Free program · 3 or 6 days a week
A push pull legs (PPL) routine splits your training into three sessions: Push (chest, shoulders, triceps), Pull (back, rear delts, biceps) and Legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). This plan is for beginners who want real size and strength: start with 3 days a week, move to 6 once you recover well. About an hour per session, at the gym or at home.
Updated 2026-10-24 · by Ryu Training
Every session trains muscles that work together. Push: chest, shoulders, triceps. Pull: back, rear delts, biceps. Legs: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves. One session never tires out the muscles you need for the next one.
Start with option A. Move to option B once you've trained for 8 weeks without missing sessions and you recover well.
Each muscle once a week. Best to start.
Each muscle twice a week: double the weekly sets.
| Muscle | Option A | Option B |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | 5 | 10 |
| Back | 8 | 16 |
| Shoulders | 6 | 12 |
| Rear delts | 3 | 6 |
| Triceps | 5 | 10 |
| Biceps | 5 | 10 |
| Quads | 7 | 14 |
| Hamstrings | 6 | 12 |
| Calves | 3 | 6 |
Direct hard sets per week. Presses also work your triceps and shoulders, rows and pull-ups your biceps, squats your glutes.
With the same number of weekly sets, training a muscle once, twice or three times a week builds about the same muscle. What grows you is the total number of hard sets, with diminishing returns. That's why option B (twice the sets) is the next step, not a different program.
Study: How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? (2019). Schoenfeld BJ et al., J Sports Sci, PMID 30558493. 25 studies: with the same weekly sets, training a muscle 1, 2 or 3+ times a week gave similar growth.
Study: The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency (2026). Pelland JC et al., Sports Med, PMID 41343037. 67 studies, 2,058 people: more weekly sets meant more growth, with diminishing returns. Training a muscle more often added strength, but its effect on size was compatible with zero.
Study: Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass (2017). Schoenfeld BJ et al., J Sports Sci, PMID 27433992. 15 studies: each extra weekly set was linked to about 0.37% more muscle growth.
Every session, every exercise, with sets × reps, rest and RIR (reps in reserve: how many more clean reps you could still do when you stop the set). Each card shows a home version.
Chest · Shoulders · Triceps · 16 hard sets · 55–65 min
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press Home: Push-up | 3 × 6–10 | 2–3 min | 1–2 |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press Home: Pike push-up | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min | 1–2 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press Home: Feet-elevated push-up | 2 × 8–12 | 2 min | 1–2 |
| Lateral Raise Home: Band or water-bottle raise | 3 × 12–20 | 1 min | 0–1 |
| Overhead Triceps Extension Home: Backpack overhead extension | 3 × 10–15 | 1–2 min | 1 |
| Triceps Pushdown Home: Close-grip push-up | 2 × 10–15 | 1 min | 0–1 |
01 · Chest · Front delts · Triceps
barbell, with safety pins or a spotter
HomePush-up. Too hard: hands on a table. Too easy: feet on a chair.
Study: Push-ups to near failure grew the chest almost like a light bench press (+22% vs +26%). [Kikuchi & Nakazato 2017]
02 · Front & side delts · Triceps
bench with a back pad
HomePike push-up. Hips high, lower the top of your head toward the floor in front of your hands. Feet on a chair to make it harder.
03 · Upper chest · Front delts
bench at about 30°
HomeFeet-elevated push-up. Feet on a chair: harder than a push-up, with more of the load on the upper chest and shoulders.
04 · Side delts
dumbbells or cable
HomeBand or water-bottle raise. Stand on the middle of a band, or hold two full water bottles.
Study: Dumbbell and cable raises grew the side delts the same. [Larsen et al. 2025]
05 · Triceps (long head)
cable, dumbbell or backpack
HomeBackpack overhead extension. Hold the backpack by its top handle with both hands.
Study: Overhead grew the triceps long head +28.5% vs +19.6% with the arm at the side. [Maeo et al. 2023]
06 · Triceps
cable with a rope
HomeClose-grip push-up. Hands under your chest, elbows brushing your ribs on the way down.
Study: Push-ups alone grew the triceps +10.5% in 8 weeks. [Kikuchi & Nakazato 2017]
Back · Rear delts · Biceps · 16 hard sets · 55–65 min
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-Up Home: Doorway bar, or inverted row | 3 × 5–10 | 2–3 min | 1–2 |
| One-Arm Dumbbell Row Home: Backpack row | 3 × 8–12 per arm | 2 min | 1–2 |
| Lat Pulldown Home: Inverted row | 2 × 10–12 | 2 min | 1–2 |
| Band Pull-Apart Home: Same move | 3 × 15–20 | 1 min | 1 |
| Dumbbell Curl Home: Backpack or band curl | 3 × 8–12 | 1–2 min | 1 |
| Hammer Curl Home: Water-bottle hammer curl | 2 × 10–15 | 1 min | 0–1 |
01 · Lats · Upper back · Biceps
band-assisted if you can't do 5 yet
HomeDoorway bar, or inverted row. No pull-up yet? Jump up and lower yourself in 3–5 seconds (2–4 reps), then do inverted rows.
