Workout Summary
- Main GoalBuild Muscle
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration12 weeks
- Days Per Week6
- Time Per Workout45-75 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, Machines
- Target Gender Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
When it comes to the discussion on which workout training split is the absolute best for building lean muscle, the push, pull, legs (PPL) split comes up a lot.
And, it’s easy to understand why.
With PPL splits, you can effectively train each muscle group twice and with a fair amount of volume each time.
How does this benefit women’s specific training?
Due to the increased frequency and the way the workouts are split apart, you can find a perfect balance between compound lifts that will help you build strength and isolation lifts that’ll help your overall muscle tone.
Now, it does have its shortcomings. It requires you to go to the gym up to 6 times per week - which is a huge ask if you’re a busy individual.
However, for those who have the time to dedicate to the following split - you’ll absolutely love the results.
12 Week PPL Split for Women
The workout below is a push, pull, legs split designed specifically for women who have plenty of time to devote to the gym and who have goals to transform their physique.
The program combines both compound and isolation work. The compound lifts will be heavier by nature, allowing you to get stronger while maximizing the amount of calories burned along the way. The isolation work will be much lighter and the focus will be on feeling the muscle work throughout the movement.
On your heavier lifts, you will want to rest for up to 3 full minutes in between sets. For the lighter isolation work, keep rest fairly low and in between 30-45 seconds.
The workout can be used by either those with fat loss goals or muscle building goals. The main difference between the goals relies heavily on the amount of calories you consume each day and the way in which you progress your workouts during the 12 weeks.
For those looking to build muscle and strength with this program, aim to increase the weight you use during the 12 week period and eat in a slight calorie surplus.
For those looking to lose fat and develop toned muscle with this program, aim to decrease the total duration of your workout over the 12 week period (by decreasing rest periods) and eat in a slight calorie deficit.
Monday: Push Workout for Women
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8 |
| Shoulder Machine Press | 3 | 8 |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8 |
| Incline Bench Press Machine | 3 | 8 |
| Eccentric Only Dips | 3 | 8 |
Tuesday: Pull Workout for Women
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bent Over Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8 |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 8 |
| Lat Pull Down | 3 | 8 |
| Underhand Lat Pull Down | 3 | 8 |
| Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 8 |
| Ab Crunch | 3 | 20 |
| Ab Bicycle | 3 | 20 Each |
Wednesday: Legs Workout for Women
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 3 | 8 |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8 |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 8 |
| One Leg Leg Press | 3 | 8 |
| Leg Press Calf Raise | 3 | 12 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 12 |
Friday: Push Workout for Women
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lateral Raise | 3 | 12-15 |
| Weight Plate Front Raise | 3 | 12-15 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 12-15 |
| Pec Deck | 3 | 12-15 |
| Rope Press Down | 3 | 12-15 |
| Skullcrusher | 3 | 12-15 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3 | 12 |
| Plank | 3 | 1 Min |
Saturday: Pull Workout for Women
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Machine Row | 3 | 12-15 |
| One Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 12-15 Each |
| Cable Face Pull | 3 | 15-20 |
| V-Bar Pull Down | 3 | 12-15 |
| Shotgun Row | 3 | 12-15 |
| Cable Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| Preacher Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
Sunday: Legs Workout for Women
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Press | 3 | 12-15 |
| Goblet Squat | 3 | 12-15 |
| Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift | 3 | 12-15 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| Hyperextension | 3 | 12-15 |
| Bodyweight Glute Bridge | 3 | 15 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 15-20 |
Pull, Push, Legs Workout for Women Notes
The workout above is a template of what a PPL workout split looks like for women.
The workout covers every single body part, hitting them each twice throughout the week.
As mentioned, PPL splits require a lot of effort and getting to the gym 6 times a week isn’t always easy. However, it does allow you to maximize your weight training.
For those looking to lose body fat - this means you won’t have to spend all of your time on a piece of cardio equipment. And for those looking to build muscle - you effectively hit each muscle group to promote quality lean muscle growth.
If you have any questions about the program whatsoever, please leave them in the comments section below!
157 Comments
Do I take a break after sunday? Or do I go at it again on monday?
