Metallicadpa PPL
The most-run PPL program on Reddit. Six days: Push / Pull / Legs. Primary compounds use linear 4×5 + AMRAP progression. Bench and OHP alternate as primary push; Deadlift and Rows alternate as primary pull within each week. Tricep work is supersetted with lateral raises on Push days.
Free during beta · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
What is Metallicadpa PPL?
Metallicadpa's PPL is the Reddit push pull legs program — the "beginner PPL" spreadsheet that a huge share of r/Fitness has run at some point. Six training days a week: push, pull, legs, twice through, one rest day. Each day opens with a heavy barbell primary that alternates across the week — bench press and overhead press trade the top slot on push days at 4×5 plus a 5+ AMRAP, deadlifts (a single all-out 5+ set) and bent-over rows (4×5, 1×5+) trade it on pull days — while squats anchor both leg days at 2×5 and a 5+ top set.
Behind every primary sits a wall of hypertrophy work: presses, pulldowns, cable rows, leg press, RDLs and leg curls at 3×8–12, face pulls at 5×15–20, four sets each of hammer and dumbbell curls, five sets of calves, and triceps work supersetted with lateral raises on push days. It is bodybuilding-split volume welded to a linear-progression strength engine.
Is Metallicadpa PPL right for you?
Despite the nickname, the real entry requirement is scheduling, not experience: six gym days a week, every week. If you have that time, love training, and want visible size while the bench and deadlift keep climbing, this routine has probably built more physiques than any other single Reddit post. It is also the natural upgrade once a three-day linear progression stops being enough volume. If you can only train three or four days, do not run a gutted version of this — the twice-a-week frequency for every muscle is the whole design. Pick a full-body program instead and come back when the calendar allows.
How progression works
The primaries progress like a classic linear program: 2.5 kg per session on bench, press, rows and squats, 5 kg on deadlifts, with the AMRAP top set showing how much room is left. Three failed sessions on a lift drop it 10% to rebuild. Everything else runs double progression — own the ceiling of the 8–12 (or 15–20) range on every set, then add 2.5 kg and reset. That is more than a dozen exercises each advancing on its own schedule, which is precisely the bookkeeping Durata's auto progression exists for: every lift moves by its own rule, and the logged AMRAPs decide the primaries.
Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed automatically from your training maxes and logged AMRAP sets.
Metallicadpa PPL — every set, every session
Percentages are of your training max (TM). AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the final set.
Push A — Bench Primary
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 4×5 1×5++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Pushdownsuperset A | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)superset A | 3×15–20 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Extension (Dumbbell)superset B | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)superset B | 3×15–20 | 2:30 |
Pull A — Deadlift Primary
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×5++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Seated Cable Row - V Grip (Cable) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Face Pull | 5×15–20 | 2:30 |
| Hammer Curl (Dumbbell) | 4×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 4×8–12 | 2:30 |
Legs A
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 2×5 1×5++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 5×8–12 | 2:30 |
Push B — OHP Primary
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 4×5 1×5++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Pushdownsuperset A | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)superset A | 3×15–20 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Extension (Dumbbell)superset B | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)superset B | 3×15–20 | 2:30 |
Pull B — Rows Primary
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | 4×5 1×5++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Seated Cable Row - V Grip (Cable) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Face Pull | 5×15–20 | 2:30 |
| Hammer Curl (Dumbbell) | 4×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 4×8–12 | 2:30 |
Legs B
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 2×5 1×5++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 3×8–12 | 2:30 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 5×8–12 | 2:30 |
Metallicadpa PPL — common questions
Is this actually a beginner program?
The lifts and the linear progression are beginner-friendly; the commitment is not. Six days a week with 17–23 working sets per session is an intermediate workload, which is why Durata's catalog labels it intermediate. A first-timer is better served spending three months on a 3-day routine before stepping up to this.
How long does each workout take?
Roughly 60–90 minutes. Push days carry the most sets but the triceps and lateral-raise supersets compress them; pull days move quickly once the deadlift or row top set is done; leg days sit in the middle.
What happens if I miss a day?
Just continue the rotation from wherever you stopped — push still follows rest, pull still follows push. The sequence matters more than the calendar, and one shifted week has no effect on the progression, which is tied to sessions rather than dates.
Why does deadlift get only one working set?
Because it lands at the top of a pull day that still contains pulldowns, cable rows, five sets of face pulls and eight sets of curls. One 5+ AMRAP set is enough to drive the 5 kg jumps without burying the rest of the session — and rows take over as the heavy pull two days later.
Where do I go after this PPL?
When the primaries are cycling through repeat deloads, keep the accessory framework and swap the top sets to a trainer-max wave — the 5/3/1 version of this exact PPL exists in Durata's catalog as the direct continuation.
Source: Metallicadpa — Reddit /r/Fitness
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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