Chris Adams Personal Training
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Exercise Guide
      • Lower Body Exercises 1
        • Stiff Legged Deadlift
        • Hip Thrust
        • Back Squat
        • Glute Ham Raise
        • Trap Bar Deadlift
        • Deadlift
        • Leg Press
        • Romanian Deadlift
        • Safety Bar Squats
        • Bulgarian Split Squat
        • Good Morning
        • Front Squat
        • Paused Squats
        • Calf Raises
      • Upper Body Push Exercises
        • Bench Press
        • Overhead Press
        • Incline Bench Press
        • Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
        • Close Grip Bench Press
        • Dumbbell Bench Press
        • Low to High Cable Crossover
        • Standing Cable Fly
        • Dips
        • Pin Overhead Press
        • Floor Press
        • Lateral Raise
        • Arnold Press
      • Upper Body Pull
        • Pull ups and chin ups
        • Shrug
        • Seal Rows
          • Face Pulls
        • Band Pull Apart
        • Dumbbell Row
        • Rear Delt Rows
        • Prone rows
        • T-Bar Machine Row
      • Arm Exercises
        • Dumbbell Curls
        • Hammer Curls
        • Cross Body Hammer Curls
        • Tricep Push Down
        • Barbell Curl
      • Farmers Walk
      • Core Exercises
        • Grip Exercises
        • Reverse Hyper
        • Cable Side Bends
        • Wheel Roll Outs
    • Strength and Gaining Muscle
      • 330 Method
      • Dead Stop vs Touch and Go Deadlifts
      • Macro loading-Dan John-Big Plates
      • Linear, Wave and Step Loading
      • 6 Mistakes When Trying to Gain Muscle
      • Push-Pull-Legs Training Split
      • Record Your Lifts to Improve Your Form
      • Rest-Pause Sets
      • Not Everyone Can Deadlift
      • Breaking Through Plateaus
      • Myo-Reps Sets
      • Drop Set
      • Strength Training for Old Age
      • Cluster Sets
      • Five Ways to Progress Without Increasing the Weight
      • 50% Sets
      • 350 Method
      • Super Sets
      • Gallon of Milk a Day (GOMAD)
      • Two Days a Week Strength Training Program
      • Density Training for Strength
      • Double Progression
      • How to do Warm Up Sets (Ramping Up)
    • General Training and Health
      • General Training 1
        • The Importance of Consistency
        • Starting Personal Training When You're Older
        • The Importance of Mobility Work
        • Can You Target Certain Areas of the body to Reduce Fat From?
        • Women and Strength Training
        • MyFitnessPal
        • Training in Your Late Thirties
        • How to Survive the Weekend Without Ruining Your Diet
        • Common Questions From Clients
        • Do You Need to Push Yourself to The Limit?
        • Dangers Of Health Risks Associated with Obesity
        • Rehab After Injury (Tearing Rotator Cuff)
        • Six Pack Abs
        • Training with Lupus
        • Boxing Pad Work
        • Hill Sprints
      • General Training 2
        • Mainstream Media on Nutrition
        • Sleep
        • Cardio and Conditioning Exercises
        • Healthy Shoulders (Face Pulls and Band Pull Aparts)
        • SETTING GOALS - S.M.A.R.T
        • Body Transformation
        • Tips on Losing Weight
        • How to Deal With Bad Workouts
        • Focus on What You Can Do
        • Keys to Success : Intensity, Consistency and Time
        • Walking
      • General Training 3
        • My Gym is Too Busy
        • The biggest mistake beginners make is listening to other beginners
        • When it comes to weight loss, your nutritional habits have a much bigger impact than your training.
        • Strength Training and Osteoporosis
        • The Scales Don't Always Tell The Truth
        • More Exercise is Not Always Better
        • How to Make Cardio Less Boring
        • The Problem with Before and After Pictures
        • Returning to Training After a Break
        • Blood Pressure
        • How to Survive the Weekend Without Ruining your diet
    • Nutrition
      • Multivitamins
      • Fish Oil (Omega 3)
      • Vitamin D
      • Tracking What You Eat (MyFitnessPal)
      • Caffeine
      • Magnesium
      • Gift Vouchers
      • Are Your Friends and Family Sabotaging Your Diet?
      • Healthy Eating on a Budget
      • Supplements
      • Alcohol and Training
      • Creatine
      • 10 Foods That Are Great For Bulking
    • Real World Fitness
      • 8 Reasons You Should Look For a New Personal Trainer
      • Why Choose Real World Fitness?
      • Client Results: Only Training Two Days a Week
      • Personal Trainer in Nottingham
      • Gym in Nottingham
      • Outdoor Group Fitness Training in Nottingham
      • Most Personal Trainers Are Useless.
      • PAR-Q
    • Equipment and Books
      • Weightlifting Belt
  • Prices
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Booking
