Intermediate3 or 6 days/weekFull gym

Push/Pull/Legs

The classic split, run three or six days a week.

Days per week: 3 or 6
Session length: ~60 min
Equipment: Full gym
Experience: Intermediate
Goal: Build muscle
Run it for: 10–12 weeks

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Overview

Push/Pull/Legs splits training by movement: chest, shoulders and triceps on push day; back and biceps on pull day; lower body on leg day. Each session is focused, and the muscles you trained have days to recover before you train them again.

Run it once through for three days a week, or twice through for six days a week if you have the time and recovery to match.

Who it's for

Intermediate lifters focused on building muscle
People who like focused sessions on related muscles
Anyone who wants the flexibility of a 3-day or 6-day schedule

Not ideal if…

Beginners, who usually progress faster on full-body training
People with unpredictable schedules: missing a day leaves a muscle group untrained for a week

Weekly schedule

Run it once through (3 days a week) or twice through (6 days a week: push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs, rest).

MonPush
TuePull
WedLegs
ThuPush
FriPull
SatLegs
SunRest

The workouts

Push

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell bench press	3	8
Standing overhead press	3	8
Incline dumbbell press	3	10
Dumbbell lateral raise	3	12
Triceps rope pushdown	3	12
Overhead dumbbell triceps extension	2	12

Pull

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Pull-ups (assisted if needed)	3	8
Barbell row	3	8
Lat pulldown	3	10
Face pull	3	15
Barbell curl	3	10
Hammer curl	2	12

Legs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell back squat	3	8
Romanian deadlift	3	10
Leg press	3	12
Lying leg curl	3	12
Standing calf raise	4	12
Plank	3	45 sec

How to run it

Warm up: 5 minutes of light cardio, then 2–3 lighter warm-up sets of the first exercise, building up to your working weight. Later exercises usually need just one lighter set.
Choosing a weight: Use a weight you could lift for 2–3 more reps than the target. The last set should feel hard, but your form shouldn't break down. Spend the first week or two a little lighter while you learn the movements.
Rest between sets: About 2 minutes on bench, overhead press, rows, squats and Romanian deadlifts; 60–90 seconds on everything else.
Progression: Add weight when you hit the target reps on every set. For isolation exercises such as raises, curls and pushdowns, add a rep per set first, then move up in weight once you reach the top of the range. In Progress, Progressive Reps is already on for pull-ups: each time you hit the target on every set, the next session's target goes up by one rep.
How long to run it: Follow it for 10–12 weeks, as long as you keep making progress. If most of your lifts stall for two weeks in a row, take an easier week at about 60% of your usual weights, then keep going.
Track every session: Write down the weight and reps for every set. You need last session's numbers to know what to do today, and seeing them climb is the best motivation there is.

Tips

On the 6-day version, sleep and food matter even more. If you are constantly sore or your lifts are dropping, go back to 3 days for a few weeks.
Use the second round of the week to vary grips or angles if you want variety, but keep the main lifts the same so you can track progress.
Leg day is the one most people skip. Do not let it be yours.

Questions

3 days or 6 days?

Start with 3. Move to 6 only if you are recovering well and want more volume. Six days roughly doubles the weekly sets per muscle.

Where do abs go?

The plank is on leg day. You can add 2–3 sets of cable crunches or hanging knee raises at the end of push or pull days.

Can I do deadlifts?

This version uses Romanian deadlifts on leg day. If you want conventional deadlifts, swap them in for the Romanian deadlifts once a week at 3 sets of 5.

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