Push Pull Legs Split For Best Results
Push / pull / legs split is designed to help progressing athletes increase workout load. At the same time it helps keep each training as short as possible.
This split will help you develop almost all muscles in your body. It’s because each training is targeting different muscle groups.
On a push day, you are working on the chest and triceps. Pull days will help you develop upper back and biceps. On a legs day you will work on your leg and your core muscles.
Is push pull legs effective?
Push pull legs split is one of the most popular workout routines. This is one of the most effective splits out there. It’s because it will help you put enough stress to your muscles and not overload some muscle groups like you might experience with a bro split.
Another great benefit of this split is the easy microcycle planning. Microcycle is just a fancy way of saying weekly training regime.
Is 3 day Push/Pull/Legs enough?
Traditionally, push pull legs training split is done 3 times per week. Each training is followed by a rest day. At the end of the week there is a 2 days rest.
This workout schedule should be sufficient for muscle growth.
I do push pull legs 3 times per week and it works for me. This makes me feel exhausted after my training days and I really need those days off to rest.
I do most of the exercises to failure or near failure and it wears me down. So, I usually reach failure on my last or two last reps in my last set. This makes my last two reps in my last set look really ugly (not a perfect form).
This is what push pull legs training week would look like:
- Monday: Push
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Pull
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Legs
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
I personally don’t like to do upper body training one after the other. So, I rather do my training in the following order: pull / legs / push.
This is just a personal preference, because I like to give my upper body a little bit more rest between training sessions.
My training week will look like this:
- Monday: Pull
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Push
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
Push pull legs 6 days split
There are two different ways you can do your 6 day push/pull/legs split.
First option is doing push pull legs one after another and make a rest at the end of the week.
6 day split option 1:
- Monday: Push
- Tuesday: Pull
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Push
- Friday: Pull
- Saturday: Legs
- Sunday: Rest
Alternatively you can do 3 days training, one day rest. Then you repeat the same again.
Your weekly schedule will shift each week by one day. If you started on Monday on week 1, you will start on Tuesday on week 2.
6 day split option 2:
- Monday: Push
- Tuesday: Pull
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Push
- Saturday: Pull
- Sunday: Legs
Is 6 day push pull legs too much?
You should be aware, 6 day push pull legs training might be too much for most people. Especially if you are training without using performance enhancing drugs.
On the other hand, you would not know if you don’t try it. Just be aware of the possible injuries.
Each of us is different and our bodies recover differently. If you feel like you can do more than 3 training sessions per week, you can try to do more.
You can try 6 day split for 4 weeks and see if this makes you feel exhausted.
Check if you feel weaker after 4 weeks, or if your sets/reps fall in this period. If you feel any of those symptoms, you should dial back and return to a 3 times per week training schedule.
Can beginners do push pull legs?
Beginners can do push pull legs split training. However, this split is better suited for medium to advanced athletes.
It would be more beneficial for beginners to start with total body training 3 times per week. After at least 6 months of training, beginners might try upper lower split or push pull legs.
I was doing a total body for the first 2 years when I started.
After 2 years I introduced upper lower splits and combined it with total body training. This lasted the next 2 years. That was 4 years in total from the start.
Only after 4 full years did I switch to push pull legs.
What does a push workout look like?
Push training is great for working your chest, triceps and shoulders. When combined with pull training it will cover most of your upper body muscles. This will help you build balanced upper body musculature.
Push training primary muscles worked:
- Chest
- Triceps
- Shoulders
Here’s an example of a push workout:
- Chest
- 3×5-10 archer push ups
- 3×10-15 push ups
- Triceps
- 3×5-10 weighted dips
- 3×10-15 dips
- Shoulders
- 3×5-10 handstand push ups (against the wall)
- 3×10-15 power pushaways
- Triceps
- 3×15-20 bench dips
What does a pull workout look like?
Pull training is great for developing your upper back, biceps and rear delts. It’s very important not to forget about your rear delts because push training is not targeting those muscles. Rear delts might become underdeveloped if you forget to train them.
Pull training primary muscles worked:
- Upper back
- Biceps
- Rear delts
Here’s an example of a pull workout:
- Upper back
- 3×5-10 pull ups
- 3×5-10 band pull ups
- Biceps
- 3×5-10 chin ups
- 3×10-15 reverse band pulls
- Upper back
- 3×10-15 inverted rows
- 3×15-30s pull up negatives
- Biceps
- 3×10-15 cross body reverse band curls
- 3×10-15 band curl with external rotation and locked elbow
- Rear delts
- 3×15-20 band face pulls
What does a leg workout look like?
When we talk about leg training most people immediately identify working your quads. However, to develop balanced legs musculature it’s important to remember working your hamstrings and your calves. Those muscles usually get overlooked.
Don’t forget you have to work on your core on leg days. It’s easy to forget about your abs and lower back altogether. But we know better – leg day is also a core day!
Legs training primary muscles worked:
- Quads
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Calves
- Abs
- Lower back
Here’s an example of a leg workout:
- Quads and glutes
- 3×5-10 levitation squats
- 3×5-10 pistol squats
- Abs
- 3×5-8 hanging leg raises
- 3×8-15 laying leg raises
- Calves
- 3×8-12 weighted calves rises
- 3×10-15 calves raises
- Abs
- 3×6-10 hanging knee raises
- Hamstrings
- 3×10-15 long leg hip thrusts
- 3×10-15 single leg hip thrusts (bent knees)
- Lower back
- 3×10-15 superman lifts
