Is Push Pull Legs (PPL) an effective training method?

Very popular for many years, the Push Pull Legs have won over many beginners and advanced bodybuilders alike. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger used this approach to forge the physique we know. But is this method really effective for to get stronger ? What are its advantages and disadvantages? And finally, is it suitable for everyone?

What is the Push Pull Legs method?

Push Pull Legs (abbreviated PPL) is a strength training method that divides training into 3 main parts: 

• 1 Push session for upper-body muscles that work by pushing: pectorals, deltoids and triceps.
• 1 session Pullover for upper-body muscles that work by pulling: back, biceps and back of shoulders.
• 1 session Legacies for lower-body muscles: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

The work of the abdominal belt is integrated into every training session.

The important thing is to respect the alternation of these 3 sessions, independently of the number of training sessions you make every week. We'll come back to this later in the article.

You have to go back to the 1970s, the golden age of bodybuilding, to find traces of the Push Pull Leg. At a time when practice of bodybuilding was beginning to be professionalized, the PPL offered a simple yet effective approach.

To promote weight gain, as with any bodybuilding program, the Push Pull Legs method must be based on a coherent choice of exercises and on the implementation ofa progressive overload. It's best to focus on basic exercises, then complement them with isolation exercises.

Why choose a Push Pull Legs program?

The PPL in weight training offers a number of advantages, but also some disadvantages. Let's take a closer look.

The benefits of Push Pull Legs

The main advantage of Push Pull Legs training is that it favors muscle recovery, an important phase since it's at this precise moment that the muscle is built.

In fact, the two upper-body sessions (Pull and Push) are spaced out and target different muscles. Unlike a Full Body program, the muscle fibres have time to develop between two training sessions for the same muscle group.

More specifically, with the exception of the legs, a single session will never work the following at the same time agonist muscles and their antagonists. An antagonist muscle is the opposite of the muscle that performs the action, the agonist. For example, the ischial muscles are the antagonists of the quadriceps, and the dorsal muscles of the pectoral muscles.

What's more, the PPL is flexible. It can be integrated into a bodybuilding routine from 3 days a week, to 5 or 6. It requires little specific equipment: bars, weight discs and dumbbells may be sufficient.

Finally, this type of training stands out for its simplicity. It allows you to plan your sessions well in advance, and can be reconciled with any strength exercises. As such, it is particularly suited to beginners wishing to build muscle mass, but can also meet the needs of experienced athletes.

The disadvantages of Push Pull Legs

The main weakness of this type of programming is that it tends to neglect the work of the lower body. In fact, it's the muscles of the upper body that are mainly solicited, all the more so as the legs are targeted in the third session of the cycle. 

Personally, I advise you to place your lower-body workout between the Push and Pull sessions. And above all, never jump LEG DAY !

Similarly, if you only do 3 training sessions a week at the sports hallYou'll only target each muscle once, which may not be enough to develop them quickly.

In this sense, Push Pull Legs can make it difficult to catch up on certain weak points, especially as the smaller muscles are generally worked at the end of the session.

And if you train 4 or 5 times a week, your Push Pull Legs cycle will have to be spread over several weeks. Your rest days will never be the same, which can make it harder to get started.

Who is this type of training for?

The PPL method is suitable for all bodybuilders.

However, it's mainly aimed at beginners to intermediate riders who have already mastered the full-body or half-body approach.

I invite you to discover this article if you're looking for beginner strength training.

This type of program can also help athletes whose strong points are the arms and shoulders to progress. In this situation, there's no point in trying to build up biceps, triceps or deltoids. It's better to work on pectorals and back, whose exercises are placed at the beginning of the session.

The PPL, on the other hand, is less suitable for those who want to build up their legs or catch up, although it can of course be adapted. It would still be preferable to opt for a split drive classic.

How to organize a PPL program over a week?

Push Pull Legs training for beginners

If you're just starting out, 3 training sessions a week are recommended.

