Written by: Rafay Naeem, Director of Training at Shredded Academy

Want to know what push pull legs workout is? How does it work? How can you add it onto your routine? How can it daily benefit you? I believe these are what your mind might be speculating on in regard to this push/pull legs workout. Well, then keep reading this portion.

Let’s begin by understanding the meaning of push pull legs work out. 

 Meaning of Push Pull Legs Workout

This workout is very simple in structure. It involves targeting a single group of muscles each day. Your body has varieties of grouped muscles from which push pull legs workout can select an action. This training is perfect for a gym starter and/or an intermediate. It promotes muscle mass building with less worry on ending up injured or having overworked your body.

Simply, push pull legs workout allows your body to take some rest or have enough time for growth and recovery from previous workouts. Always, you will find muscles working in pairs. They are in a controlled pattern such that as one is being trained, the other one is set to relax. 

The push pull legs workout structure works better by separating your muscles into three main groups. This separates the workouts into three in correspondence effectiveness. Let’s have a look at the three workouts.

1st Group: The Push Workout

Its targets include chest, triceps and shoulder. Exercises here involve Skullcrushers, Bench Press and Military Press. 

2nd Group: The Pull Workout

Its targets include biceps and back muscles. Its exercises involve Lat Pulldown, Chin-ups, Pull-ups and Deadlifts.

 3rd Group: The Legs Workout

Its targets include the glutes, quads, calves and hamstrings. Its exercises include Barbell Squats, Leg Curls and Lunges.

Depending on what you want to achieve, your training can range between three and six times in a week. Note that you need a day off at least to recover your body and rest properly from intense exercises.

 Right now, I know what you might be thinking…

Can your goal be accomplished by push pull legs workout? Can it be suitable for your body?

Prior to beginning your workout, you desire to know if push pull legs is fit for you. I studied you before time and I feel you. An amazing news is that push pull legs workout has a routine that is flexible to fit in your circumstances and goals. For instance, you ought to give consideration to push pull legs workout if you are a starter or intermediate trainer. Additionally, if your time does not allow you but want to achieve muscles building, then push pull legs workout is your method to go. Most people work out twice per week while others may not have that time to train twice or thrice per week. However, if your goal focuses on being better shaped, twice or thrice of push pull legs workout is mandatory and enough. For muscle building, strength and gain, it is necessary that you work out for at least four times per week.

Examples of the push pull legs workout plans include:

Plan for a 2-Day Push Pull Legs Workout

Days Workout
Monday Push and Pull
Thursday Legs

Plan for a 3-Day Push Pull Legs Workout

Days Workout
Monday Push
Wednesday Legs
Friday Legs

Plan for a 4-Day Push Pull Legs Workout

Variation 1: Making the upper body a priority

Days Workout
Monday Push
Tuesday Pull
Thursday Legs
Friday Push

Variation 2: Making the lower body a priority  

Days Workout
Monday Push
Tuesday Legs
Thursday Pull
Friday Legs

Plan for a 5-Day Push Pull Legs Workout

Variation 1: Making the upper body a priority  

Days Workout
Monday Push
Tuesday Pulls
Wednesday Legs
Thursday Push
Friday Pull

Variation 2: Making the lower body a priority

Days Workout
Monday Legs
Tuesday Push
Wednesday Legs
Thursday Pull
Friday Push

6-Day Push Pull Legs Workout Plan

Days Workout
Monday Push
Tuesday Pulls
Wednesday Legs
Thursday Push
Friday Pull
Saturday Legs

Personally, I use the plan for a 6-day push pull legs workout. However, I refrain from recommending it to anyone because one needs a better shape to go along with this plan. Otherwise, one might succumb to an overwhelmed body and a severe internal injuries. Once you are used to any of above workout plans, try upping up your game. Is your goal to build your muscles? If you have been comfortable training twice a week for a period of 6 months, then you are in a position to up your training frequency to 3 times a week.

 Now, let’s get the gist of push pull legs workout plan benefits.

The Benefits Accompanying the Push Pull Legs Workout Plan

Fast recovery time: You will experience a fast recovery while following the workout plan. 

It balances your workout: There’s zero chance of overtraining your body and your body begins an active fat burning process. 

It’s time efficient: Your workout takes very less time and therefore, you can begin your training more often than before. 

It’s suitable for all: It suits any goal one may have in mind and considers any circumstances. You can lose weight from an area you want or gain muscles from another area.

Other benefits: These workouts tend to target all muscle groups and in no time one can develop the appealing balanced body.

Why is this article so important to your reading? Here is why. 

