The Definitive Guide to the “Push Pull Legs” Routine

[@MikeMatthewsFitness]

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[@dessiemason2365]

Been doing PPL for a year and absolutely love it!!! Wish I had this back then.. any sub to Mike is a smart and lucky person! So generous!

[@anujrana2583]

can i do ppl for a year continously?

[@SONZOFGUNZ37]

Dessie Westall in 2015 he said PPL is not good lol that’s why I love fitness because we can admit when we are wrong and learn from science.

[@strewtherrolson862]

As a beginner i have been meaning to transition from oldschool body-part splits to another routine. This has been an invaluable resource with very in-depth analysis for a free product. Much appreciated.

[@nikolasirovica3250]

What about this work out Day 1 Superset (deadlift/incline bench) deadlift 4-6 reps 10 sets incline bench 4-6 reps 10 sets Superset (back row/incline dumbbell) Back row 4-6 reps 5 sets Incline dumbbell 4-6 reps 5 sets Day 2 Back squats 4-6 reps 4 sets Front squats 4-6 reps 4 sets Bulgarian one-leg 4-6 reps 4 sets Leg press 4-6 reps 4 sets Calf raises 10-15 reps 4 sets Day 3 Super set (weighted dips/chin ups) Weighted dips 4-6 reps 10 sets Weighted chin ups 4-6 reps 10 sets Super set Standing upright press 4-6 reps 5 setsStanding bent over reverse fly 4-6 reps 5 sets The idea is to do a German volume training type program but instead of using lower weight more reps, I up the weight and reduce the reps. And then continue with supersetting. Thoughts?

[@klw3786]

I have been doing PPL Mon-Tues-Wed...Thursday is just some low intensity cardio and Friday is basically a full body workout. I am 53 so having 2 straight days off feels better. Works for me and keeps me in shape

[@TVResults]

My goal now is to give my right shoulder the best opportunity to heal while still progressing. It inflames very easily..had an xray, no tear, nothing really they can recommend other than PT exercises, which I do..not wanting to eat pain meds everyday, & not getting a shot in the shoulder at this point. Its getting better after a week off the weights, previously had a very heavy 8 week block I finished and needed last week to rest. At 42, I need more rest than I used to. So my idea now is to start with Pull, Rest, Legs, Rest, Push, Rest, Pull. Gives me the Back Muscle focus I'm looking for as well over this period. Have come to terms with that all I can really do is see how things go and work around it as I need to. Just so tough as near everything you do puts pressure on the shoulder in some way. Thoughts on this strategy? And Thanks for your work Mike, I appreciate you.

[@TVResults]

Mike Matthews thanks Mike! That is the confirmed plan then..today was legs..you caught me right on time with this. Thanks for all you do to help! God Bless you😀🙏

[@kjlmailtime]

How about lifting 4 days per week, but just still going Push/pull/legs/push/pull/legs/push/pull/legs? week 1: mon-push1, tue-pull1, thu-legs, fri-push2 week 2: mon-pull2, tue-legs, thur-push1, fri-pull 1 week 3: mon-legs, tue-push2, thur-pull2, fri-legs

[@eXpas04]

that looks so great, are you doing it yourself?

[@CJDAASSASSIN99]

Just make sure you don't have the push pull imbalances. . Most guys tend to care more for push motions then pull. But yeah this looks fine.

[@MyLife-og2kr]

This looks more than fine. It's great! I'm going to follow this schedule. Thanks for giving me the idea.

[@AdrianMartinez-oz3zk]

Nice dude

[@Showdownxlm]

There is also the option to cycle in rest days for regeneration by ignoring the weekly cycle and simple follow ppl no matter what day. Ppl-->Pause-->pp-->pause-->lpp-->... Or Pplp-->pause-->plpp-->pause-->lppl... The idea is to have the rest day cycled before the different workout days, because e.g. allways doing pull before leg will influence leg day every time performance. So if you can manage that timewise its a very effective way to increase the effectiveness of your workouts.

[@damemurphy1937]

just started doing LPP and i try to do Legs/Push/Pull/Rest repeat. i feel like it has a good balance of frequency but also enough rest days for me. has anyone tried doing this? Great informative video as always!

[@Frogstomp27]

This is the routine I follow. Thanks man!

