The Best, Simplest Workout Plan

Push, Pull, Legs. It’s a 3 day training split that has garnered a ton of praise from bodybuilders in recent years.

The beauty of this program lies in its simplicity. Each day of the split is broken up in a way that will allow the user to work every body part while also giving each enough time to recover before its up for another round.

At the end of the 3 days, either take a rest day, an active recovery day (everybody's favorite, cardio! #sarcasmfont), or for the Untapped-fueled savages out there: circle right back to day 1 and repeat.

PUSH

Push day is structured around pushing/pressing exercises. This means the focus is on chest, arms, and shoulders. For example, the bench press is a push exercise that primarily targets the chest and triceps. Another push exercise would be dips, again focusing on the triceps.

PULL

On pull days the emphasis is on exercises that work the back, biceps, and shoulders. The primary biggest difference here is that the exercises are focused on the back. While the arms and shoulders still get a great deal of attention, the back is definitely the star of the show.

LEGS

Lastly, there are leg days which switch up the focus on lower body exercises. This means anything from working the quads with squats to the posterior chain including the hamstrings and glutes with the deadlift.

Note that there will always be a little spillover -- deadlifts hit legs and back. Shoulders play at least some supporting role in many different pushing and pulling exercises. This overlap is built into the plan and shouldn't be worried about.

Just focus on dividing days up by movement pattern (ie, pushing, pulling, or legs).

EXAMPLE WORKOUTS

Day 1: Legs 1

Superset

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Squat	3	4 (80% of 1RM)
Romanian Deadlift	3	10
Single Leg Press	3	15
Leg Extension	3	10-12
Seated Leg Curls	3	10-12
Standing Calf Raise	3	10-12
Decline Crunches	2	10-12
Planks	2	30 seconds

Day 2: Push 1

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	3	8 (72.5% of 1 RM)
Machine Shoulder Press	3	12
Dips	3	12-15
Skullcrushers	3	8-10
Lateral Raise	3	12
Cable Triceps Kickbacks	3	20-30

Day 3: Pull 1

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Pull-Up	3	6
Seated Cable Row	3	10-12
Cable Pullover	3	15-20
Hammer Curl	3	8-10
Incline Dumbbell Curl	2	12-15

Day 4: Legs 2

Superset

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Deadlift	3	3 (80-85% of 1 RM)
Squat	3	10-12
Hip Thrust	3	15
Hamstring Curl	2	10-12
Back Extension	2	10-12

 

Single-Leg Calf Raise	3	8-10
Hanging Leg Raise	3	30 seconds

Day 5: Push 2

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Overhead Press	4	4 (80%)
Close-Grip Bench Press	3	10
Cable Crossover	3	10-12
Overhead Triceps Extension	3	10-12
Lateral Raise 21’s	3	7/7/7
Neck Flexion/Extension	3	10-12

Day 6: Pull 2

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Lat Pulldown	3	10-12
Chest Supported Row	3	10-12
Rope Face Pull	3	15-20
Incline Dumbbell Shrug	3	15-20

Optional

Reverse Pec Deck	2	15+ 10-15
Pronated/Supinated Curl	3	10/10

 

FOR BEST RESULTS 

You don't need supplements to get fit. But they sure can help...

SUMMED UP

This push, pull, legs routine is a very effective workout in seeing total body gains. For those looking to challenge themselves while also seeing great growth, give this workout a try and see what it can do for you. With the right exercises dialed in at just the right sets and reps ranges, Push, Pull, Legs is a tough workout split to beat.

 

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