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Exercise Guide
      • Lower Body Exercises 1
        • Stiff Legged Deadlift
        • Hip Thrust
        • Back Squat
        • Glute Ham Raise
        • Trap Bar Deadlift
        • Deadlift
        • Leg Press
        • Romanian Deadlift
        • Safety Bar Squats
        • Bulgarian Split Squat
        • Good Morning
        • Front Squat
        • Paused Squats
        • Calf Raises
      • Upper Body Push Exercises
        • Bench Press
        • Overhead Press
        • Incline Bench Press
        • Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
        • Close Grip Bench Press
        • Dumbbell Bench Press
        • Low to High Cable Crossover
        • Standing Cable Fly
        • Dips
        • Pin Overhead Press
        • Floor Press
        • Lateral Raise
        • Arnold Press
      • Upper Body Pull
        • Pull ups and chin ups
        • Shrug
        • Seal Rows
          • Face Pulls
        • Band Pull Apart
        • Dumbbell Row
        • Rear Delt Rows
        • Prone rows
        • T-Bar Machine Row
      • Arm Exercises
        • Dumbbell Curls
        • Hammer Curls
        • Cross Body Hammer Curls
        • Tricep Push Down
        • Barbell Curl
      • Farmers Walk
      • Core Exercises
        • Grip Exercises
        • Reverse Hyper
        • Cable Side Bends
        • Wheel Roll Outs
    • Strength and Gaining Muscle
      • 330 Method
      • Dead Stop vs Touch and Go Deadlifts
      • Macro loading-Dan John-Big Plates
      • Linear, Wave and Step Loading
      • 6 Mistakes When Trying to Gain Muscle
      • Push-Pull-Legs Training Split
      • Record Your Lifts to Improve Your Form
      • Rest-Pause Sets
      • Not Everyone Can Deadlift
      • Breaking Through Plateaus
      • Myo-Reps Sets
      • Drop Set
      • Strength Training for Old Age
      • Cluster Sets
      • Five Ways to Progress Without Increasing the Weight
      • 50% Sets
      • 350 Method
      • Super Sets
      • Gallon of Milk a Day (GOMAD)
      • Two Days a Week Strength Training Program
      • Density Training for Strength
      • Double Progression
      • How to do Warm Up Sets (Ramping Up)
    • General Training and Health
      • General Training 1
        • The Importance of Consistency
        • Starting Personal Training When You're Older
        • The Importance of Mobility Work
        • Can You Target Certain Areas of the body to Reduce Fat From?
        • Women and Strength Training
        • MyFitnessPal
        • Training in Your Late Thirties
        • How to Survive the Weekend Without Ruining Your Diet
        • Common Questions From Clients
        • Do You Need to Push Yourself to The Limit?
        • Dangers Of Health Risks Associated with Obesity
        • Rehab After Injury (Tearing Rotator Cuff)
        • Six Pack Abs
        • Training with Lupus
        • Boxing Pad Work
        • Hill Sprints
      • General Training 2
        • Mainstream Media on Nutrition
        • Sleep
        • Cardio and Conditioning Exercises
        • Healthy Shoulders (Face Pulls and Band Pull Aparts)
        • SETTING GOALS - S.M.A.R.T
        • Body Transformation
        • Tips on Losing Weight
        • How to Deal With Bad Workouts
        • Focus on What You Can Do
        • Keys to Success : Intensity, Consistency and Time
        • Walking
      • General Training 3
        • My Gym is Too Busy
        • The biggest mistake beginners make is listening to other beginners
        • When it comes to weight loss, your nutritional habits have a much bigger impact than your training.
        • Strength Training and Osteoporosis
        • The Scales Don't Always Tell The Truth
        • More Exercise is Not Always Better
        • How to Make Cardio Less Boring
        • The Problem with Before and After Pictures
        • Returning to Training After a Break
        • Blood Pressure
        • How to Survive the Weekend Without Ruining your diet
    • Nutrition
      • Multivitamins
      • Fish Oil (Omega 3)
      • Vitamin D
      • Tracking What You Eat (MyFitnessPal)
      • Caffeine
      • Magnesium
      • Gift Vouchers
      • Are Your Friends and Family Sabotaging Your Diet?
      • Healthy Eating on a Budget
      • Supplements
      • Alcohol and Training
      • Creatine
      • 10 Foods That Are Great For Bulking
    • Real World Fitness
      • 8 Reasons You Should Look For a New Personal Trainer
      • Why Choose Real World Fitness?
      • Client Results: Only Training Two Days a Week
      • Personal Trainer in Nottingham
      • Gym in Nottingham
      • Outdoor Group Fitness Training in Nottingham
      • Most Personal Trainers Are Useless.
      • PAR-Q
    • Equipment and Books
      • Weightlifting Belt
  • Prices
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Booking
Search

