Six days looks serious. Three days is often the one you can keep. Push pull legs organises training by job. Push covers chest, shoulders and triceps. Pull covers back and biceps. Legs covers the lower body. Run one cycle across three weekly sessions, or two different cycles across six days if your experience, time and recovery actually support it.
Why people like PPL
PPL solves a filing problem. Each session has a clear job, so you can spread weekly work without squeezing the whole body into one visit. It does not create a special physiological advantage by itself.
If three gym sessions are not realistic, compare this split with Forte's bodyweight training guide. Whichever schedule you choose, the progressive overload guide explains how to change the work over time.
A 2024 systematic review with meta-analysis found no meaningful average difference between split and full-body routines for strength or muscle growth when weekly volume was matched. A 12-week randomized trial in untrained women also found similar changes between volume-matched full-body and upper/lower split groups. The split is a way to arrange the work. Choose it because it fits your week and lets you train well.
Choose three days before six
Three schedules use the same three sessions. What separates them is how many rest days sit between the work.
Where the rest days actually land
The same three sessions, three schedules. Read across a row to see how much recovery a week leaves you, and down a column to see what a given day asks for.
| Plan | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-day | Push | Rest | Pull | Rest | Legs | Rest | Rest |
| Rolling | Push | Pull | Legs | Rest | Push | Pull | Legs |
| 6-day | Push A | Pull A | Legs A | Push B | Pull B | Legs B | Rest |
The rolling week is shown for its first week only. The order never changes, but each session moves forward one weekday every cycle, so the rest day follows the work rather than the calendar.
The same three sessions, three ways to place rest. Six days is not automatically better.
A three-day week puts each job in once every seven days and leaves four days clear. That is often the right amount when three sessions are the number you can genuinely protect. The rolling version keeps the same order but lets the days drift, so recovery follows a completed cycle instead of waiting for Sunday.
Six days creates more chances to spread weekly sets. It also creates six appointments and less room for poor sleep, sport and life. Do not choose it because the number looks serious.
The push workout
Push A: strength emphasis
- Bench press, 3 sets of 4 to 7
- Overhead press, 3 sets of 5 to 8
- Incline dumbbell or machine press, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12
- Lateral raise, 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20
- Triceps extension, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15
Push B: muscle emphasis
- Incline press, 3 sets of 6 to 10
- Seated dumbbell or machine shoulder press, 3 sets of 8 to 12
- Chest press or controlled dip, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15
- Lateral raise, 3 sets of 12 to 20
- Triceps pressdown, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15
Put the press you most want to improve first. Keep the other presses useful rather than turning every variation into a maximal effort.
The pull workout
Pull A: strength emphasis
- Deadlift or rack pull, 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 6
- Pull-up or pulldown, 3 sets of 5 to 10
- Barbell or chest-supported row, 3 sets of 6 to 10
- Rear-delt raise, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20
- Curl, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15
Pull B: muscle emphasis
- Chest-supported row, 3 sets of 8 to 12
- Pulldown, 3 sets of 8 to 12
- Cable or machine row, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15
- Rear-delt raise, 3 sets of 12 to 20
- Curl variation, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15
A heavy deadlift can affect the next leg session. If recovery suffers, move it to legs, reduce the number of hard sets, or use a hinge that creates less total fatigue.
The legs workout
Legs A: strength emphasis
- Barbell squat, 3 sets of 4 to 7
- Romanian deadlift, 3 sets of 6 to 10
- Leg press, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12
- Leg curl, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15
- Calf raise, 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15
Legs B: muscle emphasis
- Front squat or hack squat, 3 sets of 6 to 10
- Hip thrust, 3 sets of 8 to 12
- Split squat, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 per side
- Seated leg curl, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15
- Calf raise, 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20
The labels "strength" and "muscle" describe emphasis, not separate biological worlds. Both sessions can contribute to both outcomes.
See the split as a real programme
Forte's current public PPL programme is intermediate, eight weeks long and schedules six sessions a week. Its first week names Push A, Pull A, Legs A, Push B, Pull B and Legs B.
