Push Pull Legs program for beginners
Push / Pull / Legs (PPL) groups exercises by movement pattern: a push workout (chest, shoulders, triceps), a pull workout (back, biceps) and a legs workout. Easy to remember, easy to progress.
Why it works well for beginners
- Each muscle is trained while fresh, without exercises competing with each other.
- The 3-workout cycle fits 3 days a week (each workout once) as well as 6 days (twice).
- Recovery is easy to read: after a push day, back and legs are available the next day.
Frequency
At 3 days a week, each muscle is trained once: enough to progress as a beginner. Once recovery keeps up, moving to 6 days (PPL PPL) doubles the frequency per muscle, which spreads your volume over more workouts, with better quality sets.
Sample workouts
3 to 4 sets per exercise, 6 to 12 reps, 1 to 2 reps in reserve. Increase the load once you reach the top of the rep range on every set.
Push
- Bench press — 4 × 6–8
- Dumbbell shoulder press — 3 × 8–10
- Incline dumbbell press — 3 × 10
- Lateral raises — 4 × 12–15
- Cable triceps extension — 3 × 12–15
Pull
- Pull-up or lat pulldown — 4 × 6–10
- Barbell row — 4 × 8
- Seated cable row — 3 × 12
- Face pull — 3 × 15
- Biceps curl — 3 × 10–12
Legs
- Squat — 4 × 6–8
- Romanian deadlift — 3 × 8–10
- Leg press — 3 × 12
- Hip thrust — 3 × 10–12
- Standing calf raises — 4 × 12–15
Progressing week after week
The rule: progressive overload. Each week, aim for one more rep or 2.5 kg more on at least one main lift, with clean technique. When a movement stalls for 3–4 workouts in a row, take a deload week or swap it for a variation.
In PrimeFeat, this PPL split is available as a ready-made program (3 or 6 days); the AI can also generate a version fitted to your level and equipment, fully editable afterwards.