02 · Lats · Mid back · Rear delts
bench for support
HomeBackpack row. Same position with one hand on a chair, rowing a loaded backpack.
03 · Lats · Biceps
cable machine
HomeInverted row. Under a heavy, sturdy table: test it first. Or a band anchored high in a door.
04 · Rear delts · Upper back
light to medium band
HomeSame move. A band is the cheapest piece of home equipment you can buy.
Study: Bands built as much strength as dumbbells and machines (8 studies). [Lopes et al. 2019]
05 · Biceps · Brachialis
one arm or both
HomeBackpack or band curl. Stand on a band, or curl a backpack by its top handle.
Study: Curls in the arm-almost-straight range grew the elbow flexors +8.9% vs +3.4%. [Sato et al. 2021]
06 · Brachialis · Forearms
dumbbells
HomeWater-bottle hammer curl. Two full bottles or a band, palms facing each other.
Note: Honest note: no study has measured whether hammer curls grow the brachialis more. They're here for variety and forearms.
Quads · Hamstrings · Glutes · Calves · 16 hard sets · 60–70 min
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat Home: Backpack goblet squat | 3 × 6–10 | 3 min | 2 |
| Romanian Deadlift Home: Backpack Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | 2–3 min | 2 |
| Leg Press Home: Bulgarian split squat | 2 × 10–12 | 2 min | 1–2 |
| Seated Leg Curl Home: Nordic curl | 3 × 10–12 | 1–2 min | 0–1 |
| Leg Extension Home: Reverse Nordic | 2 × 12–15 | 1 min | 0–1 |
| Standing Calf Raise Home: One-leg calf raise on a step | 3 × 10–15 | 1 min | 0–1 |
01 · Quads · Glutes · Adductors
goblet with a dumbbell, or barbell once you've learned it
HomeBackpack goblet squat. Hug a backpack loaded with books or water bottles.
Study: Full squats grew the glutes +6.7% vs +2.2% for half squats. [Kubo et al. 2019]
02 · Hamstrings · Glutes
dumbbells or barbell
HomeBackpack Romanian deadlift. Hold a loaded backpack by its straps, or one heavy bag in each hand.
03 · Quads · Glutes
45° machine
HomeBulgarian split squat. Rear foot on a chair, a backpack hugged to your chest. Sets are per leg.
04 · Hamstrings
machine
HomeNordic curl. Heels under a heavy couch, knees on a towel. Lower as slowly as you can, catch yourself with your hands. Start with 2–3 reps a set.
Study: Seated leg curls grew the hamstrings +14% vs +9% for lying ones. [Maeo et al. 2021]
05 · Quads (rectus femoris)
machine
HomeReverse Nordic. Kneel on a towel, body straight from knees to head, lean back only as far as you can control.
Study: Squats barely grow the rectus femoris; leg extensions do. [Zabaleta-Korta et al. 2021]
06 · Calves (gastrocnemius)
machine, step or stairs
HomeOne-leg calf raise on a step. One hand on the wall for balance, the other holding a backpack.
Study: Standing raises grew the gastrocnemius far more than seated ones (+12.4% vs +1.7%). [Kinoshita et al. 2023]
"RIR 1–2" means: stop when you feel you have 1 or 2 clean reps left. RIR 0 means no more reps possible; 4 or more means the weight is too light.
First two weeks: stay at RIR 3 and learn the movements. After that, follow the card. Going all the way to failure isn't needed [Refalo et al. 2024].
Keep the same weight until you reach the top of the rep range on every set, at the RIR on the card. Then add the smallest weight step (+2.5 kg / 5 lb on a barbell, the next dumbbell pair, the next pin) and start again at the bottom of the range.
At home: more reps, then more load in the backpack, then a slower descent (3–4 seconds), then a harder version. Adding reps at the same weight worked as well as adding weight [Plotkin et al. 2022].
Deload every 6–8 weeks, or when your joints ache or your numbers drop: one easy week, same exercises, half the sets, RIR 3–4. A full week off mid-program didn't cost any muscle in one study; strength gains were a little smaller [Coleman et al. 2024].
Don't compare: on the same 12-week program, biceps size changed from −2% to +59% between people [Hubal et al. 2005]. Compare yourself with last month's log.
