Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower
Also known as: ppl · push pull legs · upper lower · pplul · ppl ul · 5 day split · push pull legs upper lower
The most popular 5-day intermediate split — Push / Pull / Legs, then Upper / Lower. Each of the first three days opens with a heavy barbell lift for strength (4×5, add weight every session you beat the reps), then piles on hypertrophy volume with double progression (hit the top of the rep range on every set, then add weight). Five sessions hits every muscle 1.5–2× a week — the sweet spot for size and strength together.
Free during beta · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
What is Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower?
Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower — the split lifters shorthand as PPLUL or PPL UL — solves the standard push pull legs dilemma: three days is too little frequency, six days is a schedule most people cannot keep. Five days threads it. Monday to Wednesday run a classic Push / Pull / Legs sequence; Thursday and Friday add an Upper and a Lower day, giving every muscle a second weekly touch and leaving the weekend free.
Each PPL day opens with a heavy barbell strength lift — bench at 4×5, deadlift at 3×5, squat at 4×5, all with an AMRAP top set — before the hypertrophy work starts. The Upper and Lower days deliberately rotate to different movements: incline barbell press and chin-ups instead of flat bench and pull-ups, front squats and hip thrusts instead of back squats and deadlifts. No exercise repeats within the week, so nothing competes for the same working weight and every session feels distinct rather than a rerun.
Is Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower right for you?
This 5-day split fits the intermediate who has outgrown three-day programs but knows a six-day PPL would collapse the first busy week. Training every muscle 1.5–2 times weekly is the evidence-backed sweet spot for size, and the strength openers mean your bench, squat and deadlift keep climbing while you chase it — a genuine powerbuilding middle ground. Skip it if you are still adding weight to the bar every single session on a novice program (finish that first), or if your five available days are really four; the Upper/Lower pair is what makes the frequency work, and it is the part people are tempted to drop.
How progression works
Two engines drive the week. The three strength openers progress linearly: finish the prescribed fives and beat the minimum on the AMRAP top set, and the bar goes up next session — no percentages, no training max. Everything else, including the incline press and front squat that lead the Upper and Lower days, runs double progression: hold the weight, drag every set to the top of its rep range (8–10, 10–12, 12–15 or 15–20 depending on the movement), then add load and reset. Durata applies the right rule to each lift and shows the AMRAP target that decides your next jump, so the two systems never blur together mid-session.
Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed automatically from your training maxes and logged AMRAP sets.
Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower — every set, every session
Percentages are of your training max (TM). AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the final set.
Push
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×5 1×5–8+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:30 |
| Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Chest Fly (Dumbbell) | 3×12–15 | 2:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) | 3×12–15 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3×12–15 | 2:30 |
Pull
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×5 1×5–8+ AMRAP | 3:30 |
| Pull Up | 3×8+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | 4×8–10 | 2:30 |
| Seated Cable Row - Bar Grip | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Face Pull | 3×15–20 | 2:30 |
| Bicep Curl (Barbell) | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Hammer Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×12–15 | 2:30 |
Legs
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×5 1×5–8+ AMRAP | 3:30 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 3×12–15 | 2:30 |
| Leg Extension (Machine) | 3×15–20 | 2:30 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4×12–15 | 2:30 |
Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | 4×6–8 | 2:30 |
| Chin Up | 3×8+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Cable) | 3×15–20 | 2:30 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Rope Pushdown | 3×12–15 | 2:30 |
Lower
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Front Squat | 4×6–8 | 2:30 |
| Hip Thrust (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:30 |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Hack Squat (Machine) | 3×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Seated Leg Curl (Machine) | 3×12–15 | 2:30 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 4×15–20 | 2:30 |
Push Pull Legs · Upper Lower — common questions
How is PPLUL different from just running PPL six days?
One fewer session and different movements on days four and five. A 6-day PPL repeats the same three workouts twice; PPLUL condenses the second pass into an Upper and a Lower day built from fresh exercises. You keep near-identical weekly frequency per muscle while gaining a full extra rest day and more movement variety.
What does the AMRAP top set do?
It decides progression and measures momentum. On the final set of bench, squat or deadlift you take clean reps until form degrades, within the 5–8 window. Hitting 8 says the weight is light — expect the next jump to stick. Grinding out 5 says a stall is coming two weeks before the bar stops moving.
Can I rearrange which days I train?
Keep the sequence, move the rest days. PPL then UL with the break after Legs (or between Legs and Upper) works as intended. Avoid putting Lower directly after Legs day — front squats and hip thrusts 24 hours after heavy back squats is where recovery quietly fails.
How long is each workout?
Roughly 60–75 minutes for Push, Pull and Legs — the 4×5 strength opener alone takes 15–20 minutes with its 3–3.5 minute rests. Upper and Lower run closer to 55–65 minutes since everything there uses shorter hypertrophy rest periods.
What should I run after this?
If the linear openers keep stalling despite resets, your strength work needs periodization — a 5/3/1-based PPL or an upper/lower with wave loading is the next step. If size is the only goal now, a 6-day high-frequency PPL adds the extra volume day this split trades away.
Source: Community PPL/UL hybrid — a generic intermediate template.
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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