The most effective workout split for muscle growth and strength
Discover the Push/Pull/Legs (PPL) split - the gold standard for building muscle. Get a complete 6-day workout program with exercises, sets, reps, and progression. Track your PPL workouts with Spotwell's AI rep counter.
Track PPL Workouts with Spotwell →Focus on pressing movements - bench press, overhead press, and tricep work. Target chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Focus on pulling movements - rows, pull-ups, and bicep work. Target back and biceps.
Focus on lower body - squats, deadlifts, and leg accessories. Target entire lower body.
Recovery day. Light walking or stretching is fine, but let your muscles recover.
Repeat push day with slight variations in exercises or rep ranges.
Repeat pull day with variations to keep training fresh.
Repeat leg day. You can alternate between quad-focused and hamstring-focused sessions.
Sets: Various
Reps: 6-15
Rest: 2-4 minutes
Bench press, overhead press, dips, tricep extensions, lateral raises
Sets: Various
Reps: 6-15
Rest: 2-4 minutes
Deadlifts, pull-ups, rows, face pulls, bicep curls
Sets: Various
Reps: 6-15
Rest: 2-4 minutes
Squats, Romanian deadlifts, leg press, leg curls, calf raises
Yes, the push/pull/legs split is one of the most effective structures for muscle growth. Running it six days a week trains each muscle group twice, which hits the roughly two-sessions-per-week frequency and 10-20 weekly sets that research links to optimal hypertrophy. As long as you apply progressive overload and eat enough, PPL delivers excellent results.
Beginners can do PPL, but a 3-day full-body or upper/lower routine is usually a better starting point because it builds the movement patterns with more practice per lift and demands less recovery. If you do choose PPL as a beginner, consider running it three or four days a week rather than the full six. You can log every session with Spotwell, which auto-counts your reps with the iPhone camera so your early numbers stay accurate.
The classic 6-day PPL uses one rest day per week, though many lifters run it as PPL/rest/PPL/rest for two rest days. Recovery is individual, so if you feel run down, adding a rest day will not hurt your progress. Sleep and adequate protein matter just as much as the rest days themselves.
PPL divides training into push, pull, and leg days and typically runs six days a week, while upper/lower splits the body into just two sessions run four days a week. PPL offers more volume and exercise variety per muscle group, whereas upper/lower fits busier schedules while still training each muscle twice weekly. Choose the one that matches how many days you can realistically train.
You can run a PPL split for months as long as you keep progressing in weight, reps, or sets. Most lifters change exercises or rep ranges every 6 to 12 weeks to keep training fresh and avoid plateaus. There is no need to switch splits entirely if PPL still fits your schedule and you are still making gains.
Use Spotwell's AI rep counter and form analysis to perfect this workout. Download now and start tracking.