PPLUL Split: 5-Day Push Pull Legs Then Upper Lower
PPLUL combines push, pull, legs, upper and lower sessions in a five-day training week. The pattern can distribute many muscle groups’ work across two sessions, but session length and recovery depend on the exercises, sets and effort you prescribe.
PPLUL offers a second weekly exposure for many muscle groups while using one fewer training day than a six-day PPL schedule. This guide explains the ordering, a sample week, progression and the trade-offs to consider when choosing a schedule.
What the PPLUL Split Actually Is
PPLUL stands for Push, Pull, Legs, Upper, Lower, five distinct training days run across a week:
Day 1 – Push: chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 2 – Pull: back, rear delts, biceps
Day 3 – Legs: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
Day 4 – Upper: chest, back, shoulders, arms (a second, blended upper session)
Day 5 – Lower: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves (a second leg session)
A common layout is Push (Mon), Pull (Tue), Legs (Wed), rest (Thu), Upper (Fri), Lower (Sat), rest (Sun). This spreads many muscle groups’ work across two sessions. A 2019 meta-analysis found no meaningful hypertrophy advantage from higher frequency when weekly volume was matched. Use frequency to distribute work in a way you can sustain.
If you are already familiar with the standard rotation, our complete guide to the push/pull/legs split is a useful primer. PPLUL adds an upper and lower session to that weekly pattern.
Why Combine PPL With Upper/Lower?
The layout gives focused push/pull/legs sessions and broader upper/lower sessions in the same week.
A three-day PPL rotation usually trains each main muscle group once per week; a six-day rotation usually provides two exposures. PPLUL provides a five-session option with two rest days in the weekly example. Recovery depends on the total work, effort, exercise selection and the individual, not the split name alone.
Upper and lower sessions can distribute work that does not fit comfortably into the focused sessions. Plan that workload in advance and count overlap rather than automatically using later days to add catch-up sets. For named program examples, compare the Jeff Nippard ULPPL and PPLUL schedules.
A Sample PPLUL Week
Here is one illustrative five-day template, with compound exercises followed by accessories. Its set counts are examples to assess against your experience and recovery, not a universal weekly minimum for every muscle. Keep the workload consistent with the program you choose.
Push (Day 1)
Barbell Bench Press — 4×5–8
Overhead Press — 3×6–10
Incline Dumbbell Press — 3×8–12
Cable Lateral Raise — 3×12–15
Triceps Pushdown — 3×10–15
Pull (Day 2)
Weighted Pull-Up or Lat Pulldown — 4×6–10
Barbell Row — 3×8–12
Chest-Supported Row — 3×10–12
Face Pull — 3×15–20
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl — 3×8–12
Legs (Day 3)
Back Squat — 4×5–8
Romanian Deadlift — 3×8–12
Leg Press — 3×10–15
Leg Curl — 3×10–15
Standing Calf Raise — 4×10–15
Upper (Day 4)
Incline Barbell Press — 4×6–10
Pull-Up or Pulldown — 3×8–12
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press — 3×8–12
Cable Row — 3×10–15
Superset: Curls + Triceps Extensions — 3×12–15 each
Lower (Day 5)
Deadlift or Trap-Bar Deadlift — 3×4–6
Front Squat or Hack Squat — 3×8–12
Walking Lunge — 3×10–12 per leg
Seated Leg Curl — 3×12–15
Seated Calf Raise — 4×12–20
This sample mixes rep ranges across the week. The Lower day still includes relatively heavy deadlift work, so do not treat it as an automatically easy session. Adjust the example to your experience and recovery rather than assuming that later days always use lighter loads.
Exercise Order and Effort: Getting the Details Right
Two useful programming questions are exercise priority and effort:
Put the exercises whose strength you most want to improve early in the session. An exercise-order meta-analysis found greater strength gains in exercises performed first, without a significant hypertrophy difference between the compared orders. This can include an isolation exercise when that is your priority.