[@brianpavlina8638]

I just started the PPL today. What is the reason for having 2 different sets of exercises for each workout? For example you have Pull 1 & Pull 2; Push 1 & Push 2. Why?

[@GimiBsk]

Great episode ! Just wanted to touch that most powerlifters dont do ppl . They have movement specific days . Probably if powerlifter does 2x bench freq he will stall very fast if not regress and probably around 3x for squat would be the sweet spot . Especially during the accumulation phase i have done 6x benching and for strength 2x freq doesnt work . For hypertrophy probably with our evidence 2x freq would be minimum . And if you have beginner his SRA curve is so short that he can disrupt his homeostasis and probably do the movement again 24 h later and by that time he recovered and supercompensated . And if someone intermediate decided to try 2 times probably his volume would be low to even disrupt homeostasis or probably do more sets per day . So i dont think it is black or white here depend on the context of the lifter and his weakneses . Not just db row here 2-3 sets then do pullups type of deal...

[@charlesgolden6520]

could i do Monday: Full body push Wednesday: Full body pull (Cardio being added. Endurance work). Friday: Push pull upper body

[@TomaszSkwarek83]

Great podcast Mike!! Do you think that rutine like : push - pull - legs - day off - push+pull - legs - day off. Is a good idea ? I feel I need 2 days off for my recovery but I don't want to skip on anything. Again thanks for all your work, much appreciated!!

[@brianpavlina8638]

I'm in my 40s, so I think it'd be wise to rest twice for me. That's the plan I'll follow.

[@benjaminthornton1919]

I do this as well. Seems to be working well.

[@Prince-vw5hl]

Hello Mike I just started ur 5 day push pull legs. I am following all routines to the exact way u prescribed However due to busy gym and no spot. ON PUSH 1, I do flat dumbell press and do skull crushers instead of close grip. I am stalling on flat dumbell press at 75lbs or 150lbs 7 reps and overhead press of 105lbs after only 3 weeks. I am 6 foot and 183lbs 17% bodyfat I know i consume less protein. But i am gaining weight so calories are fine. Why is this. Please advise? My pull lifts have gone up.

[@Prog47]

I actually got stronger with your PPL program than your BLS 5 day split. It must be my diet consistency though and not missing a workout for 3 months

[@JackgarPrime]

Well isn't the BLS 5-day essentially a PPL with two upper body accessory days thrown in?

[@cdrtej]

11:27 , if you push & pull Monday, do legs Thursday, it's no longer PPL. You've now invented the upper-lower split.

[@calebguardado3502]

how many exercises should you do in one workout?

[@vvaaruz]

how many total excersises shld one do . like on push day 3+2+2 for the chest shldrs and tris respectively ?

[@UNGETABLE7]

I love ppl routines. An option if you wanna add volume is :Push Pull Legs Upper Lower

[@benjaminthornton1919]

The latter is my preference: U,L,P,P,L

[@godseed79]

Thanks for the info Mike. I've been doing intermittent fasting for about 6 weeks now, a little over, and I've noticed my strength has started to decline. I wasn't expecting that as I'm still eating the same number of calories, I'm in a caloric surplus in fact. I want to try the push-pull routine, but I'm concerned about moving up in weight for each set if my strength won't allow for that. My goal is to build muscle. Can you help me understand why intermittent fasting would be taking a toll on my strength?

[@clintonstone324]

Are you lifting fasted or are you breaking your fast and fueling your body beforehand?

[@godseed79]

Clinton Stone no, I never lift fasted. I always get at least 20 grams of protein and maybe 30-50 grams of carbs at least before I lift.

[@segason6]

godseed79 It’s the fact that nutrient timing is important as well. Are you trying to lose weight atm?

[@godseed79]

Mike Matthews Thanks. I'll check out the articles. My strength has been consistently low for about 4-5 weeks. It could be that I need to eat more than I think I do. I haven't been gaining weight, just maintaining weight, but dropping fat and gaining muscle which was my goal. Again, I just wasn't expecting to lose strength in the process which concerns me a little. But I'm still trending in the right direction in terms of my body comp.

[@godseed79]

segason6 this was helpful, thanks! I tweet my eating window and my strength has come back. I wasn't eating early enough in the morning to give my body time to absorb what I was eating.

[@brianpavlina8638]

Another question from me. Why do you not recommend lifting till failure? During my PPL session today I did Push & did all my exercises to failure. Why is that bad?

