Key takeaways
- A push pull legs (PPL) split groups training into pushing muscles, pulling muscles, and legs, and can run on 3, 4, 5, or 6 sessions a week.
- On the 4-day version, the session order shifts from week to week. Follow the rotation, not the weekday names.
- The 3-day version suits cutting phases, since each muscle gets a full week to recover while a calorie deficit slows recovery.
- An upper/lower + PPL hybrid handles uneven weeks better than a pure split.
- Progress with double progression, and judge results from weekly weight and body-fat trends over three to four weeks.
The right rotation depends on your logged recovery, body-fat trend, and how often you can train. The layouts below match each version to those numbers.
What is a push pull legs split?
Every session is built around one movement type:
- Push: chest, shoulders, and triceps, with presses and overhead work
- Pull: back and biceps, with rows, pulldowns, and curls
- Legs: quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, with squats, hinges, and single-leg work
Each muscle group is trained once per rotation, then rests while you train the other two. That fits the common guidance (NSCA) of about 48 hours between sessions for the same muscle. It also pairs well with logged data: your body-fat percentage and calorie intake set the cutting or bulking context, and the plan builds from those numbers. That's the approach Gaugegrain is built on.
3-day vs 4-day vs 6-day
The versions differ in how often each muscle is trained and how much work goes into each session.
| Version | Sessions/week | Each muscle trained | Volume per session | Recovery demand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-day | 3 | 1× per week | High | Low |
| 4-day | 4 | About every 5–6 days | Moderate | Moderate |
| 6-day | 6 | 2× per week | Lower | High |
3-day
Push Monday, pull Wednesday, legs Friday. Fixed weekdays and the most work per session. This is a good fit for a cut, when recovery is limited.
4-day
You train four set days a week and keep cycling push → pull → legs through them, so the order carries over into the next week. Week 1 might be push, pull, legs, push; week 2 starts with pull. Volume per session is moderate, and progress is easy to read against weekly weight and body-fat logs. Gaugegrain (https://gaugegrain.com/) builds the plan from those measurements.
6-day
Push, pull, legs, repeat, then one rest day. This doubles frequency, but it needs good sleep and food, and it assumes you're past the beginner stage.
How to run the 4-day rotation
Pick four training days, such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and keep the sequence going:
- Week 1: Push, Pull, Legs, Push
- Week 2: Pull, Legs, Push, Pull
- Week 3: Legs, Push, Pull, Legs
After three weeks the pattern repeats. Aim for roughly 10–20 hard sets per muscle group per week, a range commonly drawn from Schoenfeld and colleagues' 2017 meta-analysis on training volume. On a cut, add sets only if recovery is holding.
When a week gets disrupted: log the session number, not the weekday. If you miss a day, do the next session in the sequence when you're back. Never skip a session just to get back to a fixed weekday.
When to use an upper/lower + PPL hybrid
Use the hybrid when you aim for 5 days but some weeks you get 4 and others 6. A pure PPL split suffers when you miss a day, because legs or pulling falls out of the week. The hybrid absorbs missed sessions without losing a whole movement pattern.
Layout: Upper, lower, push, pull, legs in that order, for example Mon upper, Tue lower, Thu push, Fri pull, Sat legs. On a 4-day week, drop the legs day, since the lower day already covered them.
Choose the hybrid if:
- your training week varies in length
- your scale or body-fat data stalls during high-frequency phases
- one area lags and needs extra sets
Choose a pure split if your calendar is fixed and you recover well.
Running it legs first
Putting legs first means your hardest session comes right after a rest day, when you're freshest. If squats or deadlifts are your priority, this protects them from leftover fatigue.
3-day version
- Monday, legs: squats, leg press, hamstring work, calves
- Wednesday, push: bench or overhead press, incline work, triceps, lateral raises
- Friday, pull: rows, pull-ups or pulldowns, curls, rear delts
4-day version
Legs Monday, push Tuesday, pull Thursday, legs Friday, then continue the sequence the next week starting with push.
