Reddit PPL Program Guide — Metallicadpa's Push/Pull/Legs for Beginners
A complete breakdown of the Reddit PPL (Metallicadpa) — the 6-day Push/Pull/Legs structure, compound and accessory lifts, linear progression, and how to run it in the RepCheck app.
Reddit PPL — officially Metallicadpa's Beginner PPL — is a 6-day Push/Pull/Legs program that combines linear progression on compound lifts with bodybuilding-style accessories. Originally posted on r/Fitness by Reddit user /u/metallicadpa, it became the recommended PPL routine in the r/Fitness wiki and one of the most widely used beginner programs on the platform. It's designed for lifters who want to train 6 days per week with a mix of strength and hypertrophy work.
How It Works
You train 6 days per week, running each workout type twice: Pull, Push, Legs, Pull, Push, Legs, Rest. The two sessions of each type aren't identical — the main compound lift alternates between sessions.
| Day | Focus | Main Compound | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Pull | Deadlift | 1×5+ (AMRAP) |
| Tuesday | Push | Bench Press | 4×5, 1×5+ (AMRAP) |
| Wednesday | Legs | Squat | 4×5, 1×5+ (AMRAP) |
| Thursday | Rest | — | — |
| Friday | Pull | Barbell Row | 4×5, 1×5+ (AMRAP) |
| Saturday | Push | Overhead Press | 4×5, 1×5+ (AMRAP) |
| Sunday | Legs | Squat | 4×5, 1×5+ (AMRAP) |
Deadlift stands out — it's only 1 set of 5+ reps, not 5 sets. Every other compound is 5 sets of 5 with the last set as AMRAP. The AMRAP only applies to the main compound of the day, not to the secondary compound or accessories.
The Alternating Structure
Each muscle group is trained twice per week, but the main compound alternates:
Pull days: Monday's main lift is Deadlift (1×5+). Friday's main lift is Barbell Row (5×5, last AMRAP). The accessories are the same on both days.
Push days: Tuesday's main lift is Bench Press (5×5). Saturday's main lift is Overhead Press (5×5). The lift that isn't the main compound drops to accessory volume (3×8–12) on the other day. This means you never do heavy AMRAP sets for both Bench and OHP on the same day.
Legs days: Both days are identical — Squat is the main lift on Wednesday and Sunday.
Note: RepCheck's implementation differs from the original Reddit post in a few ways — Deadlift and Row are fixed to specific Pull days (instead of alternating weekly), and Squat uses 5 working sets instead of the original 3.
Full Workout Breakdown
Pull Day (both Monday and Friday):
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Deadlift (Mon) or BB Row (Fri) | 1×5+ or 5×5 (AMRAP) |
| Lat Pulldown | 3×8–12 |
| Cable Row | 3×8–12 |
| Face Pull | 5×15–20 |
| Hammer Curl | 4×8–12 |
| DB Curl | 4×8–12 |
Push Day (both Tuesday and Saturday):
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Bench (Tue) or OHP (Sat) | 5×5 (AMRAP) |
| OHP (Tue) or Bench (Sat) | 3×8–12 |
| Incline DB Press | 3×8–12 |
| Tricep Pushdown | 3×8–12 |
| Overhead Tricep Extension | 3×8–12 |
| Lateral Raise | 3×15–20 |
Legs Day (both Wednesday and Sunday):
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 5×5 (AMRAP) |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3×8–12 |
| Leg Press | 3×8–12 |
| Leg Curl | 3×8–12 |
| Calf Raise | 5×8–12 |
Unlike nSuns or 5/3/1, the accessories here aren't optional — they're a fixed part of the program. The specific exercises (Lat Pulldown, Cable Row, Face Pull, Incline DB Press, Tricep Pushdown, etc.) are prescribed, not left to the lifter to choose.
Progression Rules
This program uses session-to-session linear progression — the fastest type. You add weight every session, not every week.
Compound lifts: When you hit all target reps on the AMRAP set (at least 5), increase the weight next session. In RepCheck, Squat and Deadlift increment by 5 kg, while Bench, OHP, and Barbell Row increment by 2.5 kg. Isolation accessories (curls, lateral raises, etc.) use 1.25 kg increments.
Accessory lifts: Use double progression — start at the bottom of the rep range (e.g., 8 reps) and work up to the top (12 reps) across sessions. When you can complete all sets at 12 reps, increase the weight and drop back to 8 reps.
Deload: If you fail the same weight for 3 consecutive sessions on a lift, reduce the weight by 10% and work back up.
This is straightforward LP — no percentage calculations, no Training Max, no periodization. You either hit the reps and go up, or you don't and try again.
Who Is This For?
Reddit PPL is for beginners who want to train 6 days a week and care about both strength and aesthetics. It's more volume than Starting Strength or StrongLifts (which are 3-day full-body programs), and the fixed accessory work targets muscle groups that pure strength programs neglect — biceps, triceps, lateral delts, hamstrings, and calves.
If you can only train 3 days, this isn't the right program — look at 5/3/1 for Beginners or GZCLP instead. If you're an intermediate who can no longer add weight session-to-session, move to a weekly progression program like nSuns, Madcow, or Texas Method.
Running Reddit PPL in the RepCheck App
When you select Metallicadpa 6-Day PPL in the RepCheck app, it asks for your 1RM for each lift:
Enter your current 1RM for each lift — compounds and accessories. RepCheck tracks all 18 max entries across the program, calculates your working weights, and auto-increments when you complete a week. The program runs for 12 weeks, after which you can reset and continue.