6 days on · Sunday off
Workouts
Coming back after a few years off, so we build up: a full-body week 1 to relearn the patterns, then a 6-day Push/Pull/Legs split from week 2.
Week 1
Full Body · all 6 days
Light–moderate, 2–3 sets per exercise, stop 2–3 reps shy of failure. A "wake the body up" week — same session each day.
- Squat (goblet / bodyweight if needed)3 x 10
- Push-up or DB bench press3 x 10
- DB row or lat pulldown3 x 10
- Romanian deadlift (light)2 x 10
- Overhead DB press2 x 10
- Lat pulldown / assisted pull-up2 x 10
- Plank3 x 30s
- ▸Run the SAME session all 6 days — you're re-grooving the basic patterns (squat, hinge, push, pull), not being creative.
- ▸Keep it light–moderate and stop 2–3 reps shy of failure. This is about how your joints and soreness respond.
- ▸If week 1 leaves you excessively wrecked, stretch it to 10 days before switching to PPL — better than starting the split injured.
Why full body for week 1, not straight into PPL?+
- ▸PPL front-loads volume onto specific muscles in one sitting → brutal DOMS 24–48h later after years off. Heavy squats Wednesday would wreck Thursday too.
- ▸Full body spreads a little stress across everything, so you get feedback on how joints and CNS handle load without any one muscle getting hammered.
- ▸After week 1 you'll know how your soreness responds — then switch to PPL with that knowledge.
Week 2+ · the split
Mon
Push
Tue
Pull
Wed
Legs
Thu
Push
Fri
Pull
Sat
Legs
Sun
Off
Push
Chest • Shoulders • Triceps (Mon & Thu)
- Barbell / DB bench press4 x 6-10
- Incline DB press3 x 8-12
- Overhead shoulder press3 x 8-10
- Lateral raises3 x 12-15
- Triceps pushdown / dips3 x 10-12
- Overhead triceps extension2-3 x 12-15
Pull
Back • Biceps (Tue & Fri)
- Deadlift or lat pulldown4 x 6-10
- Barbell / DB row3 x 8-10
- Pull-ups (or assisted)3 x max
- Face pulls3 x 12-15
- Barbell / DB bicep curl3 x 10-12
- Hammer curl2-3 x 12
Legs
Quads • Hams • Glutes • Calves (Wed & Sat)
- Squat (back or goblet to start)4 x 6-10
- Romanian deadlift3 x 8-10
- Leg press or lunges3 x 10-12
- Leg curl3 x 12
- Calf raises3-4 x 15
- Plank / core finisher3 x 30-45s
Why PPL twice a week instead of an Upper/Lower split?+
- ▸With 6 days, Upper/Lower runs 3× through the week — that hits squat/deadlift/bench 3× weekly. Coming back after years off, that's a lot of repeated heavy-compound stress before tendons and stabilisers have caught up. PPL spreads each big pattern to just 2× a week.
- ▸PPL lets each session go deeper on fewer muscle groups. An Upper day has to cram chest, back, shoulders AND arms into one sitting — you'd thin out the sets. Push/Pull separates them so each gets loaded properly.
- ▸Upper/Lower x3 becomes the better call once joints are reconditioned (2–3 months in) — research shows 3×/week per muscle can slightly edge out 2× for size when volume is matched. Revisit then.
Making it work
- ▸Weeks 1–2: pick weights where the last 2 reps are hard but not a grind — you're rebuilding movement patterns and tendon tolerance, not testing maxes.
- ▸From week 3: progressive overload — add a little weight or a rep once a lift feels easy at the top of its rep range.
- ▸Push & Pull days pair perfectly with the post-workout whey + banana; Leg days burn the most, so don't shortchange dinner.
- ▸Muscle is built in recovery — sleep and the pre-bed milk matter as much as the sets.