which you train each muscle group, providing an opportunity for greater muscle growth.
Sample 4 Day Push Pull Leg Routine:
|
Monday – Push |
Tuesday – Traction |
Thursday – Legs |
Friday – Full Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press: 4 sets of 10 repetitions | Pull-ups: 4 sets of 8-10 repetitions | Squats: 4 sets of 10 repetitions | Deadlifts: 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions |
| Pull-ups: 3 sets of 12 reps | Rowing: 3 sets of 10 repetitions | Leg press: 3 sets of 12 repetitions | Pull-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions |
| Military press: 3 sets of 10 reps | Biceps curl: 3 sets of 12 repetitions | Quadriceps extensions: 3 sets of 12 reps | Push-ups: 3 sets of 12*-20 |
| Pulley triceps press 3 sets of 12-16 repetitions | Face Pull 4 sets of 12-14 repetitions | Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 10-14 reps | Calf raises 3 sets of 20-24 repetitions |
5 and 6 Day Routine
This structure allows for a higher volume of work, making it suitable for more advanced exercisers.
As an illustration, you could assign one day to the upper pec and deltoids, and another day to the lower pec and triceps.
One analysis showed that subjecting a muscle group to multiple weekly sessions may have greater muscle growth benefits (3).
Sample 5-Day Push Pull Leg Routine:
|
Monday – Push (chest focus). |
Tuesday – Traction (upper back focus) |
Wednesday – Legs |
Friday – Push-Up (focus on shoulders and triceps) |
Saturday – Traction (focus on lower back and biceps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incline bench press: 4 sets of 10 reps | Pull-ups: 4 sets of 8 reps | Front squats: 4 sets of 10 repetitions | Military Press: 4 sets of 10 reps | Hip Thrust: 4 sets of 10 repetitions |
| Pull-over: 4 sets of 12 repetitions | High Pulley Pulldown: 4 sets of 12 repetitions | Leg press: 4 sets of 12 repetitions | Lateral raises: 4 sets of 12 repetitions | Rowing on low pulley: 4 sets of 12 repetitions |
| Pull-ups: 4 sets of 12 reps | Hammer biceps curl: 4 sets of 12 repetitions | Dumbbell lunges: 4 sets of 10 repetitions per leg | Kettlebell curls: 4 sets of 12 repetitions | Isometric biceps curl 4 sets 20 seconds |
| Deadlift 4 sets of 8-10 repetitions |
Sample 6 Day Push Pull Leg Routine
|
Monday – Push Leg (chest focus) |
Tuesday – Traction (focus on back) |
Wednesday – Legs (focus on quadriceps) |
Thursday – Push-Up (focus on shoulders and triceps) |
Friday – Traction (focus on back and biceps) |
Saturday – Legs (focus on hamstrings and glutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press: 5 sets of 8-10 reps | Pull-ups: 5 sets of 8-10 repetitions | Squats: 5 sets of 10 repetitions | Military press: 5 sets of 8-10 repetitions | Pull-ups: 5 sets of 8-10 repetitions | Deadlifts: 5 sets of 8-10 repetitions |
| Pull-ups: 4 sets of 10-12 reps | Rowing with T-bar: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Leg press: 4 sets of 12 repetitions | Lateral raises: 4 sets of 12-15 repetitions | One-arm dumbbell rowing: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Hip Thrust: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions |
| Dumbbell shoulder press: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Barbell biceps curl: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Quadriceps extensions: 4 sets of 12-15 repetitions | Quadriceps curls: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Dumbbell biceps curl: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions | Hamstring curl: 4 sets of 12-15 repetitions |
Cardio in the Push Pull Leg Routine
When it comes to incorporating cardio into the Push-Pull-Leg routine, there are two schools of thought:
One argues that cardio is a vital addition that complements the routine, improving cardiovascular health and facilitating better muscle recovery.
The other, while acknowledging the benefits of cardio for overall health, advocates that its omission may be more beneficial for those whose primary goal is strength or muscle mass gains. Let’s explore both perspectives.
Benefits of cardio
Cardio in a Push Pul Leg routine can boost workout efficiency and aid in recovery (4).
Incorporating moderate-intensity cardio sessions increases lung capacity and optimizes cardiac function, leading to mitigation of fatigue during workouts.
This phenomenon translates into better workouts that consequently lead to improved muscle development.
What cardio to incorporate into a Push Pull Leg routine?
- Running or jogging: 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace after resistance exercises.
- Cycling: Another excellent option, especially for those who want to minimize joint impact.
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Shorter but more intense sessions; ideal for burning fat without losing muscle.
Frequency of training in a push pull leg routine
Next, we review the different possibilities when it comes to organizing a Push Pull Leg routine based on training frequency.
Push Pull Leg Routine with Frequency 1
When you train 3 days a week with this type of routine, each muscle group is trained once a week. With this schedule, it is easy to rest between sessions.
Some people introduce theleg session between thepush andpull sessions, in order to separate the upper body days, even though they work different muscle groups, adapting the routine to:
PUSH-LEG-PULL
This frequency is recommended for people who already have some training experience and in the future plan to move to frequency 2 or people who can only train 3 days a week.
Push Pull Leg Routine with Frequency 2
When the person has already gone through frequency 1 and wants to progress in their hypertrophy training, it is best to move to frequency 2, where each push, pull and leg workout is performed 2 times per week.
