Push, Pull, Legs
The Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) training plan is a classic that has gained popularity in recent years. It’s basically a specific type of 3-day split, where all muscle groups are trained over three days.
What sets the PPL plan apart is the grouping of exercises, which generally follows this pattern:
- Week 1
- Monday: Push (pressing movements)
- Tuesday: Pull (pulling movements)
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Rest
- Saturday: Push
- Sunday: Pull
- Week 2
- Monday: Legs
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Push
- Thursday: Pull
- Friday: Legs
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
Example PPL Plan
Here’s an example of a Push-Pull-Legs training plan:
- Push movements mainly target chest, front/middle shoulder, and triceps.
- Pull movements focus on back, biceps, and rear shoulder.
- Legs are self-explanatory.
Push Day
| Exercise | Main Muscle Group | Sets | Repetitions |
| Bench Press | Chest | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| Dips | Chest | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| Incline Bench Press | Chest | 3 | 10/ 8 / 6 |
| Lateral Raise | Shoulders | 3 | 12 / 10 / 8 |
| Front Raise | Shoulders | 3 | 12 / 10 / 8 |
| Triceps Pushdown | Triceps | 3 | 12 / 10 / 8 |
| Triceps Kickbacks | Triceps | 3 | 12 / 10 / 8 |
Pull Day
| Exercise | Main Muscle Group | Sets | Repetitions |
| Pull-ups | Upper back | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| Barbell Rows | Upper back | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| T-Bar Row | Upper back | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| Dumbbell Biceps Curls | Biceps | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| Cable Biceps Curls | Biceps | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
Legs Day
| Exercise | Main Muscle Group | Sets | Repetitions |
| Barbell Squats | Thighs | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| Standing Calf Raises | Calves | 3 | 15 |
| Deadlifts | Lower back | 3 | 10 / 8 / 6 |
| Sit-ups | Abdominals | 3 | 20 |
Push, Pull, Legs alternative exercises
You can perform the following exercises as alternatives to Push, Pull, Legs.
Filter the exercises below by muscle group and difficulty.
| Exercise | Main muscle group | Difficulty | Type of training |
| Barbell Curls | Biceps training |
Easy |
Isolation exercise |
| Barbell Row | Shoulder training |
Hard |
Compound exercise |
| Barbell Squats | Thigh training |
Hard |
Compound exercise |
| Behind-The-Neck Overhead Press | Shoulder training |
Medium |
Isolation exercise |
| Bench Press | Triceps training |
Medium |
Compound exercise |
| Biceps Curls | Biceps training |
Easy |
Isolation exercise |
| Cable Lat Pulldown | Upper back |
Easy |
Compound exercise |
| Cable Lat Pulldown, close grip | Neck training |
Easy |
Compound exercise |
| Cable Row | Neck training |
Medium |
Compound exercise |
| Concentration Curls | Biceps training |
Easy |
Isolation exercise |
| Deadlift | Thigh training |
Hard |
Compound exercise |
| Decline Bench Press | Lower chest |
Medium |
Compound exercise |
| Dips | Upper chest |
Hard |
Compound exercise |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | Chest training |
Medium |
Compound exercise |
| Dumbbell Deadlift | Lower back |
Hard |
Compound exercise |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | Shoulder training |
Easy |
Isolation exercise |
| Dumbbell Squats | Thigh training |
Medium |
Compound exercise |
| Flys | Middle chest |
Medium |
Isolation exercise |
| Front Squats | Thigh training |
Hard |
Compound exercise |
| Hammer Curls | Biceps training |
Easy |
Isolation exercise |
| Incline Barbell Press | Upper chest |
Easy |
Compound exercise |
| Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curls | Biceps training |
Medium |
Isolation exercise |
| Pull-Ups | Upper back |
Medium |
Compound exercise |
| Seated Machine Row | Neck training |
Easy |
Compound exercise |
| Single Arm Dumbbell Row | Neck training |
Medium |
Isolation exercise |
| Squats | Thigh training |
Medium |
Compound exercise |
| Sumo Deadlift | Thigh training |
Hard |
Compound exercise |
| Zercher Squat | Thigh training |
Hard |
Compound exercise |