Goal program

Push Pull Legs

Push, pull, legs, twice a week: every muscle trained twice with room to recover.

6 days a week
12 weeks
Intermediate
For everyone
Gym

About this program

Six days on the most popular split in the gym: push (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull (back, rear delts, biceps) and legs, each twice a week, one heavier day and one higher-rep day. Every muscle gets about 12–18 hard sets a week, the range research links with steady growth. Only three days a week? Use Push Pull Legs · 3 Days. The key rule: add a rep or a little weight every week and keep 1–2 reps in reserve on the big lifts.

Who it’s for

You already train regularly and want more volume and intensity.
For everyone.
A gym with machines, cables and free weights.
6 sessions a week, about 65 minutes each.
8–10k steps a day on top of the workouts.

The week

Warm up for 5–7 minutes first. Rest is the pause between sets. Rest days: walk and recover.

Monday Push A: Push: Heavy

Chest · shoulders · triceps · about 65 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Bench PressMain lift: 2 lighter warm-up sets first, then keep 1–2 reps in reserve on every work set. Use the safety bars or a spotter.	4 × 5–⁠8	3 min
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 8–⁠10	2 min
Incline Dumbbell Press	3 × 8–⁠12	90 s
Cable Chest Fly	2 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Lateral Raise	4 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Rope Triceps Pushdown	3 × 10–⁠12	60 s

Tuesday Pull A: Pull: Heavy

Back · rear delts · biceps · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Assisted Pull-UpPull-ups with the least assistance that still gives you 6 clean reps. Strong enough for bodyweight pull-ups? Do those.	4 × 6–⁠8	2.5 min
Seated Cable Row	3 × 8–⁠10	2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	3 × 8–⁠10 per arm	90 s
Face Pull	3 × 15	60 s
Dumbbell Biceps Curl	3 × 8–⁠12	60 s
Hammer Curl	2 × 10–⁠12	60 s

Wednesday Legs A: Legs: Heavy

Quads · hamstrings · glutes · about 70 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Back SquatMain lift: 2 lighter warm-up sets first, then keep 1–2 reps in reserve on every work set. Set the safety pins in the rack.	4 × 5–⁠8	3 min
Romanian Deadlift	3 × 6–⁠10	2.5 min
Leg Press	3 × 10–⁠12	2 min
Lying Leg Curl	3 × 10–⁠12	75 s
Standing Calf Raise	4 × 10–⁠15	60 s
Forearm Plank	3 × 30–⁠60 s	45 s

Thursday Push B: Push: Volume

Upper chest · shoulders · triceps · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Incline Dumbbell Press	4 × 8–⁠12	2 min
Machine Chest Press	3 × 10–⁠12	90 s
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3 × 10–⁠12	90 s
Dip (assisted if needed)Lean forward a little for the chest. Stop if your shoulders complain.	3 × 8–⁠12	90 s
Lateral Raise	4 × 15–⁠20	45 s
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension	3 × 10–⁠12	60 s

Friday Pull B: Pull: Volume

Lats · upper back · biceps · abs · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Lat Pulldown	4 × 8–⁠12	2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	3 × 10–⁠12 per arm	90 s
Seated Cable Row	3 × 12–⁠15	90 s
Reverse Dumbbell Fly	3 × 15	60 s
Cable Biceps Curl	3 × 10–⁠12	60 s
Captain's Chair Knee Raise	3 × 10–⁠15	60 s

Saturday Legs B: Legs: Volume

Glutes · quads · hamstrings · abs · about 60 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Barbell Hip Thrust	4 × 8–⁠10	2 min
Bulgarian Split Squat	3 × 8–⁠10 per leg	90 s
Leg Extension	3 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Lying Leg Curl	3 × 12–⁠15	60 s
Standing Calf Raise	4 × 12–⁠15	45 s
Cable Crunch	3 × 12–⁠15	45 s

How to progress

Double progression: add reps within the range first. When every set reaches the top of the range with clean form, add a little weight (about 5–10 lb on lower-body lifts, 2.5–5 lb on upper-body lifts) and start again at the bottom.
Stop most sets 1–2 reps short of failure. Beginners stop 2–3 reps short for the first weeks.
Every 6–8 weeks, or when you feel run down, take an easier week: half the sets, same weights.

Food

Eat at maintenance or in a small surplus (about 200–300 kcal a day) with 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight (0.7–1 g per lb), and sleep 7–9 hours.

Find your numbers with the free TDEE calculator, the macro calculator and the protein calculator.