Push-Pull-Legs Training Split

Legs-Push-Pull split is one of the most popular training slits. It is very simple, yet effective training split
  • Push - Upper body pushing muscles: chest, shoulders, and triceps.
  • Pull - Upper body pulling muscles: back and biceps. I don't, but some people include deadlifts on the pull day. If you do, it's best to split up the pull and legs day.
  • Legs- Lower body work. ​

Pros of Leg-Push-Pull split

​It spreads out upper body work over two workouts.
There are more muscles in the upper body than the lower body, and it tends to need more exercises to maximise your muscle mass​. When doing upper and lower training split, the upper body sessions tended to be longer, or I had to miss out  training certain muscles directly.
Easier to emphasis certain muscles.
My arms and chest has always lagged behind other muscle groups. Moving to a push-pull-legs split made it much easier to add more work for these muscles. While it's not impossible to do this while training upper and lower, or full body programs, it is much easier when the training is split up a bit more.
Very flexible when life is busy.
Legs-Push-Pull limits overlap of your sessions. When you're training your pushing muscles during one session, and then the pulling muscles the next, you're giving your pushing muscles a chance to recover while you're still training. As there isn't much overlap between training sessions, it makes it a good training split if life is unpredictable. I've used this when life was a bit crazy, and I didn't know in advance what days I would be able to train on. While this isn't optimal, I would sometimes have three to five days in a row I could train and then have a few days in a row that I couldn't train. This isn't a problem when doing push-pull-leg split as I could do several of these sessions back to back without causing recovery issues. This would be harder when I was doing an upper-lower split, and I would have to lower the volume or intensity per session if I did trained that frequently. It's also very easy to keep the sessions very short while still getting a lot of work if you're in a rush as the upper body work is broken into two sessions.

Cons of Leg-Push-Pull split

Frequency of main lifts
The main negative is that you're limited in the frequency you can do the main lifts due to the training being split up more. It's not possible to squat or bench press three times a week on this split. Personally I wouldn't consider doing this split if I was wanting to compete in powerlifting and wanted to practise the competition lifts frequently.
​

How many days a week can you train on Leg-Push-Pull split?

