The push pull legs and higher decrease splits are two of the preferred coaching routines—and for good cause. Each are extremely efficient for constructing muscle and power.
However they’re not with out flaws.
Critics of push pull legs argue it doesn’t practice muscle tissues typically sufficient for optimum progress, whereas the higher decrease break up falls quick if you wish to practice greater than 4 days every week.
Luckily, you don’t have to choose one or the opposite.
Enter the “push pull legs higher decrease” (PPLUL) break up—a 5-day program that mixes one of the best of each routines whereas eliminating their downsides.
On this article, you’ll be taught what the PPLUL break up is, why it really works, and the way to use it to construct muscle and power.
Key Takeaways:
- The “push pull legs higher decrease” (PPLUL) break up is a 5-day exercise routine that mixes the push pull legs and higher decrease splits.
- PPLUL organizes exercises by motion patterns or the areas of the physique being educated, with push, pull, legs, higher, and decrease exercises.
- Its major advantages embrace serving to you construct balanced muscle, coaching every main muscle group often sufficient to optimize progress, maintaining your exercises easy, and balancing quantity and frequency to make sure your coaching is top quality.
- Should you dislike the PPLUL schedule, the higher decrease push pull legs (ULPPL) break up is a good various.
What Is the Push Pull Legs Higher Decrease (PPLUL) Break up?
The push pull legs higher decrease break up (typically shortened to “PPLUP break up” or just “PPLUP”) is a 5-day power coaching routine combining the push pull legs and higher decrease splits.
PPLUL organizes exercises primarily based on the motion sample or space of the physique you practice. The 5 several types of exercises within the PPLUL break up are:
- Push exercises: These practice all of your higher physique muscle tissues that push issues away out of your torso, equivalent to your chest, shoulders, and triceps
- Pull exercises: These practice all of the muscle tissues concerned in pulling issues off the ground or towards your torso, equivalent to your lats, traps, erector spinae (decrease again), and biceps.
- Leg exercises: Leg exercises practice all of the decrease physique muscle tissues, such because the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
- Higher physique exercises: You practice all of the muscle tissues above your waist in an higher physique exercise.
- Decrease physique exercises: Decrease physique exercises are the identical as leg exercises.
Instance Push Pull Legs Higher Decrease 5-Day Break up Schedule
Usually, individuals schedule the push pull legs higher decrease 5 day break up like this:
- Monday: Push
- Tuesday: Pull
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Relaxation
- Friday: Higher
- Saturday: Decrease
- Sunday: Relaxation
Advantages of the PPLUL Break up
Let’s break down the important thing advantages that make the PPLUP break up an impressive choice for gaining muscle and power.
Balanced Growth
You give each main muscle group equal consideration with the PPLUL break up. By dividing your exercises into push, pull, and leg days, adopted by upper- and lower-body periods, you keep away from overworking one space and neglecting one other.
This steadiness helps you construct proportional power and an aesthetic physique.
Optimum Frequency
You practice every muscle group twice every week on PPLUL, which research shows is more practical for gaining mass and power than coaching them much less typically.
You additionally practice completely different muscle teams on completely different days, giving every no less than two days to get better whilst you work on others. This minimizes your threat of struggling repetitive pressure accidents and ensures you may give maximal effort in your exercises, which helps with progressive tension overload—the first driver of muscle progress.
Easy Construction
The PPLUL break up retains issues easy by focusing your exercises on motion patterns and concentrating on massive areas of your physique. A simple routine like this makes coaching extra satisfying, and if you get pleasure from your exercises, you’re way more more likely to persist with them (and see outcomes!).
Permits for Excessive-High quality Coaching
Once you practice only one muscle group per exercise, its efficiency sometimes plummets earlier than your exercise finishes. To compensate, you often need to carry lighter weights or do fewer reps in your later units, which stymies your progress over time.
With the push pull legs higher decrease break up, you by no means practice anybody muscle group to the purpose of exhaustion. This lets you carry out high-quality reps with heavy weights all through all of your exercises, which is generally better for constructing muscle and gaining power.
