If you can commit to five training days per week and want a program that intelligently distributes volume across your entire body, the PPLUL split deserves your attention. This hybrid approach takes the focused muscle grouping of push/pull/legs and merges it with the frequency benefits of an upper/lower split, creating a well-rounded 5-day routine.
Breaking Down the PPLUL Structure
The week is organized as follows: Push, Pull, Legs, Upper, Lower. The first three days follow a standard PPL rotation, while the final two days group muscles into upper and lower sessions. The result is that most muscle groups get trained at least twice per week — a frequency sweet spot supported by current hypertrophy research.
Sample Weekly Layout
Day 1 — Push: Flat Barbell Bench Press (4x6-8), Incline Dumbbell Press (3x8-10), Cable Flyes (3x12-15), Overhead Press (3x8-10), Lateral Raises (3x12-15), Tricep Pushdowns (3x10-12).
Day 2 — Pull: Barbell Rows (4x6-8), Weighted Pull-Ups (3x6-8), Seated Cable Rows (3x10-12), Face Pulls (3x15-20), Barbell Curls (3x8-10), Hammer Curls (2x12-15).
Day 3 — Legs: Back Squats (4x6-8), Romanian Deadlifts (3x8-10), Leg Press (3x10-12), Walking Lunges (3x10 each), Leg Curls (3x12-15), Standing Calf Raises (4x12-15).
Day 4 — Upper: Overhead Press (3x6-8), Chest-Supported Row (3x8-10), Dumbbell Bench Press (3x10-12), Lat Pulldown (3x10-12), Lateral Raises (3x12-15), Superset: Curls & Tricep Extensions (2x12 each).
Day 5 — Lower: Front Squats or Leg Press (3x8-10), Hip Thrusts (3x10-12), Bulgarian Split Squats (3x10 each), Leg Extensions (3x12-15), Seated Calf Raises (3x15-20), Ab Work (3 sets).
Why PPLUL Works
Logical muscle pairing: Push and pull days group synergistic muscles together, so secondary muscles are already warmed up when you get to their isolation work. The upper/lower days then provide additional volume without the overlap redundancy you'd get from repeating PPL twice.
Twice-weekly frequency: Each major muscle group gets direct stimulation at least twice. Your chest is hit on push day and upper day. Your legs get worked on leg day and lower day. Research consistently shows this frequency outperforms once-weekly training for muscle growth.
Manageable session length: By spreading volume across 5 days instead of cramming it into 3-4, individual workouts stay in the 60-75 minute range — long enough to be productive, short enough to maintain intensity throughout.
Scheduling Considerations
The most common arrangement is Monday through Friday with weekends off. However, if you prefer a different rest day pattern, inserting one rest day after the legs session (Day 3) works well: Push Monday, Pull Tuesday, Legs Wednesday, rest Thursday, Upper Friday, Lower Saturday.
Recovery Tips for the 5-Day Grind
Training five days per week demands respect for recovery. Sleep 7-9 hours nightly, consume adequate protein (1.6-2.2g per kg of bodyweight), and manage training intensity so you're not going to absolute failure on every set. Aim for RPE 7-9 on most working sets, saving all-out efforts for the final set of your primary compound lifts.
Track It All with FitWit AI
A 5-day program generates a lot of training data — sets, reps, weights, RPE. FitWit AI captures everything automatically and surfaces insights you'd miss with manual tracking. It tells you which muscles are getting enough volume and which need more, helping you fine-tune the PPLUL split for maximum results.
