Bodybuilding Simplified: Push Pull Legs (Full Explanation + Free Training Plan)

Summary

In this episode of Bodybuilding Simplified, the focus is on the Push Pull Legs (PPL) training split. The host explains what PPL is, its benefits like targeted muscle group training and recovery time, and its drawbacks, such as reduced effectiveness of compound lifts due to fatigue. A detailed 6-day weekly routine is provided, with two push days emphasizing chest and shoulders, two pull days for back and biceps, and two leg days for quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. The script advises on exercise selection and rep ranges, ensuring a balanced and effective workout.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) split divides workouts into three categories: push (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull (back, biceps), and leg exercises.
• 🔄 PPL allows for focused training on specific muscle groups and ample recovery time between sessions.
• ⚠️ A con of PPL is that compound lifts for chest and shoulders are done on the same day, which can reduce effectiveness due to fatigue.
• 🤔 It's suggested to choose a training split that fits your schedule and preferences to ensure consistency and enjoyment.
• 📅 A recommended PPL schedule is 6 days per week, with rest days either after three sessions or at the end of the week.
• 💡 For effective PPL, include 2-3 exercises per muscle group per day, avoiding an excessive number of exercises.
• 🔝 Push Day 1 emphasizes chest with exercises like bench press, incline bench press, and dumbbell flies.
• 🔄 Push Day 2 prioritizes shoulders with overhead press before moving to chest exercises for optimal muscle recovery and strength.
• 🏋️ Pull Day 1 focuses on vertical pulling with weighted pull-ups, straight arm pull-downs, and rows, followed by bicep exercises.
• 🏋️ Pull Day 2 concentrates on horizontal pulling with barbell rows and seated cable rows, and includes rear delt exercises.
• 🦵 Leg Day 1 targets quadriceps with squats and lunges, while also working on hamstrings and calves.
• 🍑 Leg Day 2 emphasizes hamstrings and glutes with hip thrusts, good mornings, and glute kickbacks, with calf raises as a finisher.

Q & A

What is the Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) split?

The Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) split divides workouts into three specific sessions: push (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull (back, biceps), and legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). Each session focuses on specific muscle groups.

What are the main pros of the Push-Pull-Legs split?

The PPL split allows for focused attention on specific muscle groups and provides ample recovery time between sessions, as you work different body parts on different days.

What are the cons of the Push-Pull-Legs split?

One downside is the need to perform both chest and shoulder compound lifts on the same day, which can reduce effectiveness for the second lift due to muscle fatigue. It can also be problematic for individuals with shoulder pain from excessive pressing.

How can you modify the PPL split to minimize the issue with chest and shoulder fatigue?

You can alternate focus days. For example, on Push Day 1, focus on chest with heavier lifting first, followed by shoulders with lighter weights. On Push Day 2, reverse the order by focusing on shoulders first and chest exercises later.

What is a typical 6-day PPL split schedule?

A typical 6-day PPL split involves three days of consecutive training followed by a rest day, then another three training days. You can either take the rest day midweek or at the end of the week, depending on your preference.

What is the recommended number of exercises per body part in the PPL split?

It is recommended to include 2-3 exercises per body part on any given day to prevent overcomplicating the workout and adding unnecessary exercises.

How should you structure Push Day 1 for chest focus?

Start with a warm-up, followed by two heavy sets of bench press (5-8 reps), one back-off set (8-12 reps), then move to incline bench press (3 sets of 8-12 reps) and finish chest work with dumbbell flies (3 sets of 12-20 reps). After chest, perform lighter shoulder and triceps exercises.

How does Push Day 2 differ from Push Day 1?

Push Day 2 focuses more on shoulders by starting with overhead presses (2 heavy sets of 5-8 reps, 1 back-off set of 8-12 reps) before moving to chest exercises such as flat bench press and incline press. Triceps exercises remain the same.

How is Pull Day 1 structured?

Pull Day 1 focuses on vertical pulling movements like weighted pull-ups (3 sets of 8-12 reps) and straight-arm pull-downs. It also includes rowing exercises and shrugs for the back, followed by barbell curls and hammer curls for biceps, and ends with rear delt exercises.

What is the focus of Leg Day 1 compared to Leg Day 2?

Leg Day 1 emphasizes the quads with exercises like squats, lunges, and leg extensions, while Leg Day 2 focuses on the hamstrings and glutes, including hip thrusts, good mornings, and hamstring curls.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Introduction to Push Pull Legs (PPL) Split

The script begins by introducing the Push Pull Legs (PPL) split, a workout routine that divides exercises into three categories: push, pull, and leg workouts. The push day focuses on upper body pushing muscles like chest, shoulders, and triceps. The pull day targets upper body pulling muscles, including back and biceps. The leg day concentrates on lower body muscles such as quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. The speaker emphasizes the importance of choosing a training split that fits one's schedule and preferences for consistency and enjoyment. They also touch on the pros and cons of the PPL split, mentioning the ability to focus on specific muscle groups and recover well between sessions as advantages, and the challenge of performing compound lifts for chest and shoulders on the same day as a disadvantage.

