Fysiqal
Calisthenics
Calisthenics

Push-Pull-Legs Bodyweight Split

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Program example
In one line

An intermediate split grouping push days, pull days, and leg days — run 3 or 6 days/week — that allows more volume per pattern and a skill slot up front.

Detail

Once a beginner outgrows full-body training, a push/pull/legs split (Push-Pull System, Split Routine System) concentrates volume per movement group while keeping recovery manageable. Run it 3 days/week (each day once) or 6 days/week (each twice). Begin each session with a skill slot while fresh (Structuring a Bodyweight Workout), then strength, then volume.

PUSH day (chest, shoulders, triceps)

PULL day (back, biceps, rear delts)

LEGS day (quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves)

Rest: 2-3 min on skill/strength, 60-90 s on volume. Progress by reps then variation.

Key facts

  • Push / Pull / Legs split; run 3x/week (each once) or 6x/week (each twice).
  • Skill slot first (handstand/planche/front lever) while fresh, then strength, then volume.
  • More volume per pattern than full-body; suits intermediates.
  • Rest 2-3 min (skill/strength), 60-90 s (volume); progress by reps then variation.

Connections

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked
Authored from established calisthenics / split-programming consensus.

Exercise guides

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Atlas Connections

Bodyweight Calf Raise
Rising onto the balls of the feet to train the calves; done off a step for full range and on one leg to overload without weights.
Bulgarian Split SquatClosely related
A split squat with the rear foot elevated on a bench, shifting most of the load onto the front leg — a powerful unilateral builder of the quads and glutes and a key step toward the pistol.
Diamond Push-UpClosely related
A push-up with the hands close together under the chest (thumbs and index fingers forming a diamond) that shifts the emphasis onto the triceps and inner chest.
Dip Progression
Bench dips → parallel-bar dips → ring dips — a vertical/downward press ladder that builds the lower chest and triceps, with each step adding load and shoulder-stability demand.
Handstand Progression
Wall walk → kick-up to wall → freestanding kick-up → freestanding hold — building the shoulder strength, alignment, and balance to hold an inverted vertical line.
Handstand Push-Up Progression
Pike push-up → elevated pike push-up → wall handstand push-up → freestanding handstand push-up — the bodyweight vertical (overhead) press ladder.
Hanging Knee Raise
Hanging from a bar and drawing the bent knees up toward the chest — the entry-level hanging ab exercise and the regression for the hanging leg raise.
Glute Bridge & Hip Thrust Progression
Glute bridge → single-leg glute bridge → (elevated) hip thrust — a floor-up ladder for hip extension that targets the glutes and hamstrings with no equipment.
Nordic Curl Progression
A kneeling eccentric hamstring curl — lower the torso forward as slowly as possible while the heels are anchored — scaled by how much you assist with the hands.
Pistol Squat Progression
Bodyweight squat → split squat → Bulgarian split squat → pistol squat — the road to a full single-leg squat, scaling from two-leg to fully unilateral loading.
Planche LeanClosely related
A straight-arm plank with the shoulders leaned far forward past the hands and held — the foundational strength builder for the planche.
Pull-Up Progression
Dead hang → scapular pull → negative → band-assisted → full pull-up → chin-up variations → archer → one-arm — the road to a strict pull-up and beyond.
Push-Up Progression
A leverage ladder from wall push-ups to the one-arm push-up that lets the horizontal press keep overloading the chest, triceps, and front delts without weights.
Bodyweight Row Progression
Incline/Australian rows → ring rows → tuck front lever → front lever — the horizontal-pull ladder building the mid-back and lats and leading into the front lever.
Structuring a Bodyweight Workout
Warm up, do skill practice while fresh, then heaviest-leverage strength work, then rep/hypertrophy and conditioning, finishing with core and cool-down.
Tuck Front LeverClosely related
The first front-lever hold — hanging from a bar with straight arms, knees tucked to the chest and the back horizontal and face-up.
Chin-ups
Body-weight pull-up working the latissimus dorsi; grip orientation shifts the emphasis between upper and lower lats.
Hanging Leg Raises
Hanging leg raise that works the rectus abdominus together with the hip flexors (iliopsoas, pectineus, rectus femoris).
Push-Pull System
Pairing pushing exercises with pulling exercises so agonist and antagonist groups are balanced and stabilizers are not overworked.
Split Routine System
Different body parts are trained on alternate days so each can be worked thoroughly at high intensity without overtraining.