Forte programme
intermediate8 weeks6 days a weekPPL (Push Pull Legs)
One rest day. Only if that week is realistic.
How much weekly work?
Count hard sets by muscle group across the whole week, not by the length of one session. The American College of Sports Medicine, the main US sports-medicine body, said in its 2026 position stand that more weekly sets helped muscle on average, and that training at least twice a week helped strength. "More" does not mean unlimited.
Start near the lower end of the templates. Add sets only if you recover, performance is stable and the extra work serves a clear goal. If shoulders are still sore when the second push day arrives, the answer may be fewer presses, not more recovery gadgets.
How hard should each set be?
Most working sets can finish with another one to three good repetitions available. A meta-analysis found no evidence that reaching momentary muscular failure was superior to stopping before failure for hypertrophy (building muscle).
Use failure sparingly on exercises where it is safe and useful. A final curl or machine set is different from a barbell squat without correctly set safeties. Stop when technique changes enough that the exercise is no longer comparable.
Progress the plan
Use a repetition range. Start at the lower end with a load you can control for every planned set. Add repetitions across sessions. When all sets reach the top of the range with the same movement, add the smallest practical load and return to the lower end.
The 2023 network meta-analysis found that all examined resistance-training prescriptions improved strength and hypertrophy compared with no exercise. Heavier loads ranked better for maximal strength, while multiple sets supported hypertrophy. This is why the plan uses lower repetition ranges for priority strength lifts and moderate or higher ranges for much of the accessory work. It is still one workable interpretation, not the only effective arrangement.
Record loads, repetitions and sets. If performance falls for several sessions, review sleep, food, pain, sport, total weekly sets and exercise overlap. Do not respond to every flat workout with another set.
When to move away from PPL
Change the split when the calendar or goal changes.
- Move to full body if you can only protect two or three sessions and want to practise each lift more often.
- Move to upper/lower if four days fit more naturally.
- Reduce to three-day PPL during a busy block rather than repeatedly missing half of a six-day plan.
- Use a sport-specific schedule if matches, running or practice need the freshest days.
The split should organise your training. It should not control your life.
Safety and substitutions
Use rack safeties for squats and presses. Learn unfamiliar free-weight lifts with qualified coaching. Swap any movement that causes sharp, sudden or worsening pain. A machine, dumbbell or cable alternative can preserve the training job without preserving the exact exercise.
If you have an injury, a health condition, are pregnant, or are returning after a long break, get individual guidance before using a high-frequency template.
Frequently asked questions
Is PPL good for beginners?
A three-day version can work, but many beginners learn the main lifts faster with two or three full-body sessions. Six-day PPL is usually a poor first choice because it adds scheduling and recovery demands.
Can I run PPL four days a week?
Yes. Use a rolling sequence: Push, Pull, Legs, rest, then continue with the next session. The weekdays move, but the order stays intact.
Do I need two different versions of each day?
No. Repeating the same Push, Pull and Legs sessions makes tracking easy. A and B versions are useful when you need more exercise variety or different emphases.
Where should deadlifts go?
Pull day is common because deadlifts train the back and grip. Legs is also reasonable because they are a hip hinge. Put them where they interfere least with the following sessions.
References
- Currier BS, D'Souza AC, Fiatarone Singh MA, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026. PMID: 41843416. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897.
- Ramos-Campo DJ, Benito-Peinado PJ, Andreu-Caravaca L, et al. Efficacy of Split Versus Full-Body Resistance Training on Strength and Muscle Growth. J Strength Cond Res. 2024. PMID: 38595233. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004774.
- Pedersen H, Fimland MS, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. A randomized trial on the efficacy of split-body versus full-body resistance training in non-resistance trained women. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2022. PMID: 35568897. DOI: 10.1186/s13102-022-00481-7.
- Currier BS, Mcleod JC, Banfield L, et al. Resistance training prescription for muscle strength and hypertrophy in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2023. PMID: 37414459. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-106807.
- Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, et al. Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy. Sports Med. 2023. PMID: 36334240. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-022-01784-y.