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Push, Pull, Legs: a workout plan for 5 to 6 days

Push pull legs for muscle growth, with every exercise, set and rest period.

  • 3Workouts in rotation
  • 5–6Sessions per week
  • 45–55Minutes per session
  • 3Sets per exercise

Shown for muscle growth with some experience, in a gym. Tarvo adjusts the plan to your answers.

Push, Pull, Legs splits training into three workouts: pushing for chest, shoulders and triceps, pulling for back and biceps, then legs. Rotating them over 5 to 6 days, you train every muscle about twice a week.

A week with six workouts

  1. MonPush
  2. TuePull
  3. WedLegs
  4. ThuPush
  5. FriPull
  6. SatLegs
  7. SunRest

The three workouts

Leg extension and leg curl are a superset, alternating one set of each.

Pull

5 exercises · 15 sets · 45 min
  1. Lat PulldownCable3 × 8–122:00
  2. Seated RowCable3 × 8–122:00
  3. Reverse FlyMachine3 × 12–201:30
  4. Bicep CurlDumbbells3 × 12–201:30
  5. Hammer CurlDumbbells3 × 12–201:30

Legs

6 exercises · 18 sets · 55 min
  1. SquatBarbell3 × 6–102:30
  2. Romanian DeadliftBarbell3 × 6–102:30
  3. Leg PressMachine3 × 8–122:00
  4. Leg ExtensionMachine · Superset3 × 12–201:30
  5. Seated Leg CurlMachine · Superset3 × 12–201:30
  6. Calf RaiseMachine3 × 12–201:30

Who is Push, Pull, Legs for?

For anyone training 5 or 6 days a week. That many days spread a lot of sets over short workouts. In Tarvo, the plan is called “High volume for experienced lifters”.

With 2 to 3 days, Full body fits better; with 4, Upper/Lower.

Why is the plan built this way?

  • About twice a week per muscle. With the same number of sets, frequency doesn’t matter for growth [1]; two sessions per muscle spread the sets so none gets out of hand [2].
  • Rep ranges by exercise: compound lifts 6–10, medium exercises 8–12, small exercises 12–20 reps. Muscles grow across a wide range of loads as long as the set gets close to failure [3, 4].
  • Rest by exercise: compound lifts 2:30 min, medium 2:00 min, small 1:30 min. Above 90 seconds, rest makes no visible difference for growth [5].

Can I change the plan?

Yes. In Tarvo it’s a regular plan: swap exercises and change sets and rep ranges. Sets per exercise follow your experience: 2 if you’re new, 3 with some experience, 4 if you’re experienced.

If you train at home with dumbbells or only a barbell, Tarvo picks exercises that work with your equipment.

Questions

How many days a week for push pull legs?

5 or 6. With 6 days, every muscle gets trained exactly twice a week; with 5, the rotation carries on into the next week.

Is push pull legs good for beginners?

It works, but you don’t need it. With the same number of sets, it doesn’t matter for growth how often per week you train a muscle [1]. With only 2 to 3 days, go with Full body.

How long does a workout take?

Push and Pull about 45 minutes, Legs about 55, with 3 sets per exercise. That’s how Tarvo estimates duration from the number of sets.

Push pull legs or upper lower?

Go by your days: 4 days upper/lower, 5 to 6 days push, pull, legs. With the same number of sets, muscles grow equally with both [1].

Sources

  1. [1]Schoenfeld, Grgic, Krieger (2019). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy?. J Sports Sci. doi 10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906Meta-analysis of 25 studies. With the same number of sets, muscles grew equally regardless of weekly frequency.
  2. [2]Helms, Fitschen, Aragon, Cronin, Schoenfeld (2015). Recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: resistance and cardiovascular training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govReview for natural bodybuilding. Most reps between 6 and 12, each muscle at least twice a week.
  3. [3]Schoenfeld, Grgic, Ogborn, Krieger (2017). Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. doi 10.1519/jsc.0000000000002200Meta-analysis of 21 studies. Muscles grew equally with light and heavy loads; strength grew more with heavy loads.
  4. [4]Lopez et al. (2021). Resistance Training Load Effects on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. doi 10.1249/mss.0000000000002585Network meta-analysis of 28 studies. No difference in growth between light, moderate and heavy loads; heavy loads win for strength.
  5. [5]Singer, Wolf et al. (2024). Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy. Front Sports Act Living. doi 10.3389/fspor.2024.1429789Meta-analysis of 9 studies. A small edge above 60 seconds, no visible difference for growth above 90 seconds.

Other plans

PlanUpper/LowerExerciseBench pressLearnWorkout splitLearnHow many sets per muscle?

Push, Pull, Legs is built into Tarvo.

As a starter plan, with a target for every set that rises week by week.

One email when Tarvo launches. Nothing else. Privacy

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