Six rules shape this program. Each comes with the study behind it; the exercise-specific studies are on the cards above.
The more hard sets a muscle gets each week, the more it grows, up to a point: the gains shrink as you add more. These programs sit in the range where beginners grow well.
Study: Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass (2017). Schoenfeld BJ et al., J Sports Sci, PMID 27433992.
Study: The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency (2026). Pelland JC et al., Sports Med, PMID 41343037.
Growth tends to rise as sets end closer to failure, but going all the way to failure didn't add more muscle than stopping 1–2 reps short.
Study: Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy (2024). Robinson ZP et al., Sports Med, PMID 38970765.
Study: Similar muscle hypertrophy following eight weeks of resistance training to momentary muscular failure or with repetitions-in-reserve (2024). Refalo MC et al., J Sports Sci, PMID 38393985.
Study: Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy (2023). Refalo MC et al., Sports Med, PMID 36334240.
Adding reps at the same weight worked as well as adding weight: both count as progress.
Study: Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations (2022). Plotkin D et al., PeerJ, PMID 36199287.
Three minutes between sets beat one minute for strength and for thigh growth in trained men.
Study: Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men (2016). Schoenfeld BJ et al., J Strength Cond Res, PMID 26605807.
Light and heavy loads taken close to failure built similar muscle. Heavy loads built more maximal strength, which is why the big lifts stay in the 6–10 rep range.
Study: Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training (2017). Schoenfeld BJ et al., J Strength Cond Res, PMID 28834797.
In several studies, exercises that load a muscle in its stretched position grew it more: seated leg curls, overhead triceps extensions, standing calf raises, curls from a straight arm. Most of these studies were done on beginners.
Study: Greater Hamstrings Muscle Hypertrophy but Similar Damage Protection after Training at Long versus Short Muscle Lengths (2021). Maeo S et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc, PMID 33009197.
Study: Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position (2023). Maeo S et al., Eur J Sport Sci, PMID 35819335.
Study: Triceps surae muscle hypertrophy is greater after standing versus seated calf-raise training (2023). Kinoshita M et al., Front Physiol, PMID 38156065.
Study: Elbow Joint Angles in Elbow Flexor Unilateral Resistance Exercise Training Determine Its Effects on Muscle Strength and Thickness (2021). Sato S et al., Front Physiol, PMID 34616309.
Free PDF
17 pages: every exercise drawn, with sets, reps, rest and effort, a warm-up, a progression guide and a 4-week training log. Every rule in it is backed by a study, with the references inside.
The link works for 7 days. Save the file on your phone or computer.
This is general fitness information, not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, check with a doctor or physical therapist first, and stop any exercise that hurts.
Under 18? Strength training is safe and worthwhile for teens when it is supervised and taught properly; most reported injuries came from poor technique, wrong loads or no supervision [Faigenbaum & Myer 2010] [Lloyd et al. 2014]. Learn the lifts with a coach, a PE teacher or an adult who knows them. Light weights first, no max lifts, never heavy weights over your head alone.
Yes, if you can train at least 3 days a week. This plan is written for people who have trained for less than a year, or without a plan. Start with option A (3 days, each muscle once a week). Move to option B (6 days) once you've trained for 8 weeks without missing sessions and you recover well.
Start with 3. In a meta-analysis of 25 studies, training a muscle 1, 2 or 3+ times a week gave similar growth when the weekly sets were the same [Schoenfeld et al. 2019]. What grows you is the number of hard sets, with diminishing returns [Schoenfeld et al. 2017] [Pelland et al. 2026]. Option B doubles the weekly sets: it is the next step, not a different program.
About an hour. Push and Pull take 55–65 minutes, Legs 60–70 minutes, rest between sets included.
Yes. Every exercise has a home version that needs a backpack you can load with books or water bottles, two resistance bands, a doorway pull-up bar, a sturdy chair and a step. For example, push-ups replace the bench press and Nordic curls replace the leg curl machine.
Reps in reserve: how many more clean reps you could still do when you stop the set. RIR 1–2 means you stop when you feel you have 1 or 2 reps left. In one 8-week study, stopping 1–2 reps short of failure grew the quads as much as going to failure [Refalo et al. 2024].
Yes. Enter your email and the download link appears on the page right away. The 17-page PDF has every exercise drawn, a warm-up, a progression guide and a 4-week training log.
Four sessions a week, every muscle trained twice. The best balance of results and recovery for most people.
One body part a day: chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs. Long, focused sessions, with an honest look at the trade-off.
Every study below was checked on PubMed. Results in short, as the studies report them; most were done on young adults, often beginners.