Hi Yomi, based on the program listed, Thursday is the only day off. That said, if you feel you need an extra day after Sunday, take it and just resume with the next workout on the following day. I hope this helps!
Hello. I am just about done this program. This is the third program I have finished. The first one was the 10 week Women’s fat loss. Then I did the 12 week women’s workout and now I am almost done the 12 week Push Pull Legs Program. I am trying to find an intermediate/advanced program to start. Is there any recommendations? I am flexible with the my days and workouts. I am a yoga teacher and also train in aerial circus arts. I am looking for a program that will help with continuing to build lean muscle. I find I tend to build muscle quite easily (legs and upper body) but struggle with smaller hips (saddle bags)and glutes. I’m not looking for girth in my glutes but rather lifted.
We love that you are still here and finding new challenges to take on here at M&S, Agoritsa. If this link doesn't have anything you like or want to try, let me know and I will see what I can come up with. We do have a new advanced muscle building women's workout coming soon. So, stay tuned for that!
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! I will keep a look out for the new advanced women’s workout you spoke of but in the meantime I will take a look at the link you sent me more closely to find a program that will work best for me. To clarify what I meant in my original email is that I would like to be able to focus on slimming through the lateness part of my hips (saddlebags) without growing that area. Would there be certain exercises to avoid or should I work more on cardio specific to avoid gaining width there? I hope this makes sense? I’d also be interested in what a personalized program would cost?
I understand, and unfortunately, the answer is consistency and patience. As you get leaner, you should notice a decrease in size around the hips, but it will take a while. In the meantime, cardio is going to be a great asset. I don't know how easily you build muscle, which is why I am reluctant to recommend exercises. If you grow muscle easily, then stay away from stair steppers and heavy sumo squats.
I’m so glad I found this routine. Unfortunately, just as i started it, I was told by my doctor to stop doing leg exercises for three months to let a possible torn muscle heal so I’m substituting leg days with core workouts. I’m also doing a light jog on the treadmill each day (with doctor’s ok). Hopefully I’ll still see some results.
Hi Antonella, I'm sorry that you are dealing with that injury, but hopefully you heal up quickly. I love the idea of swapping core workouts in. Keep us posted on your progress, and feel free to check back in if you have questions. Thank you for reading M&S!
Hi
Would this work if you 3 days a week 3 days a week light
So looking doing a 3 day split instead of 6 day
Hi, Racine. I can't guarantee you would see similar results than you would doing the program as is, but my guess would be that you could still see positive changes. If you try it, I hope you will share your progress so others may benefit. Thank you for reading M&S!
Hi there,
I’m wanting to lose weight and build muscle, what kind of Calorie intake should I be looking at while doing this program? Deficit? Maintenance ? I’m unsure. Any advice would be great!
Hi Xanti, slight deficit with max protein in the diet could help you lose bodyfat while maintaining or possibly building muscle. I would suggest 250 below maintenance to start with. The calculator below will help you find your calorie needs.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/bmr-calculator
Can these workouts help me gain weight?
Hi Pallavi, as long as you are eating to support that goal, then yes, they will serve you well.
Hope this helps!
Hi,
I want to train 3-4 times a week. Can I do this 6 days across 2 weeks? Or would it not be as effective?
If I decide to do legs, push, rest, legs, pull, rest rest, should I follow push/pull from Monday and Tuesday or Friday and Saturday?
Thanks
Hi Adrianna, you can do that. The way you suggested would work, I believe. If you end up doing it, let us know how it works. Thanks for reading M&S!
hi, thanks for great program!
In this workout plan, i’m not sure what the weights should be for the 8-rep sets compared to the 12–15-rep sets. Should the weights for the 8 reps be heavier?
They should, Mahsa. You should be close to failure but still be able to achieve the recommended reps. I hope that helps!
Hi, Josh. Thank you so much for this schedule! I am going through it for the first time and did the Friday work out today, I just wanted to comment for anyone reading this that I think it would've worked better for me had I done the chest press before I did the two isolation moves for the shoulders. Just would've been a little stronger in the chest press that way.I'm super excited about this six day push pull legs split. It's definitely an increase in volume for me, and I am hoping that I can get to a breakthrough with it, so thank you so much again. Also, being able to click through to the videos is so helpful, and I appreciate that short, no nonsense nature of those videos. Cheers!