Effort matters, but every set does not have to reach failure. Research on estimated repetitions in reserve associates closer-to-failure training with more hypertrophy on average, while its estimates and practical thresholds remain uncertain. Record effort consistently and avoid treating a fixed 0–2RIR target as compulsory for every exercise.
For arm work, count both direct curls/extensions and the contribution of pulling/pressing. Decide whether to redistribute existing work before adding more sets simply because an Upper day is available.
How to Progress and Deload PPLUL
Follow the progression rule in your chosen program. A double-progression example is to use an 8–12 rep range, build reps across comparable sessions, and consider a small load increase after completing the prescribed sets at the top of the range with the intended technique and effort. Compare the same exercise and setup. The sample’s later Lower day includes heavy deadlift work, so do not assume all Upper and Lower sessions are lighter “volume days.”
Track weekly work sets as well as load and reps. The 2017 volume review found a dose-response relationship across the studies it analyzed; it did not establish a universal minimum or maximum for every lifter. Keep set-counting consistent and adjust from your training response. Our progressive-overload guide explains ways to review progress.
A deload is a planned reduction in training stress. It can involve fewer sets, lighter loads, or other changes, but there is no single proven timing or percentage for every lifter. Use your program, training record and recovery to decide whether a lighter period is appropriate; persistent pain warrants assessment rather than automatic percentage changes. Deloading consensus guidance describes this individualized approach.
PPLUL vs. PHUL and other split structures
PHUL typically uses four upper/lower sessions, with separate power- and hypertrophy-focused days. PPLUL describes five session categories, but does not by itself specify periodization or intensity. Compare the actual sets, rep ranges and progression in the PHUL guide rather than inferring them from the initials.
The short version:
PPLUL: Five training sessions in the illustrated week.
PHUL: Four sessions organized around power/hypertrophy emphasis.
Six-day PPL: Six weekly sessions; compare total workload rather than assuming higher frequency necessarily means more work.
Who Should Run PPLUL?
A five-session sample may suit a lifter who has the experience, time and recovery capacity for its exercises and workload. A beginner can make progress on fewer days. A plateau on another schedule is a reason to review that program, not automatic evidence that five days is the next step.
In the calendar example, one rest day follows Legs and another follows Lower. If weekends need to be free, rearrange the calendar deliberately and check the spacing of demanding sessions instead of assuming the example already leaves both weekend days open.
How to Apply This in Setgraph
A five-day split with overlapping muscle groups is exactly the kind of routine that benefits from precise tracking, and Setgraph is built for it.
Organize the five days using consistent exercise names and notes. If the same lift appears on Push and Upper, record the equipment and setup so the entries remain comparable. Setgraph’s workout log provides a place to record that work; follow your program rather than assuming the app supplies an official PPLUL routine.
Review your recent sets before the next comparable session. For example, 8, 8 and 7 reps at one load can inform a decision to repeat it under the program’s rule; it does not automatically call for another 5 lb. Record actual reps and load rather than accepting any pre-filled value as a recommendation.
Review performance across several comparable sessions. A chart can show what you recorded, but a stalled press alongside more volume does not diagnose the cause or prove that workload must be rebalanced. Check technique, exercise differences, adherence and recovery before changing the plan.
Common PPLUL Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
If progress stalls, review the routine and how it is being performed. These checks can help you identify questions to investigate:
Manage effort across all five sessions. The later Lower day includes relatively heavy deadlifts, so it is not automatically an easy day.
Keep the sample’s spacing in view when moving sessions. Review recovery rather than assuming every consecutive-leg-day arrangement produces the same result.
Count completed sets before adding work; a fixed set range is not a universal sweet spot.
Allow the rest your program requires; record it when comparing performance.
Interpret effort alongside technique, exercise choice, load and volume. A set stopped with three reps in reserve is not automatically ineffective.
