Push Pull Legs

Push Pull Legs divides training by movement pattern rather than by muscle: everything that presses on one day, everything that pulls on the next, legs on the third. Because the muscles used on each day barely overlap with the day either side, the split recovers cleanly at high frequency — which is why it survives as the default once someone trains more than three times a week.

Level
Intermediate — one year of consistent lifting
Days a week
6 (or 3, see below)
Equipment
Full gym
Per session
60–75 minutes
One page, no email required.

Push A

Chest, shoulders, triceps — heavy

Barbell bench press4 × 5–8 · 180s rest

The session's heaviest set. Everything after it is accessory work.

Barbell seated overhead press3 × 6–10 · 150s rest
Barbell incline bench press3 × 8–12 · 120s rest
Cable lateral raise3 × 12–15 · 60s rest

Side delts get almost nothing from pressing. This is the whole reason they are here.

Triceps extension3 × 10–15 · 60s rest

Pull A

Back, rear delts, biceps — heavy

Barbell bent over row4 × 6–10 · 180s rest

The horizontal counterweight to Push A's bench press.

Pull-up3 × 6–10 · 150s rest

Add weight once you clear 10 clean reps.

Cable front seated row3 × 10–12 · 90s rest
Barbell shrug3 × 12–15 · 60s rest
Barbell curl3 × 8–12 · 60s rest

Legs A

Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves — heavy

Barbell squat4 × 5–8 · 180s rest
Barbell Romanian deadlift3 × 8–12 · 150s rest

Hamstrings need a hinge, not just a squat. Do not skip this for more quad work.

Bulgarian split squat3 × 8–12 each leg · 90s rest
Leg curl3 × 12–15 · 60s rest
Standing calf raise4 × 12–20 · 45s rest

Push B

Chest, shoulders, triceps — volume

Barbell incline bench press4 × 8–12 · 150s rest

Incline leads today; the flat press led on Push A.

Chest dip3 × 8–12 · 120s rest

Lean forward to bias the chest, stay upright for triceps.

Chest fly3 × 12–15 · 60s rest
Cable lateral raise4 × 12–20 · 45s rest
Triceps extension3 × 12–15 · 60s rest

Pull B

Back, rear delts, biceps — volume

Cable pulldown4 × 10–12 · 120s rest

Vertical pull leads today; the row led on Pull A.

Cable front seated row3 × 12–15 · 90s rest
Bent over lateral raise3 × 15–20 · 60s rest

Rear delts. The most commonly skipped muscle in this whole plan.

Barbell curl3 × 10–15 · 60s rest
Alternate biceps curl2 × 12–15 each arm · 45s rest

Legs B

Posterior chain led

Barbell deadlift3 × 3–6 · 240s rest

Heavy and low-rep. Deadlifts cost more recovery than any other lift here.

Barbell front squat3 × 8–12 · 150s rest
Barbell hip thrust3 × 10–15 · 90s rest
Leg extension3 × 12–15 · 60s rest
Standing calf raise4 × 12–20 · 45s rest

How to progress this

Add a rep before you add a set, and add a set before you make a movement harder. When you hit the top of the rep range on every set of an exercise, move to the harder variation named in its note and start again at the bottom of the range. That is progressive overload without any weights to add — the load comes from leverage instead of from plates.

Take the last set of each exercise close to failure — one or two reps left. Bodyweight training fails when the sets are comfortable, because there is no bar weight to tell you the session was hard enough.

A plan built for your body, not a generic one

This is a good plan. It is not your plan — it does not know which area is holding your physique back. Dietly Fit scores one photo a week out of 100, names the weak point, and builds the week of training around it, from whatever equipment you actually have.

Get the app

Other plans

Upper Lower SplitFour days, each muscle twice a week. The best frequency-to-recovery trade there is.Beginner Gym WorkoutThree days, six movements, twelve weeks. Built to be repeated, not admired.

Reviewed . Sets and reps are a starting point, not a prescription. Speak to a qualified professional before starting a new exercise program, particularly if you are managing an injury or a health condition.