Best push pull legs routine for muscle gain: how to run a push pull legs split without wrecking your joints

A push pull legs split is one of the simplest ways for men to train hard, recover well, and keep making measurable gains. Here’s how to build the best push pull legs routine for your schedule, your joints, and your long game.

Benefits

The main reason a push pull legs split works is recovery management. You organize training around movement patterns so the muscles that drive those patterns get time off while you still train other areas. When you’re trying to add size and strength, that balance matters because muscle growth responds to both hard training and adequate recovery.

Research in resistance training shows that weekly training “dose” matters, especially total work performed. Training volume, a simple count of hard sets per muscle per week, has a clear dose-response relationship with hypertrophy, which is muscle growth from training.^[2] A well-built push pull legs split makes it easier to accumulate quality volume without turning every session into a two-hour grind.

Frequency also matters, mostly because it helps you distribute volume across the week. Meta-analyses suggest that training a muscle more than once weekly can support hypertrophy when volume is matched, largely by improving training quality and recovery between bouts.^[1] A PPL format can be run three days weekly for consistency, or six days weekly to hit each movement pattern twice.

How it works

Push, pull, legs: why movement patterns matter

A push pull legs split groups exercises by how you move, not just by a single muscle. Push day trains pressing patterns using chest, shoulders, and triceps. Pull day trains rowing and pulling patterns using back, traps, and biceps. Legs day trains lower-body patterns using quads, hamstrings, glutes, and trunk stabilizers.

This pattern-based structure fits standard resistance training guidelines for balanced programming because it naturally includes multi-joint lifts. Multi-joint lifts are exercises that move more than one joint at a time, like bench press and squats, and they let you load the body efficiently.^[3]

Volume and intensity: what actually drives hypertrophy

For most men chasing size, the “best push pull legs routine” is the one that lets you hit enough hard sets with good form. Meta-analyses show that higher weekly set volume is generally linked to greater muscle growth, up to a point where recovery becomes the limiter.^[2]

Intensity is how hard a set feels relative to your max. A practical clinical tool is RPE, rate of perceived exertion, meaning how hard a set feels on a 1 to 10 scale. Most productive hypertrophy work sits around RPE 7 to 9, where you finish with 1 to 3 reps in reserve, meaning you could have done 1 to 3 more reps with good form.

Recovery is not optional: protein synthesis, sleep, and rest intervals

After lifting, your body increases muscle protein synthesis, which is the process of building new muscle proteins. That response can stay elevated for at least a day, and repeated high-quality sessions across the week are one reason a push pull legs split can work so well for consistent gains.

Inside a workout, rest intervals matter too. Systematic review data suggest longer rests, often 2 to 3 minutes for big compound lifts, can support higher performance and total volume, which then supports strength and hypertrophy outcomes.

Once the basics are in place, your next decision is simply how many days per week you can train while still recovering well.

Weekly schedules (3–6 days)

A push pull legs split is flexible. The same “best push pull legs routine” principles apply whether you train three or six days weekly: hit the patterns, spread volume, and protect recovery.

These are common structures that match general resistance training recommendations for consistency and progression:^[3]

• 3-day PPL: Push, Pull, Legs, then repeat the next week. Best for beginners and busy schedules.
• 4-day PPL: Push, Pull, Rest, Legs, Upper or a second Push/Pull rotation. Best for men who recover slower or do sports.
• 5-day PPL: Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull, then Legs next week. Best for intermediate lifters managing fatigue.
• 6-day PPL: Push, Pull, Legs, then repeat. Best for experienced lifters who sleep well and eat enough.

Sample workouts and progression

If you want the best push pull legs routine, start with a plan you can repeat for 8 to 12 weeks. Then progress it with data, not ego.

1. Step 1: baseline “testing” and setup
   • Pick a schedule you can keep for the next 60 days. Three or four days weekly beats a six-day plan you quit in week two.
   • Choose 4 to 6 “anchor lifts” you will track every week. Examples: bench press, overhead press, pull-up, row, squat, Romanian deadlift.
   • Set a recovery baseline: sleep hours, daily steps, and protein intake. If you have persistent symptoms that could reflect testosterone deficiency, discuss guideline-based morning testosterone testing with your clinician (symptoms plus consistently low early-morning total testosterone on at least two tests).^[5]
2. Step 2: run a practical push pull legs split

   Use this as a starting template. Adjust exercises for equipment and joints, but keep the pattern.