Use these checks to identify adjustments worth testing, then compare several similar sessions before deciding whether the change helped.
How Much Volume Should Each Muscle Group Get on PPLUL?
Count the work in the routine you actually perform. More weekly sets can support growth, but returns diminish and the useful amount differs between lifters. Research also distinguishes direct work from sets that train a muscle indirectly. A split name alone does not tell you the dose. Recent dose-response research explains these distinctions.
For example, here is how part of the sample week adds up:
In this sample, chest receives 11 direct pressing sets: 4 bench, 3 incline dumbbell, and 4 incline barbell sets.
There are 6 direct curl sets across Pull and Upper; pulling movements add indirect biceps work.
Count direct and indirect work consistently rather than assigning every compound set in full to every involved muscle.
Do not add sets automatically on a calendar. Review the work you already perform, session quality and recovery before changing it. A workout tracker can keep the record. The ULPPL ordering starts with upper and lower sessions, but does not necessarily contain the same volume as a PPLUL program. The push/pull/legs guide explains that base pattern.
PPLUL vs. a 6-Day PPL: Which Builds More Muscle?
PPLUL and a six-day PPL can both distribute work across two exposures per muscle. Evidence on matched-volume training does not establish PPLUL as the faster-growth or better-recovery option. Compare the total sets, effort and session length you can manage, then choose the schedule that fits your week.
The practical trade-off is one fewer gym visit and one additional non-training day in the five-day weekly layout. That may suit your schedule, but it does not guarantee better sleep, fresher joints or improved lifts within a few weeks. If you need time off, see our guide to a week away from training.
Choose five or six training days according to your available time and the work you can recover from. Either schedule can include arm or weak-point training. If you prefer body-part days, compare the layout with a four-day bro split.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is PPLUL better than a 6-day PPL?
Neither is automatically better. PPLUL gives you five weekly sessions and two rest days in the example above; a six-day PPL uses six sessions and one rest day. Compare weekly volume, session length and your ability to follow the plan consistently.
Q: How many days of rest does PPLUL include?
Two rest days are included in the illustrated seven-day week: after Legs and after Lower. Training days and rest days can move, but check the spacing of demanding sessions and the workload you can recover from.
Q: Does the order of exercises within each day matter?
Put the exercises whose strength you most want to improve early in the session. The exercise-order review found greater strength gains in exercises performed first, while hypertrophy did not differ significantly between the compared orders (PMID: 32077380).
Q: Can beginners run PPLUL?
A beginner does not need five gym days to make progress. A simpler schedule may be easier to learn and sustain. Choose PPLUL only if its session frequency, exercise demands and workload fit your experience and available recovery.
Q: How do I add arms to PPLUL?
Direct biceps work can fit on Pull or Upper, and triceps work on Push or Upper. Count it alongside indirect work from presses and pulls. Upper is one option for distributing arm work, not automatically the best place to add more volume.
Q: How long before I see results on PPLUL?
There is no fixed timeline for visible results. Track completed sets, reps and loads, and compare similar sessions over time. A change in pump is not the same as a measured change in muscle size.
Q: Can I turn PPLUL into a 6-day week?
You can add a sixth session, but that changes the workload and requires a reason beyond filling another day. An extra leg day increases lower-body exposure, not the frequency of every muscle group. Account for the extra work before adding it.
Q: Is PPLUL better than a 6-day PPL for natural lifters?
Being a natural lifter does not establish which split is better. Choose the five- or six-day layout by workload, recovery and schedule rather than assuming one ordering produces more growth.
Q: Can I run PPLUL on a rolling schedule instead of fixed days?
Yes. Run Push, Pull, Legs, Upper and Lower in sequence and insert rest days as needed. If the cycle takes more than seven days, count frequency per completed cycle rather than calling it twice per calendar week.
Record the five sessions in Setgraph or another log, then use your actual performance and program instructions to guide the next review.
