Reddit PPL is a six-day push pull legs workout for beginners, written by r/Fitness user Metallicadpa. You train pull, push and legs, then repeat, with one rest day a week. The main barbell lifts use sets of 5 with an AMRAP last set and go up every session. Accessories run in the 8 to 12 or 15 to 20 range and go up once you hit the top.
Key takeaways
- The week runs pull, push, legs, pull, push, legs, rest (or with the rest day in the middle).
- Deadlift and barbell row alternate on pull days; bench and overhead press alternate on push days.
- Add 5 lb (2.5 kg) to bench, row, press and squat every session, and 10 lb (5 kg) to the deadlift.
- Fail the same weight three sessions in a row and you take 10% off and build back up.
- Each muscle is trained twice a week, which a 2016 meta-analysis linked to more growth than once a week.
In this guide
What is Reddit PPL?
Reddit PPL is the nickname for "A Linear Progression Based PPL Program for Beginners," posted to r/Fitness by Metallicadpa in 2015. The original post is archived on the r/Fitness wiki. It combines a push/pull/legs bodybuilding split with the every-session progression of a beginner strength program.
That combination is the appeal. Programs like Starting Strength keep you to three short sessions; Reddit PPL gives you six days, a lot of accessory work and the same steady weight increases on the big lifts.
What does the 6-day PPL workout plan look like?
The program is six training days a week. Metallicadpa lists the order as pull, push, legs, then repeat, with the rest day either at the end (PPLPPLR) or in the middle (PPLRPPL). Push, pull and legs each come up twice a week, so every muscle group gets two sessions.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pull | Push | Legs | Pull | Push | Legs | Rest |
Pull days alternate their main lift, and so do push days. In a typical week, Monday's pull day leads with deadlifts and Thursday's with barbell rows. Tuesday's push day leads with bench and Friday's with the overhead press.
What are the Reddit PPL workouts?
Each PPL workout opens with one heavy barbell lift for sets of 5, then moves to accessories for 8 to 12 or 15 to 20 reps. The plus sign means the last set is AMRAP: as many good reps as you can do. The lists below follow the original post.
Pull
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Deadlift 1×5+ or barbell row 4×5, 1×5+ (alternate each pull day) | See left |
| Pulldowns, pull-ups or chin-ups | 3×8-12 |
| Seated cable row or chest-supported row | 3×8-12 |
| Face pulls | 5×15-20 |
| Hammer curls | 4×8-12 |
| Dumbbell curls | 4×8-12 |
Push
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Bench press 4×5, 1×5+ or overhead press 4×5, 1×5+ (alternate each push day) | See left |
| The other press (OHP on bench days, bench on OHP days) | 3×8-12 |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3×8-12 |
| Triceps pushdowns, superset with lateral raises | 3×8-12 and 3×15-20 |
| Overhead triceps extensions, superset with lateral raises | 3×8-12 and 3×15-20 |
Legs
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 2×5, 1×5+ |
| Romanian deadlift | 3×8-12 |
| Leg press | 3×8-12 |
| Leg curls | 3×8-12 |
| Calf raises | 5×8-12 |
Some copies online list the squat as 3×5+. The archived original has 2×5 followed by a 1×5+ AMRAP set.
How do you add weight on Reddit PPL?
The main lifts go up every session you complete them. Add 2.5 kg (5 lb) to the bench, row, overhead press and squat, and 5 kg (10 lb) to the deadlift. Accessories use double progression: stay at a weight until you hit 3×12 (or the top of the range), then add the smallest jump.
Those increments are the same size most beginner programs use. They also line up with the American College of Sports Medicine's 2009 guidance of a 2 to 10% load increase once you beat your target reps. The AMRAP set tells you how much room is left: lots of extra reps means the weight is still easy.
What weight should you start with?
Metallicadpa's method is to work up in sets of 5 until the bar slows down, then take 2.5 kg (5 lb) off that weight. That becomes your first working weight. It is better to start a little light and add weight quickly than to start heavy and stall in week two.
For accessories, pick a weight you can do for the bottom of the rep range with good form, such as 8 reps on a 3×8-12 exercise. You will climb to 12 within a few weeks, then add weight.
What do you do when you stall?
The original rule is specific. If you fail to complete the sets for a lift three sessions in a row, lower the weight. Its deload instruction is to take 10% off your working weight and build back up with the normal increments. The idea is to rebuild momentum and move past the old sticking point.
Metallicadpa adds one more rule: a session ruined by bad sleep or a missed meal doesn't count as a failure. Fix the cause and try again. Only real, repeated misses mean the weight has caught up with you.
A good log makes this easy. You need to see the last three sessions for a lift side by side to know whether it is time to deload. That is where tracking pays off on a six-day program with this many exercises.
Can you run a 3-day PPL split instead?
Yes. A 3-day push pull legs routine, running each workout once a week, works when six days won't fit. Progress on the main lifts slows, because each lift comes up half as often. Each muscle is also trained only once a week instead of twice.
Frequency matters for growth. A 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger found that training each muscle group at least twice a week led to more growth than once a week. If you only have four days, the PHUL workout keeps twice-a-week frequency on fewer days.
What comes after Reddit PPL?
Metallicadpa's own definition of "done" is when you can no longer add weight from session to session. At that point you are an intermediate and need weekly progression. Strength-focused lifters often move to 5/3/1 Boring But Big. Lifters chasing size can keep the PPL split and switch the main lifts to double progression.
If six days felt like too much, a tiered program like GZCLP gives similar strength progress on three or four days.
Why it works. This program gives beginners frequent practice on every big lift, a lot of volume for muscle, and a progression rule simple enough to follow without a coach. ReadyLift has it built in with all six days laid out. The main lifts go up when you hit your sets, and accessories track their rep ranges.
Frequently asked questions
Is Reddit PPL good for beginners?
Yes, it was written for beginners. The main lifts use simple linear progression, and the accessories add volume for muscle growth. The main challenge is the schedule: six days a week is a lot to keep up. If you can't train that often, choose a three- or four-day program instead.
How long should you run Reddit PPL?
Until you can't add weight session to session any more, even after a 10% deload. For many beginners that takes several months. Once deloads stop helping, move to a program with weekly or monthly progression.
Is Reddit PPL better than an upper/lower split?
Both train each muscle twice a week. This program does it over six shorter-focused days; an upper/lower split such as PHUL does it in four. Pick the one that matches the number of days you can actually train every week.
How many sets should a push pull legs routine have?
Reddit PPL uses 5 sets on the main lift and 3 to 5 sets on each accessory, for roughly 17 to 24 sets a session. That volume is high on purpose. If recovery suffers, cut an accessory before you cut the main lift.
Do you have to do deadlifts on every pull day?
No. In the original, pull days alternate between deadlifts and barbell rows as the main lift, so you deadlift once a week on a six-day schedule. That keeps your lower back fresh for heavy squats on leg days.
Sources
- Metallicadpa (2015). A Linear Progression Based PPL Program for Beginners (archived r/Fitness post). r/Fitness wiki.
- American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(3), 687-708.
- Schoenfeld, Ogborn & Krieger (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy. Sports Medicine, 46(11), 1689-1697.
General training information, not medical advice. If you have an injury, a heart condition or another health concern, check with a doctor or physical therapist before starting a new program.
Written by the ReadyLift team. We build ReadyLift, a lifting log that runs Reddit PPL and other proven programs with the load math done for you. We link the original program write-ups and the research we rely on. Questions or corrections? Get in touch.