05:01

🏋️‍♂️ Detailed Explanation of PPL Workout Routines

This section delves into the specifics of the PPL split, providing a day-by-day breakdown of exercises and their recommended rep ranges. Push Day 1 prioritizes chest exercises, starting with a warm-up leading to bench press, followed by back offset, incline bench press, and dumbbell flies. Shoulder exercises are performed later in the day with lighter weights to accommodate the fatigue from chest pressing. Push Day 2 switches the focus, starting with overhead press for shoulders and then moving to chest exercises like flat bench press and cable flies. Tricep exercises like skull crushers and lateral raises are included in both push days. Pull Day 1 concentrates on vertical pulling movements, such as weighted pull-ups, straight arm pull-downs, and rows, followed by bicep exercises like barbell strict curls and pre-acher curls. Pull Day 2 focuses on horizontal pulling movements, including barbell rows and seated cable rows, with a lighter pull-down variation and shrugs. Leg Day 1 emphasizes quad exercises like squats and lunges, with Romanian deadlifts for hamstrings and calf raises. Leg Day 2 focuses on hamstrings and glutes with hip thrusts, good mornings, hamstring curls, leg press, and glute kickbacks, again ending with calf raises.

10:03

📢 Conclusion and Call to Action

The final paragraph wraps up the video script by inviting viewers to try the PPL split for themselves and to ask any questions in the comments. The speaker also encourages viewers to like, share, and subscribe to the channel for more content. This section serves as a conclusion to the detailed explanation of the PPL split and a call to action for the audience to engage with the content and the channel.

Keywords

💡Push Pull Legs Split

The 'Push Pull Legs Split' is a workout routine that divides training into three distinct days: push, pull, and legs. This split is designed to focus on specific muscle groups, allowing for concentrated effort and adequate recovery time. In the video, this concept is central as it structures the entire training program, with each day dedicated to different muscle groups: chest, shoulders, and triceps for push; back and biceps for pull; and legs for the lower body.

💡Compound Lifts

Compound lifts are exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and joints, providing a comprehensive workout. In the context of the video, compound lifts are emphasized as they are critical for muscle development. However, the script also points out a potential drawback of the Push Pull Legs Split: performing compound lifts for both chest and shoulders on the same day can lead to reduced effectiveness for the second lift due to muscle fatigue.

💡Recovery

Recovery in the video refers to the rest period given to muscles between workout sessions to repair and grow. The Push Pull Legs Split is praised for allowing ample recovery time because it divides workouts into different muscle groups, ensuring that the same muscle group is not trained consecutively, which can lead to overtraining.

💡Consistency

Consistency is highlighted as a key factor for achieving results in bodybuilding. The video script emphasizes that it's better to stick to a training split that one enjoys and can maintain over time rather than one that might be optimal but is not sustainable due to lack of interest or enjoyment.

💡Training Split

A 'Training Split' refers to the division of different muscle groups across various days of the week. The video discusses how to build an effective Push Pull Legs Split, providing an example routine. It is a fundamental concept in the script as it dictates how one's workout schedule is organized.

💡Workout Routine

A 'Workout Routine' is a planned sequence of exercises designed to achieve specific fitness goals. The video provides a detailed example of a Push Pull Legs workout routine, complete with exercises and rep ranges for each muscle group, illustrating how to structure a week's worth of training.

💡Rep Range

Rep Range refers to the number of repetitions one performs for a given exercise. In the video, rep ranges are specified for various exercises to guide viewers on how to structure their sets for optimal muscle development and strength gains.

💡Warm-up

Warm-up is the initial phase of a workout designed to prepare the body for more intense exercise. The script mentions warming up before starting the main exercises, such as bench press and overhead press, to ensure safety and effectiveness.

💡Back Offset

A 'Back Offset' in the video refers to reducing the weight used in an exercise after an initial heavy set, allowing for more repetitions. This concept is used to manage fatigue and still achieve a comprehensive workout on the second compound lift of the day.

💡Superset

Supersetting involves performing two exercises back-to-back with little to no rest in between. The video suggests supersetting exercises as a way to save time and increase the intensity of the workout.

💡Leg Day

Leg Day is a specific day dedicated to training the leg muscles. In the video, Leg Day is broken down into exercises targeting quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, providing a comprehensive lower body workout.

