Push-Pull-Legs Workout: 6-Day Routine for Mass and Strength

There’s one workout routine that I go back to a few times a year when I feel I need to break past a plateau and build more muscle.

It’s the Push-Pull-Legs workout.

Chance are you’ve heard of this workout, but I’m going to give you a completely new way approach to this training style. So get ready, because this is gonna be intense! 

I’m also going to give you 2 routines for this workout method:

• 3-day basic push-pull-legs routine
• 6-day advanced push-pull-leg routine

Recommended Pre-Workout for this Routine:
Alpha Lion Superhuman
This will open a new tab to my review page where I also have a discount code you can use!

What is a Push-Pull-Legs Routine?

Before we dive into the workout, let’s cover the basics of what the push-pull legs routine is.

• Push Day Workout: Chest, shoulders, and triceps
• Pull Day Workout: Back and biceps
• Leg Day Workout: Well, this one’s pretty obvious…legs

Since you’re working multiple muscles in each workout, you won’t be doing as many exercises for those muscle groups. Of course, legs are an exception as all of us usually have a full workout dedicated to just legs (and rightfully so!). 

Because of this, you can expect to spend a little more time in the gym. I recommend that you give yourself at least an hour for each workout.

Now let’s get into your routines. I’ll first go over the basic 3-day routine and then we’ll get into the advanced 6-day routine.

**If you’re new to weight training and bodybuilding, I recommend that you read this post first: Fundamentals of Weight Training for Beginners

Basic 3-Day Push Pull Legs Workout

Before I give you my personal 6-day workout, I want you to have a copy of a basic Push Pull Legs workout routine.

You may want to start with this if you’re new to the concept, or new to working out in general. 

Training Split for 3-Day Routine

Below is a standard, basic push, pull, legs workout routine. 

• Monday: Push
• Tuesday: Rest
• Wednesday: Pull
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Legs
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: Rest

*Many lifters will do this because it gives you a day of rest between workouts, which is ideal for recovery. It’s also more feasible to dedicate 3 days to training. 

Workout Notes:

Here are some workout notes for the 3-day routine below:

• Take at least 1 day off between workouts
• Rest about a minute between your sets for heavy compound exercises
• Rest no more than 45-seconds between the other sets
• Give yourself an hour to an hour and a half to complete each workout
• Do some light cardio on your rest days, like walking
• You can stay on this routine for as long as you want; I recommend at least 8 weeks

**Remember, this is just the basic 3-day routine so that you have an idea of what the program looks like. 

The real workout routine I want you to do is Jason’s 6-Day Push Pull Legs Workout down below this 3-day routine. 

Workout 1: Push Day

Workout 2: Pull Day

Workout 3: Leg Day

Recommended Pre-Workout for this Routine:
Alpha Lion Superhuman
This will open a new tab to my review page where I also have a discount code you can use!

Jason’s 6-Day Push-Pull Legs Workout

My personal Push Pull Legs workout requires 6 days a week.  So you’ll be training each muscle twice per week. The goal here is ultimate muscle growth (that probably sounded cheesy, but that’s the goal!).

It’s a bit different from the basic one above. And it’s going to be more intense, mainly because of the lack of rest days.

Training Split for 6-Day Routine

The first round of workouts (first 3 days) you’ll be going heavy. In the last 3 days of the week, you’ll be doing higher reps. So your schedule will look like the below…

• Monday: Heavy Push
• Tuesday: Heavy Pull
• Wednesday: Heavy Legs
• Thursday: Light Push
• Friday: Light Pull
• Saturday: Light Legs
• Sunday: Rest

Workout Notes:

Here are some facts you should know…

• Your first 3 days are heavy workouts, specifically on your compound exercises
• Your final 3 days are going to be with lighter weight and more reps
• You’ll also be doing some different exercises during those last 3 days (this is to build more symmetry)
• Rest 30- 45 seconds between all sets
• Do this 6-day routine anywhere from 3-6 weeks
• Eat massive amounts of food on this program; you will need it!
• Get plenty of sleep each night (typical, I know, but it’s worth saying because this program is going to take a lot out of you)

If you’re looking for more of a bodybuilding-style workout program, check out my post: 6-Day Bro Split Bodybuilding Workout Plan

Workout 1: Heavy Push Day

Workout 2: Heavy Pull Day

Workout 3: Heavy Leg Day

Workout 4: Light Push Day

Workout 5: Light Pull Day

Workout 6: Light Leg Day

Take the Pre-Workout I’m taking (read more):
Alpha Lion Superhuman
This will open a new tab to my review page where I also have a discount code you can use!

Push-Pull Legs Diet

When you’re training hard and heavy, your diet is just as important for muscle growth and recovery. So it’s important to have a solid meal plan.

Here are some key points to base your nutrition plan on this kind of workout program:

• Eat high-quality protein with every meal
• Eat plenty of green vegetables with at least 3 of your meals
• Eat fruits with protein post-workout
• Eat complex carb sources, such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and whole grains throughout the day for energy
• Keep your calories high enough to give you energy and for muscle growth (you will burn a ton of calories with these types of workouts, especially if you do the 6-day push-pull legs routine)

Here are some additional meal planning resources I have written for you:

• Meal Plans for Mass and Strength Gains
• 5,000 Calorie Mass Gains Meal Plan

Push-Pull Legs Supplements for Mass Gains

First of all, you don’t have to be that guy with 10 different supplements on top of your fridge. Um…yes, I’ve been that guy!

I’m a firm believer in sticking with basic supplements for mass gains, and here they are:

• Pre-Workout – Crucial for this type of workout program because of the length and frequency of your workouts.
  See what I recommend below
• Multivitamins – Do NOT neglect to take your vitamins on this program!
• Whey Protein – You’re going to need whey protein for post-workout and to have on hand in case you can’t eat a full meal.
• Creatine Monohydrate – Take this before and after your workouts. It’s the most simple, yet effective supplement for gaining muscle mass.  

Try My Recommended Pre-Workout:
Alpha Lion Superhuman
This will open a new tab to my review page where I also have a discount code you can use!

Start Your New Workout Program Now

Are you ready to start my 6-day workout routine for push, pull, legs workout?. Here’s short a recap of why it works so well for muscle gains.  

• The first three workouts are based on heavy compound movements. This will help you get stronger, and you’ll pack on dense muscle mass. 
• There’s also some hypertrophy in these workouts. You don’t want to do low reps for every single exercise because we want to bring out the shape. 
• The final three workouts of the week are based on higher reps. These workouts will pump more blood into the muscle and will help get you ripped and conditioned.

The push-pull legs routine is one of my favorite workouts. Training six days a week is tough but you’ll also stay on this for 3-6 weeks. Beyond 6 weeks, you could indeed run into an issue of overtraining (due to the lack of rest days for recovery). 

It’s almost impossible not to make gains on this program. It’s a mixture of everything that screams muscle building, with heavy lifting and repping out. 

I ‘strongly’ encourage you to start this workout, like today. And please feel free to share this post!

READ NEXT: Be sure to read about the pre-workout I take and recommend called Alpha Lion Superhuman
You’ll see why I call this ‘the’ pre-workout!

Train with Passion,

Jason