Push, pull, legs workout: Exercises for muscle gain

Your strength training goals may include increasing your strength and gaining muscle. But doing the same exercise every day will get monotonous and make you hit a plateau. It will also not target all the muscle groups, so you will need to consider a more specialised workout routine. Push, pull, legs or PPL method is a training routine that divides workouts into three categories. Each muscle group gets trained separately, on a different day. One day you can focus on your chest, shoulders, and triceps. The next day you can perform exercises for your back, and biceps. Then the following day, you can work on your lower body, which includes the hamstrings, calves, glutes.

What is the push, pull, legs workout?

Strength training is not all about building muscle and strength. It may help in prevention of type 2 diabetes, enhance cardiovascular health, promote bone development, and may be effective for reducing low back pain, as per research published in Current Sports Medicine Reports in 2012. Splitting your strength training routine by focusing on different muscle groups on separate days may be more effective. “The push, pull, legs (PPL) workout is a training style split by organising exercises which benefit specific body muscles,” says fitness expert Aman Puri.

• Push day emphasises exercises that incorporate pushing actions focussing on the upper body muscles like the chest, shoulders, and triceps,
• Pull day involves exercises with pulling actions, primarily aimed at muscles of the back, biceps, and forearms.
• Leg day targets the lower body, focusing on the hip flexors, hamstrings, calves and glutes and abdomen muscles.

“Typically, it involves training three to six times a week, rotating through the three categories,” says fitness expert Yash Agarwal.

What are the health benefits of the push, pull, legs workout?

Split workout routine like push, pull, legs may be effective in stimulating muscle growth in people who do strength training, as per a 2021 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Here are some of the benefits –

1. Promotes balanced muscle development

The push, pull, leg workout targets different muscles each time, ensuring a balanced workout schedule. “This balance increases the total functional strength as well as growth of muscles,” says Puri.

2. Prevents over or under doing exercise

Over or underdoing a workout is a common issue. There can be no relaxation while overdoing, and no muscle strength while underdoing an exercise. The push, pull, legs exercises are performed in such a way that there is enough rest for the muscles and no overlapping of exercises or overworking of the same muscles again and again.

3. Increased strength

“It incorporates movements that build overall strength efficiently,” says Agarwal. Exercises such as squats and deadlifts improve strength for a variety of muscle groups.

4. Enhanced muscle hypertrophy

By focusing on a particular weakened muscle area or isolating muscles of the injury area, the PPL split helps achieve growth of muscle mass and volume. “This may result in better body composition,” says Puri.

5. Allows personalisation and flexibility

The PPL split exercise regime gives the flexibility to easily customise your exercise and training frequency for strengthening particular muscles. You can just customise and increase the number of sets or reps as per your body’s strength and ability.

6. Prevents fatigue and reduces risk of injury

Alternating between push, pull and leg days can help the muscles to recover, allowing you to maintain the intensity and improving circulation and oxygenation without the risk of soreness. “Also, when you do balanced training, it minimises the risk of overuse injuries by distributing workload,” says Agarwal.

What are the best exercises for the push, pull, legs workout?

Since the push, pull, legs workout targets different body parts, try including the following exercises in your workout routine –

1. Push exercises

Bench press

• Keep your feet flat and lie down on a bench.
• Grip the barbell a little bit wider than shoulder-width.
• Bring the bar closer to your chest then push it back up.

Overhead press

• To do overhead press, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Grip the barbell at your shoulder level.
• Press the barbell overhead until your arms get completely extended.

2. Pull exercises

Pull-ups

• Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
• Pull your body up until your chin is above the bar.

Bent-over rows

• To do bent-over rows, stand with your feet hip-width apart, and bend your knees a little bit.
• Bend at your hips and keep your back straight.
• Pull the barbell towards your waist then lower it.

3. Leg exercises

Squats

• To do squats, the first thing you need to do to stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Keep your back straight and bend your knees aa you lower your body.
• Return to the standing position.

Deadlifts

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and barbell in the front.
• Bend at your hips and knees to firmly grip the barbell.
• Lift the equipment by extending your hips and knees.

Who should avoid the push, pull, legs workout?

“The push, pull, legs routine can be done by a wide range of individuals, but some may choose to avoid it,” says Puri.

• People having specific injuries or those in the process of recovering from exercise can avoid engaging in this routine.
• Beginners new to weight training or workouts should focus on basic movements and overall fitness before intensifying their workouts.
• Older people should avoid this workout as the high-intensity exercises can affect the bones.

The push, pull, legs workout can be beneficial for those who want to target varied muscle groups for their development and growth. But consider your level of fitness before going for push, pull, legs workout for muscle growth.