push pull legs
/pʊʃ pʊl lɛɡz/
Very CommonA training split that groups exercises by movement pattern: pushing muscles one day, pulling muscles another, legs on a third.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | been on PPL for 4 months straight. nothing has worked better for me | The person has seen consistent results from a push/pull/legs structure over several months. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | push pull legs 6x a week is a lot but the frequency is what makes it work | Acknowledging the high volume while arguing that training each muscle twice a week is the key benefit. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | what split are you on? push pull legs? upper lower? just pick one and stick to it for 6 months | Arguing that program selection matters less than consistency. | reddit, 2024 |
| 04 | day 1 push day 2 pull day 3 legs day 4 rest. repeat. that's it. that's the program | Presenting the basic PPL structure as straightforward and effective. | tiktok, 2024 |
Use it when
- Describing a training schedule built around push, pull, and leg days.
- Recommending a training structure to an intermediate lifter.
- Comparing different training splits.
- Referring to a 3-day or 6-day weekly gym schedule.
Do not use it when
- You mean a one-muscle-group-per-day structure.Use “bro-split” instead.
- You mean an upper/lower or full body training program.
Variations and related forms
Push/pull/legs vs bro split
push pull legs
PPL trains muscles by movement pattern, hitting each group twice a week for better frequency.
VS
bro-split
Bro split dedicates one full session per muscle with higher per-session volume but lower weekly frequency.
Origin and context
Developed in bodybuilding and powerlifting communities as a way to train each muscle more than once per week. Popularized online through fitness forums like Reddit's r/fitness and various YouTube channels in the 2010s.
- First seen
- 2000s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/push-pull-legsUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0