The “push pull legs upper lower” (PPLUL) split is a 5-day per week weightlifting program that combines the push pull legs and upper lower splits.
The push pull legs split is generally a 3-day per week routine that involves dedicating a single day to pushing, pulling, and legs (lower body), usually on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The upper lower split is generally a 4-day per week routine that involves alternating between upper- and lower-body workouts, usually on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.
With PPLUL, you essentially take half of a typical upper lower split and bolt it onto the back of a push pull legs split, and voila, you have a push pull legs upper lower split.
There are a few reasons you might want to give it a try:
Keep reading to learn exactly how to make this split work for you.
The push pull legs upper lower split (often shortened to “PPLUL split” or simply “PPLUL”) is a 5-day strength training routine combining the push pull legs and upper lower splits.
The PPLUL split can work well for gymgoers of all experience levels. That said, it usually suits people with some training experience best, because it involves more training volume and frequency than many beginners need to make good progress, and some newer lifters may find a 5-day schedule overwhelming.
PPLUL organizes workouts based on movement patterns or the area of the body you’re training. The five types of workouts in the PPLUL split are:
In most cases, people schedule the push pull legs upper lower 5 day split like this:
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Let’s break down the key benefits that make the PPLUL split an outstanding option for gaining muscle and strength.
If you follow most PPLUL splits as written, you’ll end up training your upper body 3 days per week and your lower body twice per week, which is a good balance for most people’s goals.
Most people (especially guys) prefer to train their upper body more than their lower body, and most people (men and women) find that they can train their upper body muscles more frequently than their lower bodies.
You can modify almost any workout routine to suit your goals and preferences, but the PPLUL split is an extremely good starting place for most people.
You train each muscle group twice a week on PPLUL, which research shows is more effective for gaining mass and strength than training them less often.12
You also train different muscle groups on different days, giving each at least two days to recover while you work on others. This minimizes your risk of suffering repetitive strain injuries and ensures you can give maximal effort in your workouts, which helps with progressive tension overload—the primary driver of muscle growth.
The PPLUL split keeps things simple by focusing your workouts on movement patterns and targeting large areas of your body. A straightforward routine like this makes training more enjoyable, and when you enjoy your workouts, you’re far more likely to stick with them (and see results!).
When you train just one muscle group per workout, its performance typically plummets before your workout finishes. To compensate, you usually have to lift lighter weights or do fewer reps in your later sets, which stymies your progress over time.
With the push pull legs upper lower split, you never train any one muscle group to the point of exhaustion. This allows you to perform high-quality reps with heavy weights throughout all your workouts, which is generally better for building muscle and gaining strength.
Here’s an excellent 5-day PPLUL split for building muscle and getting strong.
It works so well because it centers around compound exercises that allow you to lift heavy weights and progress regularly, so they’re ideal for gaining mass and strength.
It also includes an ideal mix of volume and intensity for getting bigger and stronger without wearing yourself out.
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The PPLUL split works exceptionally well, but it’s not everyone’s favorite sequence. If you prefer a different approach, the ULPPL split is a solid alternative. It rearranges your training to start with upper and lower body workouts, followed by push, pull, and leg days.
You could just reshuffle your PPLUL workouts to match this format, but it generally works best if you also rejigger a few of the workout so your hardest exercises occur earlier in the week, when you’re freshest.
Here’s how:
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Yes, PPLUL works exceptionally well for beginners. It’s a straightforward routine that balances volume and recovery effectively, making it easy to follow and helping you build strength and muscle without overloading yourself.
That said, beginners can also make excellent progress with fewer training days. If committing to five hard training days per week feels overwhelming, starting with a less frequent routine might be a better fit.
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It depends on how often you want to train. If you want to train 5 days a week, the PPLUL split is superior to the traditional 3-day PPL split because it allows for more frequency and volume.
On the other hand, if you can only train 3 days per week, the regular PPL split is the better option because it fits your schedule more realistically.
That said, you can easily tweak PPL to make it a 5-day routine. In that case, the two programs are nearly identical, so do whichever you prefer.
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The main difference between PPLUL and ULPPL is the order of the workouts.
In a PPLUL split, you train push, pull, and legs first, then finish the week with upper and lower body workouts. In a ULPPL split, you do upper and lower body workouts first, then finish the week with push, pull, and legs.
In practice, the two splits are very similar. The best option usually comes down to which workout order you prefer and which best fits your schedule.
PPLUL is an excellent splits for people who want to train 5 days per week and build muscle and strength with a balanced, high-frequency routine.
That said, it isn’t the best split for everyone. If you can only train 3 or 4 days per week, or you recover poorly from higher-volume, higher-frequency training, another split may suit you better.
In other words, PPLUL is a solid option, but the “best” split is the one that matches your goals, schedule, recovery, and preferences and that you can stick with consistently.
This depends on your schedule and goals. An upper-lower split typically involves 4 training days per week, while PPLUL spreads your workouts over 5 days. The extra day of training allows for more volume, which should lead to slightly better results if you recover well.
However, if you can only train four days a week, an upper-lower split is an excellent alternative that can still deliver impressive results.
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