Mountain Dog PPL
By John Meadows · From Original Source
Also known as: mountain dog · mountain dog ppl · john meadows · meadows ppl · push pull legs
John Meadows' Mountain Dog push, pull and legs program, written for Muscle & Strength. Push: decline dumbbell press worked up to heavy sets and one all-out set, incline dumbbell press, pec minor dips, a Smith machine overhead press, Y-raises and two rope triceps extensions. Pull: Meadows rows, one-arm barbell rows, band-assisted pull-ups, rear delt flyes and seated hammer curls. Legs: leg curls first, safety-bar squats, inverted leg press with sissy squats, then Smith machine split squats. Three days a week; run it 4-6 weeks, then take a lighter week.
Free to use · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
What is Mountain Dog PPL?
John Meadows, the IFBB pro and coach behind Mountain Dog Training, wrote this push, pull and legs program for Muscle & Strength in 2019, after filming the workouts for their YouTube channel. It is three workouts, Push, Pull and Legs, and Durata runs them lift for lift in his order.
Push opens with decline dumbbell presses: two warmup sets of 20, two sets of 3-4 at your target weight, then one big set to absolute failure in the 6-8 range. Then incline dumbbell press, pec minor dips to failure, a Smith machine overhead press with a staggered stance, incline Y-raises and two triceps extensions with dual ropes. Pull is Meadows rows, single-arm barbell rows, band-assisted pull-ups, rear delt flyes and seated hammer curls. Legs starts with leg curls to warm the hamstrings, the last set run straight into two drop sets, the second finished with partials, then safety-bar squats, a leg press supersetted with sissy squats (he uses an inverted, vertical leg press), and Smith machine split squats.
Is Mountain Dog PPL right for you?
Muscle & Strength lists it as a beginner program, and it suits anyone who wants a straightforward three-day push, pull and legs routine with Meadows' exercise choices. It needs a well-equipped gym: a Smith machine, cables with two ropes, dip bars, a landmine, a safety squat bar and a leg press (an inverted one if you have it). Sessions take about 45–65 minutes.
How progression works
Meadows asks for quality reps over quantity while still pushing your working sets, and gives no rule for adding weight, so Durata's is plain double progression: when every set reaches the top of its range, the weight goes up 2.5 kg (5 lb) next time. On the presses he pyramids, the decline and the incline press, each set keeps its own weight; the squat's three heavy sets of 3 share one weight and its last set of 6-8 has its own. Run it for 4-6 weeks, or until progress stalls, then take a deload or recovery week before you carry on or move to another program.
Durata runs this progression for you — warmups are worked out from your first working set, every set keeps its own weight from last time, and each set moves up on its own when you beat the top of its rep range.
Mountain Dog PPL — every set, every session
Grey sets are warmups. AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the sets marked AMRAP.
Push
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Decline Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 1×20 1×20 2×3–4 1×6–8+ AMRAP | — |
| Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 1×10–15 2×6–8 | — |
| Pec Minor Dip | 3×AMRAP | — |
| Overhead Press (Smith Machine) | 3×8–10 | — |
| Chest Supported Y Raise (Dumbbell) | 3×15 | — |
| Triceps Rope Pushdown | 3×15 | — |
| Overhead Triceps Extension (Cable) | 3×15 | — |
Pull
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Meadows Rows (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Landmine Row | 3×8–12 | — |
| Pull Up (Band) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Rear Delt Reverse Fly (Dumbbell) | 3×20–25 | — |
| Seated Hammer Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×12–15 | — |
Legs
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 3×8 2×AMRAP | — |
| Squat (Safety Squat Bar) | 1×8 1×8 3×3 | — |
| Squat (Safety Squat Bar) | 1×6–8+ AMRAP | — |
| Leg Press (Machine)superset A | 3×8 | — |
| Sissy Squat (Weighted)superset A | 3×8 | — |
| Split Squat (Smith Machine) | 3×8 | — |
Mountain Dog PPL — common questions
What is a Meadows row?
A one-arm row on the thick end of a barbell anchored at the other end (a landmine), with an overhand grip. Drive your elbow up and squeeze your back; 25 lb plates instead of 45s give you more range.
How often should I train?
Every other day suits most people, running Push, Pull, Legs and back to Push. Meadows says 3-6 days a week works depending on your experience and schedule, and 3 days on, 1 off is fine too. Durata lays it out Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
What if my gym has no sissy squat machine?
Use leg extensions in the superset with the leg press. For the squat, any variation you feel good doing works; the spider bar squat is simply the one that suits Meadows.
What is a pec minor dip?
A reverse shrug on the dip bars: arms straight, let your body sink between your shoulders, then press it back up. Meadows uses it to finish the chest after the presses.
Is there an app that runs Mountain Dog PPL for you?
Yes. Durata runs Mountain Dog PPL as written, free: the 3-day-a-week schedule, every set and rep, and the progression built in. Log your sets and the next session's weights are worked out for you, with the stalls and deloads the program calls for; a tap on any lift shows why the weight moved. It is on iPhone and Android, works offline, and your history from Hevy or Strong imports free.
Source: John Meadows — "Mountain Dog PPL", Muscle & Strength (2019)
Durata is not affiliated with or endorsed by the program's author. The program structure (sets, reps, exercise selection) is presented as published methodology.
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