Push Pull Legs (PPL) is one of the most popular training splits, and one of the few actually supported by sports science. But most PPL plans online have serious flaws: wrong volume, no rotation, no recovery consideration.
Schoenfeld et al. (2016): 2×/week/muscle group beats once weekly for hypertrophy. PPL across 6 days (Push-Pull-Legs-Push-Pull-Legs-Rest) achieves exactly that.
| Day | Muscles | Key Exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Push | Chest, Shoulders, Triceps | Bench, OHP, Laterals, Triceps |
| Pull | Back, Biceps, Rear Delts | Pull-ups, Rows, Face Pulls, Curls |
| Legs | Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs | Squats, RDL, Leg Press, Calf Raises |
| Days/Week | Better Split | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 | Full Body | Each muscle 2–3×/week |
| 4 | Upper/Lower | Each muscle still 2×/week |
| 5–6 | PPL ✓ | Optimal frequency and volume |
Fonseca (2014): exercises should rotate between the two weekly cycles. Push A: Bench + Cable Laterals. Push B: Incline DB + OHP. Different exercises, same muscles: more hypertrophy than identical sessions.
| Category | Rest | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Compound | 150–180s | Squats, Bench, Deadlift, OHP |
| Medium Compound | 120–150s | Pull-ups, DB Bench, RDL, Dips |
| Light Compound | 90–120s | Leg Press, Cable Row, Bulgarian Split |
| Isolation | 60–90s | Curls, Extensions, Laterals |
A fixed PPL only works if you train exactly 6 days every week. What if you only manage 4 this week? Or 3? The frequency collapses. The better solution: a fixed order instead of fixed weekdays (push, pull and legs in rotation, always starting with the day that has been longest). MUSCLE TECHNICS recommends a split for your experience: Full Body with 3 days a week for beginners, Upper/Lower with 4 from intermediate, and 6 days if you choose PPL (not for beginners), and you choose.
PPL, Upper/Lower, or Full Body: recommended for your experience, with the number of training days to match, every session planned around recovery and volume trends. Plus: when an exercise stops setting new bests, the coach first tries an increase and only swaps it for another one for the same muscle if that brings nothing.
Try free →| Muscle | Per session | Per week (2x) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | 5-8 sets | 10-16 | Pelland 2024 |
| Back | 5-8 sets | 10-16 | Pelland 2024 |
| Shoulders (lateral) | 3-4 direct | 6-8 + fractional | Pelland 2024 |
| Quads | 5-8 sets | 10-16 | Pelland 2024 |
| Hamstrings | 4-6 sets | 8-12 | Pelland 2024 |
| Biceps | 2-3 direct | 4-6 + fractional | Pelland 2024 |
| Triceps | 2-3 direct | 4-6 + fractional | Pelland 2024 |
6 days → PPL ideal: Each muscle 2x/week with sufficient volume per session. The gold standard for advanced lifters.
5 days → PPL + hybrid acceptable: Some muscles get 1.5x frequency. Workable but not perfect.
4 days → upper/lower is better: PPL at 4 days leaves some muscles at only 1x/week. An upper/lower split at 4 days trains everything 2x.
3 days → full body is better: PPL at 3 days = 1x frequency per muscle. Full body at 3 days = 3x frequency. Clear advantage for full body.
Fonseca (2014) shows different exercises across sessions produce more hypertrophy. Use different exercises on each of the two weekly sessions: Push A (flat barbell bench, incline DB, lateral raise DB, tricep pushdown). Push B (overhead press, incline barbell, cable lateral raise, overhead tricep extension). Same muscles, different angles and implements = maximum stimulus variety.
6 days = PPL ideal: Each muscle 2x/week with max volume per session. Gold standard for advanced lifters.
3-4 days = NOT PPL: At 3 days each muscle gets 1x/week. Use upper/lower at 4 days or full body at 3 days instead.
Volume increases over 4-6 weeks: Weeks 1-2 at MEV (14-16 sets/session). Weeks 3-4 at MAV (18-20). Weeks 5-6 approaching MRV (20-24). Week 7 deload (10-12). RIR autoregulation ensures fatigue is managed.
Common PPL mistake: Overtraining arms and shoulders. Push day trains front delts and triceps as synergists. Pull day trains rear delts and biceps. Adding 6+ direct isolation sets often exceeds MRV for small muscles. Count fractional sets and reduce isolation accordingly.
Push A: Flat barbell bench, incline DB press, lateral raise DB, tricep pushdown. Push B: Overhead press, incline barbell, cable lateral raise, overhead tricep extension. Pull A: Pull-ups, cable row, face pulls, incline curls. Pull B: Barbell row, lat pulldown, reverse flys, hammer curls. Legs A: Back squat, RDL, leg press, standing calf raise. Legs B: Bulgarian split squat, leg curl, leg extension, seated calf raise.
Each muscle receives stimulation from multiple angles across the week, optimal for hypertrophy per Fonseca (2014). MUSCLE TECHNICS selects exercises from its exercise database based on your training history and plateau status.
Summary: PPL is the optimal split for 5-6 training days. It delivers 2x frequency per muscle with enough volume per session for advanced lifters. Not recommended at 3-4 days: use full body or upper/lower instead. MUSCLE TECHNICS offers PPL only from 5 training days and not to beginners, and recommends 6 days for it.