What is | Benefits | Cons | Conclusion
Let's be real, you're probably not a beginner if you've started using or gaining interest in a PPL split. You're likely at least months into training where you care about it enough to look up some things and try and get better at whatever it is you're wanting to accomplish.
As you might know, there's a lot of different types of routines and workout splits out there. It can be tiring and an endless search to try and figure out what exactly is what and what would work best for you and your goals, not only because of the amount of types but also the amounts of explanations of those types. We won't be discussing all types in this post just yet (Find this in our beginner's guide) but we will go deeper into what the PPL (push/pull/legs) split is and what exactly you can gain by using it.
What is Push Pull Legs
You might be familiar with terms like "leg day" or any others like that since there's a lot of posts about them on social media, by fitness accounts but also on some meme or other types of accounts. But, if you're new to fitness, it's not as likely for you to know what workout splits are, let alone the push/pull/legs split. If you're a little bit more into working out and fitness and you've done some research, you might already know the basics and what it means to use it, but there still may be some info in this article for you to use.
What does it mean
More often than not this split is referred to as PPL, as it's shorter and easier to use. Push, Pull and Legs are the groups you will focus on during each of the three days (or six, if you've got more time to work out) and each group has corresponding muscles to train on every one of them.
It's usually done six times a week, with one day of rest. You could use it three times a week instead of six, but to build muscles more effectively, six times is more common.
Which muscles are worked
To get an as effective workout as possible, the goal with any workout split is to hit each group and give them enough rest to recover before hitting them again. Because it's spread over three workouts which are repeated twice each week (usually), there's plenty of time for your muscles to rest and thus get the optimal amount of recovery.
Push
Muscles used: Triceps, Shoulders, Chest
Day: one and five
Pull
Muscles used: Biceps, Back, Forearms
Day: two and six
Legs
Muscles used: Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Calfs
Day: three and seven
Rest
Muscles used: None (or cardio if you want an active rest-day)
Day: four
So when doing this routine, your week will look like this.
Monday | Push |
Tuesday | Pull |
Wednesday | Legs |
Thursday | Rest |
Friday | Push |
Saturday | Pull |
Sunday | Legs |
Benefits
1. More focus on each muscle
Because you are separating your body into three groups, there's more focus and time for every one of them than you would have with for example the upper body/lower body split and so there is more progress that is possible to be made. This is of course because you've got two more days, so it is very dependent on your schedule and whether or not you're gonna be able to make time for six workouts a week, but if you do manage to make time, it'll be well worth it.
2. More progress
Continuing on point one, more time being spent on training the muscles is more progress overall. Of course, more progress is bound to happen when you spend more time one something, so this isn't so much related to the split itself as to the time you're investing into training, but it's still a massive benefit from doing the PPL split. Combine it with the rest between workouts for each muscle and you've got a solid training schedule. Rest is very important, so skipping a rest day isn't something we'd recommend.
3. Hitting every muscle(group)
Something that's very good about this split is that you're hitting every muscle in your body. Every muscle gets a chance to grow and you won't be looking disproportionate as a result of all upper body or all lower body workouts -- or worse, only one muscle per workout. It makes sure you'll look nice and balanced and don't end up having one half of your body looking tiny while the other is huge.
The upper body/Lower body split does this too, but because it's less days a week, you'll have less time for each muscle so you might end up skipping a muscle or muscle group because a lack of time. That will unlikely be the case with this one unless you've got very short periods of time in which you're able to workout.
Cons
1. Time consuming
The PPL split isn't one for people with a lack of time. It's six days a week of workouts or training, which is very unrealistic for quite a few people. There's the option of instead doing it three days a week, which still makes for a very good workout split. If you don't have the time for three days either there's always the option of the upper body/lower body split or if you've got just one day there's the full body workout (possible for more than one day too). There's always something that'll suit you, no matter your schedule. One minute of training is better than none.
2. You need to be consistent
This one counts for all workout splits -- but this one especially. It can become difficult to keep consistently showing up for your training or workouts because of the frequency of the split. It takes some discipline to keep it going.
The solution is simple, but effective.
Have a clear vision and goal for what you want to get out of it and have some outlined goals so it's easier to stay on track and hit milestones. Without a goal, you'll notice it'll become harder and harder to keep it up, especially if you haven't been training for a longer period of time.
Conclusion
The main benefits same as the main cons both stem from the time you spend on training.
It is up to you if you're willing to invest that time into it in order to grow or if you're going to give another split a go. In our opinion, at least trying it out, whether it be the three day or six day variant, will be worth your time, because it's a solid split for people looking to either start out or elevate their training to another level.
It depends on your willingness to show up (as with every other training) but definitely will help you out in the longer run.
Q&A
What workouts can I do for my PPL split?
We have a range of different workouts in our workouts tab in articles.
APOLLO SPORTS SOCIETY
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