Although with this way of planning there is only one rest day per week, the muscles involved between push sessions in the same week have at least 72 hours of rest. An example structure would be as follows:
- Monday PUSH 1
- Tuesday PULL 1
- Wednesday LEG 1
- Thursday REST
- Friday PUSH 2
- Saturday PULL 2
- Sunday LEG 2
*The rest day can be done on another day since it is taken into account that with this organization of training 6 consecutive days of training are chained between week and week.
Frequency modification 1
There is an intermediate point between the two forms described above, which is very interesting, since it allows training 2 times per week for some muscle group and complete rest several days per week.
It is the modification of frequency 1, which consists of training 4 or 5 days a week in which there are muscle groups that are repeated depending on whether you want to emphasize more the upper or lower body.
Below is a 4-day push pull leg routine with emphasis on lower body:
- Monday PUSH
- Tuesday LEGS 1
- Wednesday REST
- Thursday PULL
- Friday LEGS 2
An example push pull leg routine with emphasis on upper body would be:
- Monday PUSH
- Tuesday PULL
- Wednesday LEGS
- Thursday REST
- Friday PUSH AND PULL
A Push Pull Leg routine for 5 days of could be organized like this:
- Monday PUSH
- Tuesday PULL
- Wednesday LEGS
- Thursday REST
- Friday PUSH AND PULL
- Saturday LEGS
- Sunday REST
Exercises to include in a beginner push pull leg routine.
But what exercises can I do if I want to start this type of routine if I’m a beginner?
Here are some exercises that you can include by doing 3 sets of 8 repetitions of each exercise:
PUSH/PUSH
- Chest press on multipower
- Dumbbell Lunges
- Push-ups
- Triceps arm extensions on pulley with 2 hands
- French press with barbell
- Military press with dumbbells or on machine
TRACTION/PULL
- Pull-ups on machine or with elastic band
- Chest pull-up
- Dumbbell 1-handed rowing
- Biceps in pulley 2 hands
- Biceps on unilateral pulley
LEGS/LEGS
- Squats on multipower
- Deadlifts with dumbbells
- Leg extension machine with 2 legs
- Leg curl machine
Exercises to include in an intermediate level push pull leg routine
If I already have experience in strength training with weights I can choose a routine that includes the following exercises doing 3 sets of 12 repetitions:
PUSH/PUSH
- Bench press on barbell or multipower
- Seated Pulley Lunges
- Press with dumbbells on inclined bench between 30 and 45º.
- Triceps elbow extension on pulley with one hand
- French press
- Military press with barbell
TRACTION/PULL
- Neutral Grip Strict Pull-Ups
- One-hand pull-up
- One-hand horizontal rowing
- One-handed preacher biceps
- Hammer biceps with dumbbells
LEGS/LEGS
- Free squat or multipower squat
- Deadlift with barbell
- Single leg extension machine
- Leg curl machine
- Forward lunges
Exercises to include in an advanced push pull leg routine
If your level is advanced you can include these exercises in your push pull leg routine by doing them for 4 sets of 10/12 repetitions:
PUSH/PUSH
- Bench press on multipower or free bench press
- Incline bench press with barbell or dumbbells
- Seated Pulley Lunges
- One-handed triceps elbow extensions
- French Press
- Lateral Dumbbell Lateral Lunges for shoulders
- Military Press
TRACTION/PULL
- Narrow grip pull-ups with weights
- One-hand horizontal rowing in pulley and seated
- One-hand pull-up
- Rowing with barbell
- One-handed preacher biceps
- One-handed biceps in pulley
- Biceps z-bar
LEGS/LEGS
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Leg extension machine
- Leg curl machine
- Lunges forward
- Back squat
Conclusion
The Push Pull Leg routine stands out for its simplicity, effectiveness and adaptability. Its split approach eases entry into the fitness world for novices and allows for more effective muscle recovery.
In addition, its flexibility in time organization makes it adaptable to various lifestyles and training goals. While the debate over incorporating cardio persists, the versatility of the pus pull leg routine makes it a solid choice for a wide range of fitness goals.
Scientific research comparing push pull leg routines to other structures is needed to prove their effects on muscle hypertrophy.
This type of routine allows for optimal recovery of the muscles involved between training sessions.
By performing different exercises for a particular muscle group, it involves high metabolic stress, one of the variables that influence muscle hypertrophy.
This type of routine can be adapted to people who can train from 3 days to 6 days a week and both beginners and advanced.
Bibliographic references
- Iversen, V. M., Norum, M., Schoenfeld, B. J., & Fimland, M. S. (2021). No time to lift? Designing time-efficient training programs for strength and hypertrophy: A narrative review. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 51(10), 2079-2095.
- Dupuy, O., Douzi, W., Theurot, D., Bosquet, L., & Dugué, B. (2018). An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00403. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00403
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., & Krieger, J. (2019). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(11), 1286-1295.
- Ahtiainen, J. P., Lehti, M., Hulmi, J. J., Kraemer, W. J., Alen, M., Nyman, K., Selänne, H., Pakarinen, A., Komulainen, J., Kovanen, V., Mero, A. A., & Häkkinen, K. (2011). Recovery after heavy resistance exercise and skeletal muscle androgen receptor and insulin-like growth factor-I isoform expression in strength trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(3), 767-777. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318202e449
Co-author: Andoni Pérez