   Key targets for most men:

   • Hard sets: Start around 8 to 12 hard sets per week per major muscle group, then add gradually if recovery stays good.^[2]
   • Effort: Most sets at 1 to 3 reps in reserve.
   • Rest: 2 to 3 minutes on compounds, 60 to 90 seconds on isolation work, if performance holds.
   • Protein: Many lifters do well near 1.6 g per kg per day, especially during hard training blocks.^[4]

   Example 3-day push pull legs split

   • Day 1, push
     • Barbell or dumbbell bench press: 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps
     • Overhead press: 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
     • Incline dumbbell press: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
     • Lateral raise: 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps
     • Triceps pressdown or dips: 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps
   • Day 2, pull
     • Pull-up or lat pulldown: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps
     • Chest-supported row or barbell row: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps
     • Romanian deadlift or hip hinge variation: 2 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps
     • Face pull or rear-delt row: 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps
     • Biceps curl: 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps
   • Day 3, legs
     • Back squat or leg press: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 10 reps
     • Split squat or lunge: 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per leg
     • Leg curl: 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps
     • Calf raise: 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 15 reps
     • Anti-extension core work: 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps

   How to progress it

   • Add reps first: When you hit the top of the rep range for all sets with the same load, increase weight next week.
   • Add sets second: If lifts stall for two weeks and sleep and nutrition are solid, add 1 set to that movement pattern.
   • Deload when needed: A deload is a planned easier week. Cut sets in half or keep sets but reduce load by 10 to 15 percent to let joints and connective tissue recover.

   Example 6-day “twice-per-week” PPL

   • Mon push, Tue pull, Wed legs, Thu push, Fri pull, Sat legs, Sun rest
   • Make the second rotation slightly lighter or higher-rep to reduce joint stress.
3. Step 3: monitor, adjust, and protect your joints
   • Track performance weekly on the anchor lifts. If two lifts drop at the same RPE for two weeks, reduce volume before you add more.
   • If elbows or shoulders ache, reduce isolation volume first, then adjust grip and range of motion. Do not keep maxing out dips or skull crushers through pain.
   • Use joint-friendly swaps when needed: neutral-grip dumbbell press or a machine press instead of straight-bar benching, chest-supported rows instead of bent-over rows, trap-bar deadlifts or a lighter hinge instead of heavy conventional pulls, and leg press or split squats if back squats irritate your back.
   • Reassess every 4 weeks: bodyweight trend, waist measurement, sleep, and training log consistency.

Myth vs fact

• Myth: “The best push pull legs routine is always a 6-day split.” Fact: More days can help distribute volume, but only if recovery and adherence stay high.^[1]
• Myth: “You need to destroy a muscle group once a week to grow.” Fact: Hypertrophy responds well to repeated quality sessions and sufficient weekly volume.^[2]
• Myth: “Short rests are always better for building muscle.” Fact: Longer rests often allow more total high-quality work on big lifts, which can support growth.
• Myth: “If progress stalls, it’s definitely low testosterone.” Fact: Most stalls come from sleep, food, stress, or poor programming, but persistent symptoms should prompt clinical evaluation and testing.^[5]

Recovery, nutrition, and when to see a clinician

Health considerations for men (PPL is not medical treatment)

A push pull legs split is not a medical treatment, but resistance training is strongly linked to better long-term health in men. Clinically, these are the big areas where your training structure can help, or hurt, depending on execution.

• Age-related muscle loss: Sarcopenia is age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Resistance training increases lean mass in older adults and can help preserve function as men age.^[7]
• Metabolic risk and body composition: Building muscle supports healthier body composition and can improve insulin sensitivity, which is how well your cells respond to insulin. The split itself is less important than adherence and progression.
• Tendinopathy risk if you overshoot: Tendinopathy is chronic tendon irritation and degeneration, often from doing too much, too soon. A six-day push pull legs split can expose elbows and shoulders to frequent loading if volume and technique are not managed.
• Low back flare-ups: Poor bracing and fatigue-driven form breakdown on rows, deadlifts, or squats can aggravate mechanical low back pain in men, especially if you stack heavy hinge work on pull day without adequate recovery.
• Sleep apnea and recovery problems: Men with untreated obstructive sleep apnea often have impaired recovery and may report low energy, lower libido, and worse training performance. If that’s you, the best routine will still fail without sleep care.

