Push pull legs for beginners 3 days a week, 8 weeks.
One day to push (chest, shoulders, triceps), one to pull (back, biceps) and one for legs. More volume per muscle than full body, in a format that's easy to follow.
- Level
- Beginner
- Frequency
- 3 days a week
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Session
- 55 min
- Equipment
- Gym: barbell, dumbbells, machines and cables
Who it's for: People who have been training for a few months, or finished the full body plan and want more volume per muscle group.
Sample week
- MonPush
- TueRest
- WedPull
- ThuRest
- FriLegs
- SatRest
- SunRest
Push
Chest, shoulders and triceps
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 3 × 8-10 | 2 min |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 10 | 1:30 min |
| Dumbbell shoulder press | 3 × 10 | 1:30 min |
| Lateral raises | 3 × 12-15 | 1 min |
| Triceps pushdown | 3 × 12 | 1 min |
Pull
Back, rear delts and biceps
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 10 | 1:30 min |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 10 | 1:30 min |
| Dumbbell row | 3 × 10 per side | 1 min |
| Face pull | 3 × 15 | 1 min |
| Dumbbell biceps curl | 3 × 12 | 1 min |
Legs
Quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell back squat | 3 × 8-10 | 2 min |
| Barbell Romanian deadlift | 3 × 10 | 2 min |
| Leg press | 3 × 12 | 1:30 min |
| Machine leg curl | 3 × 12 | 1 min |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 15 | 45 sec |
| Plank | 3 × 30 sec | 45 sec |
How to progress
- 1
Use double progression: once you reach the top of the rep range (10 in a range of 8-10) on every set, add weight and go back to the bottom of the range.
- 2
On barbell lifts, add 2.5 kg (5 lb) at a time; on dumbbell lifts, the smallest jump available.
- 3
Week 7: deload week, with 2 sets per exercise.
- 4
Week 8: try to beat your week 6 weights. If you have more time, move to 6 days: push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs.
Tips
- Start with the heaviest exercise of the day, while you still have energy.
- Rest 2 minutes on barbell lifts. Rushing here costs you reps.
- If you miss a workout, pick up where you left off instead of skipping it.
- Film a set every now and then to check your form.
This plan is the same for everyone. Yours doesn't have to be.
In FIT4EAT, the AI builds your plan around your level, the equipment you have and the days you're free. Then it guides you through each workout with rest times, RPE and the history of the weights you've lifted.
FAQ
Questions? Short answers.
- What is a push pull legs workout?
- It's a way to split your training by movement: push days are pressing exercises, pull days are pulling exercises and leg days are for your legs. Each day works different muscles, so you can train on back-to-back days.
- Is push pull legs good for beginners?
- Yes, once you have 2-3 months of training behind you. At the very start, full body usually gets better results because you train each muscle more often per week.
- What's the difference between push pull legs and a 3-day split?
- In practice they're the same thing: a 3-day split divides your body across three workouts, and the most common way to do it is exactly push, pull and legs.
- Can I do push pull legs 6 days a week?
- Yes, once you recover well from 3 days. You run the cycle twice a week and train each muscle twice.
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