3 times a week
This used to be a common powerlifting split years ago. They would have a squat (legs), bench press (push), deadlift (pull) day. These days a higher frequency is more popular but this worked for a lot of people.
  • Monday - Legs (Squat)
  • Tuesday - Off
  • Wednesday - Push (Bench press)
  • Thursday - Off
  • Friday - Pull (Deadlift)
  • Saturday - Off
  • Sunday - Off​
4 days a week
Week 1
  • Monday - Legs
  • Tuesday - Push
  • Wednesday - Off
  • Thursday - Pull
  • Friday - Legs
  • Saturday - Off
  • Sunday - Off
Week 2
  • Monday - Push
  • Tuesday - Pull
  • Wednesday - Off
  • Thursday - Legs
  • Friday - Push 
  • Saturday - Off
  • Sunday - Off
Week 3
  • Monday - Pull
  • Tuesday - Legs
  • Wednesday - Off
  • Thursday - Push
  • Friday - Pull
  • Saturday - Off
  • Sunday - Off
With this you'll go through all workouts four times every three weeks.
5 days a week
Week 1
  • Monday - Legs
  • Tuesday - Push
  • Wednesday - Pull
  • Thursday - Off
  • Friday - Legs
  • Saturday - Push
  • Sunday - Off
Week 2
  • Monday - Pull
  • Tuesday - Legs
  • Wednesday - Push
  • Thursday - Off
  • Friday - Pull
  • Saturday - Legs
  • Sunday - Off
Week 3 
  • Monday - Push 
  • Tuesday - Pull
  • Wednesday - Legs
  • Thursday - Off
  • Friday - Push
  • Saturday - Pull
  • Sunday - Off
6 days a week
  • Monday - Legs
  • Tuesday - Push
  • Wednesday - Pull
  • Thursday - Legs
  • Friday - Push
  • Saturday - Pull
  • Sunday - Off
This seems to be very popular later, especially with beginners as they tend to think doing more means you'll get better results. This is rarely true and I see more people fail with this than succeed and not many people will be able to stick to it and progress long term.
People can train anywhere from 3 to 6 days a week on this split. I mentioned earlier that most beginners want to do the six days a week option, but while I'm sure some people succed doing it, I've never seen anyone stick to that long term and succeed. Most people will need more rest and will have other things in their lift that will take up time.

You don't actually have to commit to a certain number of days. There's not a good reason you have to fit your training split into seven days other than people find it convenient. You can easily alternate between 4 and 5 days a week averaging 4.5 days a week. Or jsut chasnge week to week depending on your schedule.
Legs
  • ​Back squats
  • Trap bar deadlift
  • ​Glute ham raise
  • ​Safety bar squats
  • ​Stiff legged deadlifts
  • Romanian deadlift
  • ​Hip thrust
  • ​Leg press
  • ​Bulgarian split squats
  • ​Good mornings
  • ​Front squat
  • ​Paused squats
  • ​Calf raises
Push
  • Bench press
  • Incline bench press
  • ​Dips
  • Lateral raises
  • Floor Press
  • Overhead press 
  • Dumbbell bench press
  • Incline bench press
  • Arnold press
  • Triceps push down
  • Dumbbell flys, crossovers etc
Pull
  • Deadlift
  • Pull Ups and Chin Ups
  • Seal Rows
  • Chest supported rows
  • Chest supported T-Bar row
  • ​Shrug
  • ​Rear delt rows
  • ​One arm dumbbell row
  • ​Face pulls
  • ​Barbell curls
  • ​Dumbbell curls
  • ​Hammer curls
  • Cross body hammer curls
Example Routine
Push

Bench press -  4 x 4-6 (double progression)
Dumbbell overhead press - (350 method)
Cable crossovers - 4 x 15 (double progression)
Lateral raises - 4 x12
Triceps extensions - 3 x Rest pause 


Pull
Weighted chin ups - 4 x 6-8 (double progression)
Chest supported rows - 4 x 8-10 (double progression)
Shrugs - 350 method
Rear delt row -  4 x 12
Curls - 3 x rest pause


Legs
Squats - 4 x 6-8 (double progression)
Romanian deadlift - 4 x 8-10 (double progression)
​Leg extension 4 x 12
Leg curls- 4 x 15
Picture
Push-Pull-Legs Training Split