Limitations note: Many studies measure outcomes from resistance training broadly, not a specific split. The push pull legs split is a programming method that can help you apply proven principles like adequate volume and progressive overload, but it is not, by itself, a guaranteed superior strategy.

Signals you should adjust (or back off)

Use these signals to tell whether your push pull legs split is building you up or wearing you down.

• Progress is on track: You add reps, load, or sets most weeks without joint pain. Your last reps slow down but stay controlled. Your appetite and sleep are stable.
• You are under-recovering: Performance drops across two to three sessions in a row. You feel “flat” and unmotivated. Your resting heart rate trends up. You cannot match prior loads at the same RPE.
• Warning signs in joints: Sharp pain on pressing, persistent elbow ache after pulling, or shoulder pain that lingers beyond 48 to 72 hours. Do not train through sharp pain.
• Delayed onset muscle soreness that is excessive: Delayed onset muscle soreness is muscle pain and stiffness that peaks 24 to 72 hours after training. Mild soreness is normal early on. If soreness blocks normal movement every week, your volume is likely too high.
• Hormone-related red flags for men: New low libido, fewer morning erections, unusual fatigue, or depressed mood paired with stalled strength. These do not prove low testosterone, but they are reasons to talk to a clinician and consider lab testing.
• Overtraining syndrome signs: Overtraining syndrome is a long-term performance drop with mood and sleep disruption from chronic stress and inadequate recovery. It is uncommon in recreational lifters, but you can drift toward it with high-volume six-day training plus poor sleep.

Men’s hormones, energy availability, and when to check labs

If you’re running a push pull legs split correctly and still cannot progress, the issue is often recovery or fuel. Low energy availability means you are not eating enough calories after training demands are subtracted, and it is linked to endocrine disruption in athletes, including reduced testosterone in men.^[6]

If you have persistent symptoms that could reflect testosterone deficiency—such as low libido, erectile dysfunction, fewer morning erections, reduced energy, depressed mood, or unexplained loss of strength—don’t guess and don’t self-treat. The American Urological Association recommends diagnosing testosterone deficiency only in men with symptoms plus consistently low early-morning total testosterone on at least two separate blood tests (a common clinical cut point is total testosterone <300 ng/dL). If total testosterone is borderline, a clinician may assess free testosterone and evaluate contributing causes (for example: sleep apnea, obesity, diabetes, certain medications, heavy alcohol use, or pituitary disease). Testosterone therapy is prescription-only, requires monitoring, and can suppress fertility, so it should be managed by a clinician.^[5]

When to see a clinician

• Immediately/urgent: Chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, or a sudden “worst-ever” headache during or after training.
• Same week: New numbness/weakness, loss of bowel or bladder control, or severe back pain with pain shooting down the leg.
• As soon as practical: Joint pain that is sharp, worsening, or not improving after 1 to 2 weeks of reduced loading; or symptoms of sleep apnea (loud snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, severe daytime sleepiness) that are undermining recovery.

Bottom line

The best push pull legs routine is the one that lets you train hard patterns, repeat them consistently, and recover well enough to progress for months. Pick a push pull legs split you can keep, build volume gradually, eat enough protein, sleep like it matters, and treat joint pain as a signal to adjust, not a challenge to ignore.

References

1. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 2016;46:1689-1697. PMID: 27102172
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of sports sciences. 2017;35:1073-1082. PMID: 27433992
3. . American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. 2009;41:687-708. PMID: 19204579
4. Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British journal of sports medicine. 2018;52:376-384. PMID: 28698222
5. Mulhall JP, Trost LW, Brannigan RE, et al. Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency: AUA Guideline. The Journal of urology. 2018;200:423-432. PMID: 29601923
6. Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). British journal of sports medicine. 2023;57:1073-1097. PMID: 37752011
7. Peterson MD, Sen A, Gordon PM. Influence of resistance exercise on lean body mass in aging adults: a meta-analysis. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. 2011;43:249-58. PMID: 20543750