The Greatest 5-Day PPLUL Break up for Mass & Power Acquire
Right here’s a superb 5-day PPLUL break up for constructing muscle and getting robust.
It really works so properly as a result of it facilities round compound exercises that let you carry heavy weights and progress recurrently, so that they’re superb for gaining mass and power.
It additionally contains the proper mixture of volume and intensity for getting larger and stronger with out sporting your self out.
Day 1: Push
Day 2: Pull
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Higher
Day 5: Decrease
An Different to PPLUL: Higher Decrease Push Pull Legs (ULPPL)
The PPLUL break up works exceptionally properly, nevertheless it’s not everybody’s favourite sequence. Should you choose a unique method, the ULPPL break up is a strong various. It rearranges your coaching to begin with higher and decrease physique exercises, adopted by push, pull, and leg days.
There are two methods to arrange a ULPPL break up:
- Rearrange the PPLUL exercises above to suit the ULPPL schedule.
- Modify the workouts barely to prioritize the largest, most taxing workouts earlier within the week if you’re freshest.
If the second choice appeals to you, right here’s an instance ULPPL exercise plan:
Day 1: Higher
- Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Pull-up: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
- Dumbbell Aspect Lateral Increase: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
Day 2: Decrease
- Again Squat: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Leg Press: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Bulgarian Break up Squat: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
- Seated Calf Increase: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
Day 3: Push
- Standing Overhead Press: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Dip: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
- Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
Day 4: Pull
- Deadlift: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Seated Cable Row: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Lat Pulldown: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
- Dumbbell Curl: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
Day 5: Legs
- Entrance Squat: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Romanian Deadlift: 3 units | 4-to-6 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Lunge: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
- Leg Curl: 3 units | 6-to-8 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
FAQ #1: Is the PPL higher decrease break up good for newcomers?
Sure, PPLUL works exceptionally properly for newcomers. It’s a simple routine that balances quantity and restoration successfully, making it simple to comply with and serving to you construct power and muscle with out overloading your self.
That stated, newcomers can even make wonderful progress with fewer coaching days per week. If committing to 5 laborious coaching days weekly feels overwhelming, beginning with a much less frequent routine is perhaps a greater match.
RELATED: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Weightlifting
FAQ #2: Is PPLUP higher than PPL?
It depends upon how typically you wish to practice. If you wish to practice 5 days every week, the PPLUL break up is superior to the standard 3-day PPL break up as a result of it permits for extra frequency and quantity.
However, if you happen to can solely practice 3 days per week, the common PPL break up is a better option.
That stated, you may simply tweak PPL to make it a 5-day routine. In that case, the 2 packages are practically similar, so do whichever you like.
RELATED: The Best Push Pull Legs Routines for Mass Gains
FAQ #3: Is PPLUP higher than the higher decrease break up?
This depends upon your schedule and objectives. An upper-lower break up sometimes entails 4 coaching days per week, whereas PPLUL spreads your exercises over 5 days. The additional day of coaching permits for extra quantity, which ought to result in barely higher outcomes if you happen to get better properly.
Nonetheless, if you happen to can solely practice 4 days every week, an upper-lower break up is a superb various that may nonetheless ship spectacular outcomes.
RELATED: The Best 3-, 4- & 5-Day Upper Lower Workout Splits for Mass
Scientific References +
- “Comparison of 1 Day and 3 Days per Week of Equal-Volume… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.” LWW, 2019, journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2000/08000/Comparison_of_1_Day_and_3_Days_Per_Week_of.6.aspx.
- Crewther, Blair, et al. “The Effects of Two Equal-Volume Training Protocols upon Strength, Body Composition and Salivary Hormones in Male Rugby Union Players.” Biology of Sport, vol. 33, no. 2, 6 Mar. 2016, pp. 111–116, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4885621/, https://doi.org/10.5604/20831862.1196511. Accessed 29 Apr. 2019.
