Getting in shape is on your to-do list…

Which has so many tasks it could probably stretch around the block.

Long story short, life is hectic.

So it’s no surprise you haven’t found time for the gym. 

It sucks feeling as busy as you do and having to neglect your health. 

You’re just so tied up with work, school, the kids, and attempting to have a social life that fitting consistent workouts into your schedule seems pretty much impossible. 

Sound like the story of your life?

If so, then cue the push-pull-legs 3-day split.

This training method is how you’re going to get in shape, build muscle, and get stronger. 

All while spending significantly less time in the gym.



What is a push-pull-legs routine?


Known as a PPL workout split for short, a push-pull-legs routine has workouts dedicated to specific muscle groups.

One workout involves your upper body “push muscles,” the second workout is your upper body “pull muscles,” and the last workout in the split is for lower body (i.e. leg day). 

  • Push workout muscles worked: Chest, shoulders, triceps.
  • Pull workout muscles worked: Back, biceps, and traps.
  • Leg day muscles worked: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves. 

You might be thinking to yourself: 

Well, how many days should your push-pull-legs routine be?

That depends on your goals and how much time you have for the gym. 

For the sake of this post, we’ll be talking specifically about a PPL 3-day split but you can also split your workouts up between 4, 5, and even 6 days if you want. 

One thing I wouldn’t do is workout 7 days a week.

Your body needs time to rest and recover from your workouts, so just make sure you’re giving it enough.

You could workout Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. 

Or whatever 3 days your schedule will allow. 

Benefits of a push-pull-legs 3-day split

If you want an efficient workout schedule that maximizes your time in the gym, then a PPL 3-day split is right up your alley. 

Each workout day involves related muscle groups, which creates a synergy that maximizes gains. 

For example, a lot of chest exercises also hit your triceps and shoulders. 

Pulling exercises for your back also involve your biceps. 

That overlap is great for building muscle. 

And since your workouts are separated out by muscle groups, it can also encourage quicker recovery in between workouts.

Push-pull-legs exercise list

The more gains the better, right? 

To get the most bang for your workout buck, the best push-pull-legs routine will consist mainly of compound lifts.

These are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at a time. 

Compound exercises include variations of bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead shoulder press, lunges, etc. 

That’s not to say you shouldn’t mix in some isolation exercises (which target 1-2 muscles at a time) like bicep curls or tricep extensions.

But your main focus should be on compound movements.

 

Best push exercises 

Maybe nothing is more coveted than a chest made of steel. 

It just screams: Hey, I’m strong AF!

Doesn’t it? 

Use the following push exercises to work your chest, shoulders, and triceps:

  • Flat bench press
  • Incline bench press 
  • Overhead shoulder sress 
  • Dips
  • Push-ups
  • Lateral raises
  • Front raises
  • Skull crushers
  • Tricep pressdown
  • Overhead tricep extension

 

Best pull exercises

To get that V-taper we all want, you’ll need a wide back. 

That’s where upper-body pull workouts come into play. 

I need to come clean and lay everything out on the table…

I used to think that lats were basically the only major back muscle you had to worry about for a well-developed back.

Think about it like this:

If back anatomy was a piñata, I would’ve been waving a stick around…swinging at nothing but thin air.

Learn from my mistakes and keep in mind there are other muscles in your back besides your lats. 

You also have your rhomboids, posterior delts, erector spinae, and traps.

The best pull workout routine hits all the areas of your back, plus gives you a juicy bicep pump to go with it:

  • Pull-ups
  • Lat pulldown 
  • T-bar wow
  • Seated cable row
  • Barbell or dumbbell back row
  • Deadlift 
  • Inverted row
  • Good mornings
  • Standard bicep curl
  • Hammer bicep curl
  • Seated incline dumbbell bicep curl
  • Zottman bicep curl

 

Best leg day exercises

It can strike fear in even the most dedicated workout warrior. 

And on a 3-day workout split, I’d wager to guess that leg day might be the most skipped workout day.

Especially among guys.

Leg day has a special place in my heart.

We’ve been through a lot.

I’ve grown to love it.

But back in the day…

I couldn’t stand it.

I used to avoid leg day at ALL COSTS. 

It got so bad that my high school track coach called me out for having turkey legs!

Talk about a Johnny Bravo body (you’re a real one if you get that reference). 

Seriously though, I would’ve done just about anything to get out of leg day. 

But over the years, I’ve come to appreciate what leg day can do for building a well-rounded and proportionate physique.

Not to mention training legs builds more muscle and burns more calories than any other body part. 

Here are some exercises that’ll work your entire lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves):

  • Back squat
  • Front squat
  • Cossack squat
  • Deadlift (conventional or sumo). Yes, deadlift is also a lower body exercise.
  • Romanian deadlift (RDLs) 
  • Bulgarian split squat (aka the exercise they should check the mental sanity of its creator) 
  • Lunges (forward and reverse)
  • Hip thrusts
  • Leg press
  • Leg extension
  • Leg curl
  • Standing calf raises
  • Seated calf raises

*** FYI on the exercises above → Barbells and dumbbells are interchangeable for most of them *** 

Sample PPL Workout Routine

Down to put the push-pull-legs 3-day split into action?

Give these workouts a try the next time you’re in the gym:

Push Workout (Chest, Shoulders & Triceps)
Exercise Sets x Reps
Flat barbell bench 3 x 6-8
Incline dumbbell bench 3 x 10-12
Standing overhead dumbbell shoulder press 3 x 10-12
Standing dumbbell lateral raises 3 x 12-15
Cable overhead tricep extension 3 x 10-12
Cable rope tricep pressdown 3 x 10-12

 

Pull Workout (Back & Biceps)
Exercise Sets x Reps
Pull-ups 3 x 6-10 (or 3x AMRAP)
Lat pulldown (overhand grip) 3 x 10-12
Single arm dumbbell row (each arm) 3 x 8-10
Cable face pulls 3 x 10-12
Dumbbell hammer curl 3 x 10-12
Incline dumbbell seated curl 3 x 10-12
**AMRAP = as many reps as possible

 

Leg Day (Quads, Hammies, Glutes & Calves)
Exercise Sets x Reps
Barbell squat 3 x 6-8
Leg press 3 x 10-12
Forward lunges (each leg) 3 x 8-10
Leg extension 3 x 12-15
Leg Curl 3 x 12-15
Standing calf raises 3 x 10-12

 

Want a free PDF of this push-pull-legs routine sent straight to your inbox?

Just download below!

PPL 3-Day Split Workout Routine

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

    Spend less time in the gym with a PPL routine

    The amount of time you spend in the gym isn’t all that important.

    What is important is making that time count.

    So if you want to spend less time in the gym but still get a lot done, try a push-pull-legs 3-day split. 

    You’ll hit all the major muscle groups:

    • Upper body push workout: Chest, shoulders, and triceps
    • Upper body pull workout: Back and biceps
    • Leg day: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves

    To ensure you continue making progress in the gym, check out this post on the double progression training method.

    Instead of randomly just adding weight to the bar, the double progression method lets you know exactly when to increase the weight.