Highlights

Introduction to the push-pull-legs (PPL) split, a workout routine dividing exercises into three categories: push, pull, and leg workouts.

Emphasis on choosing a training split that fits your schedule and preferences for consistency and enjoyment.

Explanation of the push workout focusing on upper body pushing muscles: chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Description of the pull workout targeting upper body pulling muscles: back and biceps.

Details on the leg workout concentrating on quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Advantage of PPL: Allows for focused training on specific muscle groups with ample recovery time.

Disadvantage of PPL: Performing compound lifts for chest and shoulders on the same day can lead to reduced effectiveness.

Recommendation for a 6-day per week schedule for PPL, with options for rest days.

Guidelines for building a training split, suggesting 2-3 exercises per muscle group.

Example of a push day routine with a focus on chest exercises.

Second push day routine with a focus on shoulder exercises after chest.

Pull day one routine with an emphasis on vertical pulling movements.

Pull day two routine focusing on horizontal pulling movements.

Leg day one routine prioritizing quad exercises.

Leg day two routine concentrating on hamstrings and glutes.

Advice on not exceeding the recommended number of exercises to avoid an overwhelming routine.

Encouragement to try the PPL split and ask questions in the comments for further clarification.

Reminder to like, share, and subscribe for more fitness content.

Transcripts

welcome to bodybuilding simplified where

I make complicated things easy to

understand today I'm gonna be talking

about the push pull X split AKA PPL I'm

gonna tell you what Push Pull likes

split actually is what are the pros and

cons and how to build a push-pull like

split yourself that will best fit your

needs and if you don't want to build

anything yourself there will also be an

example push-pull like routine that you

can use and before we actually start

remember that you should choose a

training split that best fits your

schedule and that you actually enjoy

because if you do something you don't

like you will most likely not be able to

stick to it for a longer time so even

though some split might be most optimal

you are still better off doing something

that you look forward to and that you

actually enjoy ultimately this is what

is gonna give you the best results the

consistency and hard work are the key no

matter the split so let's get started

what actually is the push pull like

split as you can see by the name it's a

split that divides your workouts into

three specific workouts so first the

push workout where you train the upper

body pushing muscles so chest shoulders

and the triceps then we have the pull

workout which focuses on the upper body

pulling muscles so the back and the

biceps and the leg workout is of course

focused on training your legs so quads

hamstrings glutes and calves now let's

talk about the pros and cons let's start

with the pros Push Pull legs will allow

you to really focus on specific muscle

groups and it will also give you a lot

of time to recover between sessions

because you are going to be training

other parts of your body before you get

to the same body part again and now for

the cons the thing I hate the most about

the push pull like split personally is

that you have to do a compound lift for

the chest and also for the shoulders in

the same day which means that the

compound lift that you are going to do

second is going to be less effect active

because you are already weakened from

the first compound press and also if you

are having problems with your shoulders

like if they hurt when you do too much

pressing that's also not gonna be very

nice but there are ways to get around it

which I will talk about later now let's

talk about how Push Pull legs is usually

run there are many variations that you

can use but I would personally recommend

the 6 day per week schedule as it's the

easiest to program you can either take

the rest day after three sessions in

between the week or you can take the

rest day at the end of the week do

whatever suits you better now let's get

into the most important part the routine

example that I have prepared for you

there are a couple of things you should

keep in mind when you are building a

training split I have talked about these

things in a video about training and

programming so if you have not seen that

video yet go check it out to learn more

about crafting the most effective split

of your dreams I will be applying the

methods I mentioned in that video to

this training split so it can be as

effective as possible so when you want

to make a push pull like split you

should have at least two to three

exercises for each body part in the

given day don't go over this number

trust me it will become an absolute mess

when you add so many unnecessary

exercises so let's start with the push

day one this push day is gonna be more

focused on the chest so the first thing

you are gonna do is that you will work

your way up so you are warmed up for

your main exercise for the chest then

you can start your two sets of bench

press in the 5 to 8 rep range you should

really use weight that is challenging so

you can get stronger and after you are

done with those two sets you are going

to do one back offset in the 8 to 12 rep

range which means you are gonna lower

the weight a little bit but you still

want it to be challenging then you will

move on to the incline bench press and

you will do three sets of 8 to 12 reps

and you finish it off with 3 sets of

dumbbell flies in the 12 to 20 rep range

this exercise sizes covered the chest

part of the push day now we can move on

to the shoulders since you will be a

little weaker after all that pressing

you have already done you will do three

sets for your overhead press in the 12

to 15 rep range so that means you are

going to be using a weight that is a