Hi! I really want to start this program. Busy working mum of three though makes my time restricted. Is it ok to break each workout down into chunks? A few excercises in the morning, a few at lunch and the rest in the evening? This would work for me but would it still be as affective? Many thanks in advance :)
Hi Rachel, breaking the workouts down into "snacks" or mini workouts could be beneficial. You may not see the same results, but if it helps you train consistently, I say go for it!
Do you offer a program that incorporates super sets?
Feel free to give this one a run, JD. Hope it helps!
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/fast-mass-program
I’m super excited to kick off this program on Monday! Quick question—should I incorporate cardio into my routine as part of this program?
Hi Moxy, we are excited to see how this works for you. You can incorporate cardio either at a separate time from training or after training, whichever works best for you.
Thanks for reading M&S!
I want gain weight as I am underweight this program will helmet to gain weight ?
If you eat healthy to gain weight, then yes.
Hi. What is after the 12 week program. I am done.
Hi Jackie, this can help you find another program, or you can ride this one out again. Hope this helps!
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
hi, im particularly focusing on fat and weight loss, will this program help me achieve my goals? I'm 5'2 and weigh 143 lbs
So long as your nutrition, cardio, and recovery also support fat loss, then yes, this program can help you reach those goals.
Thanks for reading M&S, and please keep us posted on your progress.
I'm wanting to do the PPL on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. Would you suggest I just combine the 2 days of push/pull into one - or ...?
It would make for a long day, Mary. But if you must do M, W, and F, then combining the two days would be how to do it.
i wanted to know how i could incorporate a HIIT workout in this program.
You could do it after the weight training or at a different time of the day, Melis. Hope this helps.
Because of my schedule it is easier for me to workout Monday through Saturday and taking the Sunday off instead of Thursday. Will this be okay?
Something was mentioned above about the heavier lifts, I want to have a better vision about the weights I’m supposed to train with to get the best outcome.
You can explain with an example weight, and I’ll get the idea and apply it on my weights.
Hopefully this example will help, Toqa. Let's use the leg press. In the workout it looks like this.
Leg Press 3 12-15
So set 1 could be 135 pounds for 15 reps with a level 8 effort. Set 2 could be 185 pounds for 15 reps with a level 9 effort. Then comes set 3. 225 pounds for 12 reps but it is a level 10 effort. You stayed in the range, and you went all out on that last set. If you can apply those efforts with the weights you use, you should be good to go. Hope this helps.
Where I workout the machines and equipment are not always available when I need them when trying to complete the workout routine as shown. My question is, me not following each daily workout in the order as shown, will it make a difference?
As long as you're performing exercises that will work the same muscles as those that you're not able to do, you'll be fine, E. Just give it all you got with whatever movements you need to do. If you need suggestions, check out the Exercises section at the top of the M&S site.
It's the preferred order so you can get the best out of all movememnts. If your gym is set up differently or you need to do them in a different order for your own reasons, it's ok.
Hey, what about the order of the exercises within a day? Is the progression of Exercise 1 > Exercise 2 > Exercise 3 etc. necessary, or could it go E2 > E1 > E3?
Thank you,
Mika
Hello! Excited to start this workout. I’m guessing that the first 3 workouts are with heavier weight and then a little lighter for the next three, just based on the reps per set. Correct?
Exactly, Sina! Hope you enjoy the workouts, and thank you for reading M&S!
Can this program be followed for longer than 12 weeks if we are making steady progress in the lifts? Or should the exercises be swapped out for new ones after the 12weeks are up?
Hello, Sayna. If you're still seeing progress, keep on going! Let us know how you've done so far.
Would the PPL workout work if I only want to tone my muscles and get stronger? I do not want to become bulky.
Thanks
It will. As long as you don't eat excess calories, you shouldn't notice a major size change.
I think this program fits my goals and current abilities well. However, I can only get to the gym 5 times per week. Is there a way I can arrange this to so I can take Saturday and Sunday off without losing results? Thanks.
Hi, Catherine. Take some of both the second push and pull workouts and combine them into an upper body session. That takes one day out of it, and you should still see positive changes.