[@SONZOFGUNZ37]

Brian Pavlina always workout till failure if you want your muscle to grow.

[@cody4916]

My current routine: Monday: pull & legs Tuesday: push Wednesday: pull & legs Thursday: off Friday: full body

[@Therealskipbayless]

For the 6 day a week split is only 6 sets of chest a week enough?

[@MikeMatthewsFitness]

That depends on your experience level, goals, etc., but generally, 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle group per week is the range for optimizing growth. There is some overlap in the routine, though. For example, close-grip bench press works your chest as well.

[@Raktasdelespacio]

Would this scheme also work with calisthenics?

[@VicenteAguilarD]

Is PPL routine better than the 5 days routine from your BLS book?

[@VicenteAguilarD]

Thanks Mike.

[@Eli-uj7nl]

is it?

[@ReverantSinner]

Workout programs start at 12:20.

[@samr2129]

Is ppl enough for training 3 days a week? What about 1x Full Body and then 1 upper and 1 lower? What do you guys think? Can only train 3 days.

[@segason6]

I think full body would be the best, than upper/lower + full body and then PPL because you can get stronger when you’re exposed to the exercises multiple times a week and also benefit from muscle protein synthesis. But Overall volume might be the most important thing to consider when the frequency at which you train every body part is not too low. Hope this helps

[@samr2129]

segason6 my only issue is I need to do 2 days back to back due to boxing. So I workout tues, thurs & fri with boxing mon&wed. Otherwise I would do full Body mon,wed&fri ideally

[@segason6]

sam the man in that case I think, Upper lower + full body would be a good choice (or lower upper + full body) or even PPL would be good depending on how you feel during your boxing sessions so that there is little to no interference between the lifting and boxing

[@samr2129]

Mike Matthews Thanks. It was that article that made me choose PPL for the 3 days. Allows me to train without overlapping muscle groups and also box with good recovery. Thanks and great posts Mike!

[@johnfergerson]

How many days do you recommend for a cut? I currently do 5 ppl + 2 cardio w calories @ bmr.

[@CJDAASSASSIN99]

Also I would add that you just need to make sure you're recovering well and can be consistent on whatever program you do. Calories and nutrition matter more than just exercise.

[@fenixsos1]

Mike, why so little volume por chest and triceps, and so much for back and legs? That's way less chest volume than the bls 5 day split

[@TehLuNaTiC]

Question... we load weight each set or each workout? For example at bench press

[@benjaminthornton1919]

Wut

[@TehLuNaTiC]

@@benjaminthornton1919 what you didnt understand?

[@benjaminthornton1919]

"load weight"

[@benjaminthornton1919]

If you mean "add weight", you would try to add weight each subsequent workout for a particular muscle group. Ex: you bench 225 lbs for 12 reps (or whatever the top end of your desired rep range would be). The next workout, you add 5-10 lbs to try to reach at least 8 reps (or whatever the bottom end of your rep range would be).

[@TehLuNaTiC]

@@benjaminthornton1919 that was my question....you add weight each workout or each set

[@GabrieleSantoro-01]

Would love to see a debate between you and Alphadestiny, a big proponent of full-body routines

[@ItsPureLuck27]

Sarto86 The reality is unless you are doing something utterly moronic, programming is VASTLY overrated compared to consistently showing up and adding weight to the bar over time. In essence, do a routine that your schedule allows and that you enjoy and results will follow don't worry about "is this routine X% better than that one"

[@finnmacnamara4547]

As Volume is the MAIN stimulant of Hypertrophy then what is the rationale behind your intensity increases between sets. Surely doing 4x10 Bench Press at 100kg is far better than doing 100x10, 105x6, 100x7, 100x6 (as later sets will be effected by the higher weight set being more taxing). I know this is an extreme example but you could see how this may occur.

[@scumpuppies]

Where does cardio come into the mix? Thanks!

[@Jasonsmith-sr1ke]

Cardio = loss of gains So no where

[@Fizzy332]

do HIIT instead of cardio

[@charlesgolden6520]

you don't lose gains from cardio dont listen to em

[@adityavekariya8693]

Not as good as full body it will give you 1/10 of a result of 3 full body workout

[@jurjenbavelaar1558]

Now this is some of the worst bullshit I've ever seen.