3-Day Push Pull Legs Plan
Push, pull and legs, once each a week. Pick your goal and equipment and you get every session with sets, reps and rest. No sign-up.
Want full body or upper/lower instead? Use the training plan generator.
Goal
Equipment
Build muscle, push pull legs, 3 days a week, full gym.
For example Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Day 1: Push
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 3 × 6-10 | 2 min |
| Overhead press | 3 × 6-10 | 2 min |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
| Triceps pushdown | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
| Lateral raise | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
Day 2: Pull
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 × 6-10 | 2 min |
| Pull-up or assisted pull-up | 3 × 6-10 | 2 min |
| Barbell row | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
| Face pull | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
| Dumbbell curl | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
Day 3: Legs
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 6-10 | 2 min |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 6-10 | 2 min |
| Leg press | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
| Leg curl | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 8-12 | 60-90 s |
Most sets should finish with one or two good reps left. Keep the rest times so the sets stay honest.
How to progress
Each exercise has a rep range. When you hit the top of the range on every set with good form, add a little weight next session and start again at the bottom of the range. Can't add weight? Add a rep, slow the lowering, or add a pause. Write down what you did so next week has something to beat.
New to keeping a log? Here's what to write in a gym diary.
Day 1 written as a Twaka log
Add the weight you used, like "Bench press 3x8 @ 60kg". Twaka reads the sets, reps and weight and keeps the progress for you.
Not sure how hard a set was? Here's how to log RPE.
General training information, not medical or coaching advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, talk to a qualified health professional before starting a new program.
Questions people ask
- Should I do push pull legs 3 or 6 days a week?
- Three days runs each session once a week. It's easier to fit around work and leaves more time to recover. Six days runs each session twice a week, so you train each muscle more often, but it takes more time and more recovery. If you're newer to lifting or short on time, start with three. Move to six once three feels easy to keep up.
- What goes on push, pull and legs days?
- Push days are presses for chest, shoulders and triceps, like bench press and overhead press. Pull days are rows, pull-ups and curls for back and biceps, and the gym plan puts deadlifts here too. Legs days are squats, hinges, lunges and calf work.
- What are the A and B days?
- The 6-day plan runs each day twice a week. The A and B versions use different exercises, so your two push days aren't the same session. The 3-day plan uses one version of each day.
- How do I log a push pull legs plan?
- Label each session Push, Pull or Legs and write one line per exercise, like "Bench press 3x8 @ 60kg". Before you train, look at the last time you did that same day. Compare push with last push, not with yesterday's pull.
- When should I add weight?
- When you hit the top of the rep range on every set with good form, add a little weight next session and work back up the range. If you can't add weight, add a rep instead. Writing each session down is the easiest way to know what to beat.
Track this program in Twaka
Twaka is a training tracker for iPhone. Write each session the way you would say it, like "Bench press 3x8 @ 60kg", and it keeps the sets, weights and progress for you. It's on the App Store.
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