Here's how you can organize your weight-training program :

• Monday: Push
• Tuesday: rest
• Wednesday: Sweater
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: Legacies
• Saturday and Sunday: rest

If you're not used to going to the gym every day, there's no need to impose too much frequency on yourself right from the start. 

Be aware that the legacy session is generally the hardest. That's why it's advisable to plan a day of rest beforehand, so that the aches and pains of the previous day do not prevent you from carrying out your exercises.

The number of repetitions for each exercise will depend on your objectives. Finally, you can do some cardio at the end of your workout, especially if you're in the process of losing weight.

Push Pull Legs training for experts

A more expert version of this program doubles the frequency over a week, moving from a 3-day to a 6-day training program. You can position your rest day anywhere in the week. 

Here's how you can organize your bodybuilding program:

• Monday: Push
• Tuesday: Sweater
• Wednesday: Legacies
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: Push
• Saturday: Sweater
• Sunday: Legacies

This is the recommended frequency for gaining muscle volume faster. You'll be working every muscle group 2 times a week. 

You can, of course, change the exercises at each session to avoid getting bored, or to focus on your weak points. The sessions can be done in any order, as long as the muscle groups alternate.

Example of a 3-day Push Pull Legs training program

A Push Pull Legs session is always built in the same way.

It begins with a warming up muscular and articular. Warming up is essential to avoid injury.

Then, the first exercises tend to target the large muscles (pectoral and back), with 1 or 2 basic exercises (bench press, deadlift, etc.) and 1 isolation movement. Next come the other muscle groups, with 2 exercises each.

Here's an example of a 3-day program.

Session 1 (Push) : 

Order	Exercise	Number of repetitions
Exercise 1	Barbell bench press	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 2	Dumbbell incline press	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 3	Butterfly machine	3 x 10 repetitions
Exercise 4	Military developed	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 5	Low pulley lateral raises	3 x 12 repetitions
Exercise 6	Bar to the front	4 x 10 repetitions
Exercise 7	High pulley extensions	3 x 12 repetitions
Exercise 8	Abdominals	4 x 15 repetitions

Session 2 (Pull) : 

Order	Exercise	Number of repetitions
Exercise 1	Pronated bodyweight pull-ups	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 2	Rowing bent over	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 3	Horizontal pulley pull	4 x 10 repetitions
Exercise 4	Bird on inclined bench	3 x 12 repetitions
Exercise 5	Bird on screw pulley	3 x 12 repetitions
Exercise 6	Curl at the desk on the EZ bar	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 7	Standing curl with dumbbell in hammer grip	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 8	Supine pull-ups	4 x 8 repetitions

Session 3 (Legacies) : 

Order	Exercise	Number of repetitions
Exercise 1	Barbell squat	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 2	Thigh press	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 3	Leg extension	3 x 10 repetitions
Exercise 4	Deadlift with outstretched legs	4 x 8 repetitions
Exercise 5	Leg curl lying or sitting	3 x 12 repetitions
Exercise 6	Standing calf extensions	3 x 12 repetitions
Exercise 7	Seated calf extensions	3 x 12 repetitions
Exercise 8	Abdominals	4 x 15 repetitions

Alternatives to Push Pull Legs

Full-body programs (all muscles worked in a single session) and half-body programs (upper and lower body muscles worked separately) are the first two alternatives to Push Pull Legs. However, these approaches are best suited to beginners, or those with little time to train.

Once you've acquired a certain amount of experience, however, there is one method that is now widely accepted in the fitness community: the split routine.

It allows you to work the armsThe perfect way to train your muscles, pectorals, shoulders, trapezius, back and legs.

The principle is simple: you target 1 or 2 muscles per training session. You can also set reminders for certain muscles, if your training volume allows.

Conclusion

By now you're familiar with the pros and cons of the Push Pull Legs method. If this approach is interesting for sculpt While it's great for your physique, it's limited for developing lower-body muscles. But there's nothing to stop you from adapting it to your personal needs and goals.