Having read this, push pull legs workout improves everyday aspects of your life a number of ways. If you lack time but want muscle building and strength gaining, you can consider giving push pull legs workout a try and attempt prioritizing. It is one of the most simple and effective workouts. When you properly programme the push pull legs workout, you will end up with no other choice except to transform it.

Note that you are only one step away from creating a whole new habit and effective method. As soon as you begin following this workout, the better you start becoming.

Guide To Push Pull Legs Workout (Part 2)

For gym goers, you’ve probably heard of ‘Push Pull Legs’ many times in the gym. Having read the part 1 of this article, I know you must be waiting tentatively for this. 

My curiosity is if you understand what Push Pull Legs split may be. If you have any slightest hesitation, you better keep reading this article because I want to drive a golden information into you as far as this topic is concerned.

 Do you feel ready to take a grasp? If yes, let’s give it a shot from push pull legs split base.

The Basing Structure of a Push Pull Legs Split

 Try imagining this; you are now lying on the bench press in the gym and you want to push the bar, isn’t it? The role of pushing is that it helps you work out your shoulders, triceps and chest. Additionally, you get to push these bar with your muscles put into action, which always work in pairs. Push pull legs workout basically targets muscles working together when gaging a same workout. 

The second group also tend to apply this, for example, by pulling movement applied in lat pulldowns. The main muscles taking part in this workout are the biceps and back. Push pull legs workout groups together these muscles and put them on a same training of that session. 

The third group primarily applies legs exercises combination. If the first and second groups had targeted the upper body, this will focus on the lower part of the body. This is the most challenging section to me when working out a push pull legs exercise.

Let’s see what the three classes or groups of push pull legs entail from the following;

Group 1: The Push Workout

Photo of Man Lifting Barbell

It targets triceps, shoulders and chest. Its exercises include military press, skullcrushers and bench press.

Group 2: The Pull Workout

Fitness, Strengthening, Exercise

It targets the biceps and back muscles. It employs exercises such as Chin-ups, Deadlifts, Lat Pulldown and Pull-ups.

Group 3: Legs Workout

Jogging, Run, Sport, Jog, Sporty, Race

This workout targets quads, glutes, calves and hamstrings. Its exercises include lunges, leg curls and barbell squats.  

To make this task as easier as possible, I have a 6-Day Push Pull Legs Split prepared just for you. It is meant to motivate you and start your training without heaviness. By this, you will not have to waste time weighing out what exercise to pick on or what to do next by reps and sets.

Day 1 – Training the Push

  • Perform the flat barbell bench press
  • Continue to overhead press 
  • Then incline the barbell bench press
  • Follow with a bench skull crusher inclination
  • Finalize with the cable crunch and you are good for day 1.

Day 2 – Training the Push

  • Perform barbell bench press inclination
  • Continue with seated military press
  • Further perform the dumbbell lateral raise
  • Finalize day 2 with the dumbbell rear lateral raise

Day 1 – Training the Pull

  • Start with a barbell deadlift
  • Continue with barbell row
  • Join with the chin-up or wide-grip pull-up
  • Extend your workout with the one-arm dumbbell row
  • Finalize your first day with a neutral lat pulldown

Day 2 – Training the Pull

  • Start with a barbell row
  • Follow it with a chin-up
  • Proceed with one-arm dumbbell row
  • Finalize your day 2 pull work out with a dumbbell curl

Day for the Legs Training

  • Begin with a barbell squat
  • Proceed to romanian deadlift
  • Then do bulgarian split squat
  • Finally perform a standing calf raise

Purpose to achieve reps range of 4 to 10 on the 3 set exercises. Below is the actual plan of the workout:

Plan for a 6-Day Push Pull Legs Workout

Day Workout
Monday Day 1 Push
Tuesday Day 1 Pull
Wednesday Legs
Thursday Day 2 Pull
Friday Day 2 Pull
Saturday Legs

Would you want to know what push pull legs workout can achieve for you? It enables your muscles to get enough time to adequately rest, to recover and to healthily grow. For instance, when training your shoulders, chest, and triceps, your legs, back and biceps have substantial time to recover for any next workout.

Let’s also see how push pull legs split is beneficial.

  • Associated with quick results
  • There are no chances of overtraining
  • Allows for an efficient workout time.

What is there to wait for then? This is my sole question to you who is reluctant. I invite you to trust me and see results that will make you up your game.

And this is even the very best fact about this workout; 

It is designed for any goal, circumstances and body type of all natures, be it dailies and free time etc. Be it that you are a starter or an intermediate trainee, this workout can fit you quite well. This might be your day to begin the long time desired change, isn’t it? Let’s Go!