Lead with legs if your lower-body lifts lag your upper body, or if you tend to skip leg day when it falls late in the week. If pressing or pulling strength is your priority, the standard order works better.
Scheduling rest days
Rest days let muscles recover between sessions. Put them where your log shows recovery is lagging, not where a template says.
- Fixed week: e.g., Mon push, Tue pull, Wed legs, Thu rest. Easiest to plan around work.
- 3-on, 1-off rotation: Push, pull, legs, rest, repeating. Because the cycle is four days, it drifts across the calendar, so track it in a calendar app rather than by weekday. Note that this adds up to about five sessions a week.
- 4-day split: three rest days a week, usually one midweek and two at the weekend.
Rest days and fasting
If you track first-meal time, put rest days on your longest fasting window: hunger is lower and there's no post-workout meal to fit in. Gaugegrain builds the fasting layer from the same baseline measurements so rest days and eating windows stay aligned. It won't auto-adjust your split for shift work; you set that manually.
Exercise menus
Push
- Bench or dumbbell press: 3 × 5–8
- Overhead press: 3 × 6–10
- Incline press: 3 × 8–12
- Lateral raises: 3 × 12–15
- Triceps pushdowns: 3 × 10–15
Pull
- Barbell or cable rows: 3 × 6–10
- Pulldowns or pull-ups: 3 × 6–12
- Face pulls: 3 × 12–15
- Biceps curls: 3 × 8–12
- Rear delt work: 2 × 15
Legs
- Squats: 3 × 5–8
- Romanian deadlifts: 3 × 6–10
- Leg press or lunges: 3 × 8–12
- Leg curls: 3 × 10–15
- Calf raises: 3 × 12–20
Your goal changes the volume, not the exercise list. Cutting: keep the compound lifts, drop to 2–3 sets, and add an isolation set or two. Bulking: run full volume and take top sets closer to failure. Maintaining: hold volume steady and add weight when your logs show you're ready.
How to progress
Double progression
Pick a rep range, such as 8–12. Add reps each session until you reach the top, then add weight and start again at the bottom: 10 reps at 135 lb, then 12 at 135, then 8 at 140. This works for both cutting and bulking. On a cut, rep gains usually stall first, and holding your weight steady is still progress.
Read the trend, not just the bar
Weigh daily, average weekly, and judge over three to four weeks.
- Weight flat, lifts rising: you're recomposing.
- Weight rising faster than planned: trim calories before blaming the program.
BMI is only a rough screen; the CDC notes it doesn't measure body fat directly (https://www.cdc.gov/bmi).
Which tools help?
Judge a tool on three things:
- Can it log sets and reps easily?
- Can it hold your PPL schedule and progression?
- Can it connect training to your calorie and macro data?
MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, and Lifesum handle nutrition but leave the split to you. Fitbod and Hevy handle workout logging but know little about your cutting or bulking context. Most lifters end up using two apps.
Gaugegrain builds the plan from your logged weight, body-fat percentage, and calories, so your training frequency and first-meal time come from one baseline. It costs $19.99/month, with $5.99 add-ons for meals, nutrition, and fasting. Its limits: it doesn't log individual sets mid-session like Hevy, and its food database is smaller than Cronometer's. For detailed barbell logging, pair it with a dedicated tracker.
FAQ
Can I run PPL while intermittent fasting?
Yes. Fasting affects scheduling, not training. Put rest days on your longest fasts and train close to your first meal. If strength drops for two or three logged weeks, move your eating window earlier.
Is PPL good for beginners?
Beginners should start with full body or upper/lower. Once your lifts climb steadily and you can manage four or more sessions a week, the 3-day PPL is the natural next step. The 6-day version is for experienced lifters.
When should I switch from the 3-day to the 4-day?
When your data says so: weekly weight and body fat are stable, lifts are still climbing, and you feel recovered between sessions.
Should I do cardio on rest days?
Light cardio like walking or easy cycling is fine. Keep it easy, since hard conditioning eats into recovery. On a cut, add cardio gradually and check that your lifts hold.