Quick answer
Push pull legs puts pushing, pulling and leg lifts on separate days, run once a week on 3 days or twice a week on 6. Pooled studies tie muscle growth to weekly sets, with 10 or more per muscle linked to larger gains, and found frequency made no meaningful difference once those sets were matched.1,2
Key facts
- The 3-day version trains each muscle once a week and the 6-day version twice, so reaching 10 sets per muscle a week takes about 10 sets in one session on 3 days, or 5 per session on 6.1
- Training a muscle twice a week gave larger muscle growth than once a week in ten studies.3
- When weekly sets were matched across 25 studies, weekly frequency made no meaningful difference to muscle growth.2
- A 2026 analysis of 67 studies found gains rose with weekly sets, with diminishing returns, and that frequency mattered for strength more than muscle size.4
- The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) advises 2 to 3 days a week for novices, 3 to 4 for intermediate lifters and 4 to 5 for advanced lifters.5
- A 10-week trial of 21 trained men found full body and split routines both raised strength and muscle thickness.6
What is the push pull legs split?
Push pull legs divides the lifts of a week into three kinds of day. Push days train the chest, shoulders and the back of the arms, with presses and dips. Pull days train the back and the front of the arms, with rows, pulldowns and curls. Leg days train the thighs, hips and calves, with squats, hinges and lunges. Each kind of day can run once a week or twice a week.
The settings inside a day follow general advice. ACSM places large muscle groups before small ones and exercises that use several joints before exercises that use one, and for muscle size it emphasizes loads in a 6 to 12 repetition range with 1 to 2 minutes of rest.5
Push pull legs 3 day split or 6 day split
The only real difference between the two versions is how many times each muscle is trained in a week. On 3 days, each muscle gets trained once. On 6 days, each gets trained twice. The sets inside a session change to match, because the weekly total is what the studies tracked.
| Version | Days a week | Times each muscle is trained | Sets per muscle per session to reach 10 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push pull legs, 3 day split | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Push pull legs, 6 day split | 6 | 2 | 5 |
Ten sets a week is the volume linked with larger muscle growth in the 2026 ACSM overview of 137 reviews. In ten earlier studies, training a muscle twice a week gave larger muscle growth than once a week. In 25 later studies, frequency made no meaningful difference once total weekly sets were matched. The 3-day version can therefore work, if all of a muscle's weekly sets fit into its one day.1,2,3
A 2026 analysis of 67 studies found that muscle growth and strength both rose with weekly sets, with diminishing returns, and that frequency mattered for strength but looked compatible with little effect on muscle size.4
A 6-day week is also above the range ACSM lists for any experience level, which tops out at 4 to 5 days. So the sixth day is a choice for people who want the extra sets and have the time for them.5
Push pull legs or upper lower?
An upper lower split trains the upper body on two days and the lower body on two days, so it also reaches each muscle twice in a week on four days. The reviews we cite compare training frequencies, not these two layouts against each other, so the choice rests on schedule and preference.2
| Layout | Training days | Times each muscle is trained | Sets per muscle per session to reach 10 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full body | 3 | 3 | 3 to 4 |
| Upper lower | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Push pull legs, 3 day | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Push pull legs, 6 day | 6 | 2 | 5 |
A 10-week trial of 21 trained men found a full body routine and a split routine both raised strength and muscle thickness. One strength test favored the full body group, and leg muscle thickness favored the split group.6
A push pull legs workout routine, written out
Use this as the text version of a routine you could print. Each day has five movements. On the 3-day version, do 3 sets of each and add sets until a muscle reaches about 10 a week. On the 6-day version, run each day twice a week with 2 to 3 sets of each movement. Use a weight you could lift 6 to 12 times and rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets. Several movements train each muscle, so count the sets of every movement that works it.1,5
| Day | Movements | Repetitions |
|---|---|---|
| Push | Bench press or dumbbell press; overhead press; incline dumbbell press; lateral raise; triceps pushdown | 6 to 12 |
| Pull | Pull-up or lat pulldown; barbell or cable row; rear shoulder fly; biceps curl; hammer curl | 6 to 12 |
| Legs | Squat or leg press; Romanian deadlift; walking lunge; leg curl; calf raise | 6 to 12 |
A typical 6-day week runs push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs and then a rest day. A 3-day week runs push, pull and legs on non-consecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Rest and recovery on push pull legs
Rest between sets of 1 to 2 minutes is ACSM's advice for muscle size, and rests over 2 minutes seemed to matter for strength gains in trained people.5,7
Soreness after new or harder work can last a day or two, and a review of soreness advised easing off for 1 to 2 days after a session that leaves you very sore. Our guide to muscle recovery covers what reviews found, and the guide to deload weeks covers planned easier weeks.8
Stop and ask a doctor if
- Stop and get help right away if you feel pain, extreme shortness of breath or dizziness during a workout.9
- Ask a doctor or physical therapist about pain in a shoulder, elbow, wrist, lower back or knee that lasts or limits your movement. In a review of weight-training sports, these were the places hurt most often, mostly strains, tendon irritation and sprains.10
- Check with a doctor before starting if you have trouble moving or balancing, or you worry that exercise might not be safe for you.9
Questions people ask
What is a push pull legs routine?
It splits lifting into push days (presses), pull days (rows, pulldowns, curls) and leg days. Run once each in a week, that is 3 days, and twice each, that is 6 days.
Is a push pull legs 3 day split enough?
It trains each muscle once a week. Twice a week beat once in ten studies, but across 25 studies frequency made no meaningful difference once weekly sets were matched. The 10 sets a week linked to larger muscle growth have to fit into one session per muscle.1,2,3
Is push pull legs better than an upper lower split?
The reviews we cite compare training frequencies, not these two layouts. Both reach each muscle twice a week, so the choice rests on how many days you can train.2
Can you do a push pull legs 6 day split?
Yes, and it trains each muscle twice a week. It is above ACSM's advice of 2 to 5 days a week by experience level, so it is a choice for people who have the time for it.5
Is there a push pull legs workout routine PDF?
The tables on this page list the days, movements and repetitions in plain text, so you can print the page or copy them into a note. Add sets until each muscle reaches about 10 a week.1
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Sources
- Currier BS, D'Souza AC, Singh MAF, 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;58(4):851-872. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. J Sports Sci. 2019;37(11):1286-1295. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC. The resistance training dose response: meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Sports Med. 2026;56(2):481-505. Opened 2026-10-11.
- American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Bartolomei S, Nigro F, Malagoli Lanzoni I, Masina F, Di Michele R, Hoffman JR. A comparison between total body and split routine resistance training programs in trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2021;35(6):1520-1526. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Skrepnik M, Davies TB, Mikulic P. Effects of rest interval duration in resistance training on measures of muscular strength: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2018;48(1):137-151. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Cheung K, Hume P, Maxwell L. Delayed onset muscle soreness: treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Med. 2003;33(2):145-164. Opened 2026-10-11.
- MedlinePlus. Exercise and physical fitness. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Health topic page. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Keogh JW, Winwood PW. The epidemiology of injuries across the weight-training sports. Sports Med. 2017;47(3):479-501. Opened 2026-10-11.
This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.