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Copyright © 2015
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Exercise Guide
      • Lower Body Exercises 1
        • Stiff Legged Deadlift
        • Hip Thrust
        • Back Squat
        • Glute Ham Raise
        • Trap Bar Deadlift
        • Deadlift
        • Leg Press
        • Romanian Deadlift
        • Safety Bar Squats
        • Bulgarian Split Squat
        • Good Morning
        • Front Squat
        • Paused Squats
        • Calf Raises
      • Upper Body Push Exercises
        • Bench Press
        • Overhead Press
        • Incline Bench Press
        • Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
        • Close Grip Bench Press
        • Dumbbell Bench Press
        • Low to High Cable Crossover
        • Standing Cable Fly
        • Dips
        • Pin Overhead Press
        • Floor Press
        • Lateral Raise
        • Arnold Press
      • Upper Body Pull
        • Pull ups and chin ups
        • Shrug
        • Seal Rows
          • Face Pulls
        • Band Pull Apart
        • Dumbbell Row
        • Rear Delt Rows
        • Prone rows
        • T-Bar Machine Row
      • Arm Exercises
        • Dumbbell Curls
        • Hammer Curls
        • Cross Body Hammer Curls
        • Tricep Push Down
        • Barbell Curl
      • Farmers Walk
      • Core Exercises
        • Grip Exercises
        • Reverse Hyper
        • Cable Side Bends
        • Wheel Roll Outs
    • Strength and Gaining Muscle
      • 330 Method
      • Dead Stop vs Touch and Go Deadlifts
      • Macro loading-Dan John-Big Plates
      • Linear, Wave and Step Loading
      • 6 Mistakes When Trying to Gain Muscle
      • Push-Pull-Legs Training Split
      • Record Your Lifts to Improve Your Form
      • Rest-Pause Sets
      • Not Everyone Can Deadlift
      • Breaking Through Plateaus
      • Myo-Reps Sets
      • Drop Set
      • Strength Training for Old Age
      • Cluster Sets
      • Five Ways to Progress Without Increasing the Weight
      • 50% Sets
      • 350 Method
      • Super Sets
      • Gallon of Milk a Day (GOMAD)
      • Two Days a Week Strength Training Program
      • Density Training for Strength
      • Double Progression
      • How to do Warm Up Sets (Ramping Up)
    • General Training and Health
      • General Training 1
        • The Importance of Consistency
        • Starting Personal Training When You're Older
        • The Importance of Mobility Work
        • Can You Target Certain Areas of the body to Reduce Fat From?
        • Women and Strength Training
        • MyFitnessPal
        • Training in Your Late Thirties
        • How to Survive the Weekend Without Ruining Your Diet
        • Common Questions From Clients
        • Do You Need to Push Yourself to The Limit?
        • Dangers Of Health Risks Associated with Obesity
        • Rehab After Injury (Tearing Rotator Cuff)
        • Six Pack Abs
        • Training with Lupus
        • Boxing Pad Work
        • Hill Sprints
      • General Training 2
        • Mainstream Media on Nutrition
        • Sleep
        • Cardio and Conditioning Exercises
        • Healthy Shoulders (Face Pulls and Band Pull Aparts)
        • SETTING GOALS - S.M.A.R.T
        • Body Transformation
        • Tips on Losing Weight
        • How to Deal With Bad Workouts
        • Focus on What You Can Do
        • Keys to Success : Intensity, Consistency and Time
        • Walking
      • General Training 3
        • My Gym is Too Busy
        • The biggest mistake beginners make is listening to other beginners
        • When it comes to weight loss, your nutritional habits have a much bigger impact than your training.
        • Strength Training and Osteoporosis
        • The Scales Don't Always Tell The Truth
        • More Exercise is Not Always Better
        • How to Make Cardio Less Boring
        • The Problem with Before and After Pictures
        • Returning to Training After a Break
        • Blood Pressure
        • How to Survive the Weekend Without Ruining your diet
    • Nutrition
      • Multivitamins
      • Fish Oil (Omega 3)
      • Vitamin D
      • Tracking What You Eat (MyFitnessPal)
      • Caffeine
      • Magnesium
      • Gift Vouchers
      • Are Your Friends and Family Sabotaging Your Diet?
      • Healthy Eating on a Budget
      • Supplements
      • Alcohol and Training
      • Creatine
      • 10 Foods That Are Great For Bulking
    • Real World Fitness
      • 8 Reasons You Should Look For a New Personal Trainer
      • Why Choose Real World Fitness?
      • Client Results: Only Training Two Days a Week
      • Personal Trainer in Nottingham
      • Gym in Nottingham
      • Outdoor Group Fitness Training in Nottingham
      • Most Personal Trainers Are Useless.
      • PAR-Q
    • Equipment and Books
      • Weightlifting Belt
  • Prices
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Booking