Push Pull Legs (PPL) is a training split that groups muscles by their movement function. Push days target the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Pull days hit the back and biceps. Leg days cover quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Run six days per week (two full cycles) and each muscle group gets trained twice weekly - the frequency shown by research to maximise hypertrophy.
The beauty of PPL lies in its logical structure. Each day's exercises complement each other because the targeted muscles perform similar actions. On push day, your chest, shoulders, and triceps all contribute to pressing movements. On pull day, your back and biceps work together on rowing and pulling exercises. This means each muscle gets fully stimulated without being pre-fatigued by unrelated work.
For beginners, running PPL three days per week (one cycle) is sufficient. Intermediate and advanced lifters benefit from the full six-day version. Key exercises for each day - Push: bench press, overhead press, dips, lateral raises. Pull: deadlift, barbell row, pull-ups, face pulls. Legs: squat, Romanian deadlift, leg press, lunges. Adjust volume by adding or removing sets based on recovery. If you're consistently sore going into a session, you need more rest or less volume. PPL is incredibly flexible and can be tailored to any training goal.