Who is the PPL + Upper / Lower split for?

Push, pull, legs, then an upper and a lower day: five sessions that hit everything twice with a strength day and a volume day.

How many sets per muscle per week does this give?

Around 83 working sets a week in total, which lands each major muscle in the 10–20 hard-set range that research links to growth.

Can I do this split at home?

Yes. Use the generator with "Dumbbells" or "No equipment" and pick the same split; exercises are swapped for home-friendly versions.

How long should I run it?

6–12 weeks with double progression, then regenerate a variation or change the split to keep progressing.

PPL + Upper / Lower 5-Day Workout Split: Routine, Sets & Reps (Free PDF)

Split

PPL + Upper / Lower

Sessions / week

Avg. session

43 min

Schedule

Mon · Tue · Wed · Fri · Sat

Warm-up (every session, ~6 min)

3–5 min easy cardio: brisk walk, bike, jump rope or marching in place.
Dynamic mobility: 10 leg swings each way, 10 hip circles, 10 arm circles, 8 cat-cows.
Ramp-up sets on the first exercise: 1–2 light sets of 8 before your working sets.

Day 1

Push

Chest, shoulders, triceps

5 exercises · ~39 min

1. Barbell Bench Press main

Chest, Triceps · Barbell

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Dumbbell Bench Press, Push-Up, Machine Chest Press
2. Overhead Press secondary

Front Delts, Triceps · Barbell

Sets
3

Reps
8–12

Rest
90s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Machine Shoulder Press, Pike Push-Up
3. Cable Chest Fly accessory

Chest · Cable

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Dumbbell Fly, Pec Deck, Push-Up
4. Barbell Shrug accessory

Traps · Barbell

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Dumbbell Shrug, Upright Row, Face Pull
5. Skull Crusher accessory

Triceps · Barbell

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Overhead Triceps Extension, Triceps Pushdown, Close-Grip Bench Press

Day 2

Pull

Back, rear delts, biceps

5 exercises · ~43 min

1. Pull-Up main

Lats, Upper Back · Pull-Up Bar

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Lat Pulldown, Assisted Pull-Up, Negative Pull-Up
2. T-Bar Row main

Upper Back, Lats · Barbell

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Barbell Row, Chest-Supported Row, Machine Row
3. Face Pull accessory

Rear Delts, Upper Back · Cable

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Band Face Pull, Rear Delt Fly, Reverse Pec Deck
4. Barbell Curl accessory

Biceps · Barbell

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Dumbbell Curl, Cable Curl, Band Curl
5. Pallof Press core

Obliques, Core · Cable

Sets
3

Reps
12–15 / side

Rest
60s

Effort
controlled

swap: Side Plank, Suitcase Carry, Russian Twist

Day 3

Legs

Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves

5 exercises · ~46 min

1. Barbell Front Squat main

Quads, Glutes · Barbell

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Goblet Squat, Barbell Back Squat, Kettlebell Squat
2. Conventional Deadlift main

Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back · Barbell

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Trap Bar Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift, Barbell Romanian Deadlift
3. Bulgarian Split Squat secondary

Quads, Glutes · Dumbbell

Sets
3

Reps
8–12 / side

Rest
90s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Split Squat, Reverse Lunge, Step-Up
4. Barbell Hip Thrust secondary

Glutes · Barbell

Sets
3

Reps
8–12

Rest
90s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Dumbbell Hip Thrust, Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge
5. Seated Calf Raise accessory

Calves · Machine

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Standing Calf Raise, Dumbbell Calf Raise, Single-Leg Calf Raise

Day 4

Upper A

Chest + back, strength bias

5 exercises · ~46 min

1. Incline Barbell Bench Press main

Chest, Front Delts · Barbell

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Incline Dumbbell Press, Decline Push-Up, Machine Chest Press
2. Barbell Row main

Upper Back, Lats · Barbell

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Dumbbell Row, Chest-Supported Row, Seated Cable Row
3. Landmine Press secondary

Front Delts, Chest · Barbell

Sets
3

Reps
8–12 / side

Rest
90s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Kettlebell Press, Overhead Press
4. Cable Pullover secondary

Lats · Cable

Sets
3

Reps
8–12

Rest
90s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Straight-Arm Pulldown, Dumbbell Pullover, Lat Pulldown
5. Zottman Curl accessory

Biceps, Forearms · Dumbbell

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Hammer Curl, Reverse Curl, Dumbbell Curl

Day 5

Lower B

Hinge focus

5 exercises · ~40 min

1. Barbell Good Morning main

Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back · Barbell

Sets
4

Reps
6–10

Rest
120s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Banded Good Morning, Barbell Romanian Deadlift, Bodyweight Hip Hinge
2. Box Squat secondary

Glutes, Quads · Barbell

Sets
3

Reps
8–12

Rest
90s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Chair Squat, Barbell Back Squat, Goblet Squat
3. Dumbbell Hip Thrust secondary

Glutes · Dumbbell

Sets
3

Reps
8–12

Rest
90s

Effort
RPE 8

swap: Hip Thrust, Barbell Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge
4. Seated Leg Curl accessory

Hamstrings · Machine

Sets
3

Reps
10–15

Rest
60s

Effort
RPE 8–9

swap: Lying Leg Curl, Banded Hamstring Curl, Barbell Romanian Deadlift
5. Hanging Knee Raise core

Core, Hip Flexors · Pull-Up Bar

Sets
3

Reps
12–15

Rest
60s

Effort
controlled

swap: Reverse Crunch, Lying Leg Raise, Dead Bug

How to progress

Double progression: hit the top of the rep range on every set, then add weight (2.5–5 %) and start from the bottom of the range.
Bodyweight moves: add reps, then slow the tempo (3 sec down), then move to a harder variation.
Deload every 6–8 weeks: same exercises, half the sets.

Notes for this plan

Sessions can move between days; keep at least one rest day between hard sessions for the same muscles.