little lighter now the only exercise is

left in this push day are cable push

Downs School Crushers and lateral raises

for all of this you want to do three

sets of 12 to 20 reps you can do them in

whatever order you want you can even

superset them so you get them done

faster so this was the whole push day

one now I'm gonna show you push Day 2

immediately so you can see the

differences right away so push Day 2 is

going to be more focused on the

shoulders because remember when I said

that you have to do both chest and

shoulder compound presses in the same

workout so either the chest or the

shoulders are gonna suffer depending on

what you do later in the workout this is

the solution the first push day we did

chest first and and focused on getting

stronger on it and then did shoulders

later with lighter weight now it's gonna

be the other way around because we want

to get the best of both worlds so you

will start your push Day 2 with working

your way up so you are warmed up for

your two heavy sets of overhead press in

the 5 to 8 rep range and then you do a

one back offset in the 8 to 12 rep range

and now you can start with your chest

exercises first the flat bench press

three sets of 12 to 15 reps and then

incline press variation of your choice

ideally something different from push

day 1 for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps and

then you finish it up with 3 sets of

cable flies in the 12 to 20 rep range

and again at the end you are left with

the tricep push down Skull Crusher and

lateral raise for all of them do 3 sets

of 12 to 20 reps so these were the push

Days 1 and 2 that focus on chest

shoulders and triceps now let's move to

the pulling workouts which will Target

at the back and the biceps so the pull

workout number one is gonna be more

focused on the vertical pulling

movements so you start with weighted

pull-ups in the 8-12 rep range for three

sets and if you can do a weighted pull

up you can just do body weight pull ups

or even assisted pull-ups now you are

gonna move over to straight arm pull

Downs three sets of 12 to 20 reps and

then 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps of a rowing

exercise I will use The Meadows row here

as it's one of my favorite ones and then

you finish your back with 3 sets of 12

to 15 reps of Shreks this finished the

back portion of the pull day one but we

still have all the bicep exercises to do

so first you are going to do three sets

of barbell strict curl in the 8 to 10

reps really trying to focus on getting

stronger after that you need a curl

variation that focuses on your

brachialis so for example Hammer curl

three sets of 8 to 12 reps and lastly

something for your biceps speak so three

sets of 12 to 20 reps on the pre-chukuro

and now we are almost done with the

spool day one the last thing left is the

rear delts even though they are a part

of the shoulder they are turned on the

pull days and not on the push days

because rear delts are working in a lot

of pulling exercises which means it's

better to train them on pool days so we

are going to do three sets of bent over

rear Del flies in the 12 to 20 rep range

ok so this was the pull day one now

let's go to the pull day to pull Day 2

is gonna be more focused on the

horizontal pulling movements so you

start with three sets of barbell rows in

the 8-12 rep range then you move on to

the seated cable row where you do three

sets of 12 to 20 reps these vary your

horizontal Focus movements now let's add

in one vertical movement so do three

sets of light pull Downs in the 12 to 15

reps and finish your back with 3 sets of

12 to 15 reps of shrugs again but this

time do them behind your back now for

the bicep focused part of the pull day2

start again view three sets of 8 to 10

reps of barbell strict rows then move

over to Cable hammer curls in the 12 to

20 reps and lastly do three sets of 8 to

12 reps of concentration curls and you

need to finish the workout with three

sets of a real dealt exercise we did the

bend over real gold flies in the

previous day so now we are going to do

three sets of 12 to 20 reps of Facebooks

so that's it this concludes all the

pulling days now the last two days

missing are the two luck days so the leg

day number one is gonna be more focused

on the quotes we will start with squats

so warm up until you get to your working

weight then do two sets of 5 to 8 reps

and one back offset in the 8 to 12 rep

range then you do 3 sets of lunges in

the 12 to 20 reference and finish your

quotes off with 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps

of flag extensions this concludes all

the work for the quotes on this day now

we need one exercise for the hamster

strings so do three sets of Romanian

deadlifts in the 8th to 12 rep range and

don't forget about calves do three sets

of 8 to 12 reps of calf raises at the

end of your workout so this was the leg

day number one now let's move on to the

leg day number two so like the number

two is more focused on the hamstrings

and the glutes so you will start with 3

sets of hip thrusts in the 8 to 12 rep

range then you do three sets of good

mornings in the 8 to 12 rep range and

then you do 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps of

hamstring curls next up you do three

sets of leg press in the 12 to 20 rep

range and then you finish the glutes

with 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps of the

glute Kickbacks and once again don't

forget about your calves so 3 sets of 15

to 20 reps of calf raises so this

completes the leg day number two and

also the whole push-pull leg training

split now you should know everything

about this training split so go ahead

and try it out for yourself if you still

have any questions about split ask them

in the comments below and thank you so

much for watching don't forget to like

the video and to share this video with

anyone who is struggling to find a good

training split for them and if you still

haven't subscribed this would be a great

time to do so thanks