Reddit PPL: 6-Day Metallicadpa Workout Guide

Reddit PPL (push, pull, legs) is a six-day program that a Reddit user named Metallicadpa posted to r/Fitness in May 2015, under the title “A Linear Progression Based PPL Program for Beginners”. Each day opens with one heavy barbell lift for sets of five, and higher-rep bodybuilding work fills the rest of the session, so every muscle gets trained twice a week.

How the original program works

Metallicadpa wrote the program for beginners who want to lift most days of the week and still add weight to the bar every session. The main lift of each day comes first, and its last set is an AMRAP set, short for as many reps as possible. The post puts a limit on that set, since it defines it as “As many reps as possible while still maintaining good form”.

The main lifts rotate across the six days:

• Pull days alternate one set of five or more deadlifts with five sets of five barbell rows.
• Push days alternate the bench press and the overhead press for five sets of five, and the other press comes later in the session for 3 sets of 8 to 12.
• Leg days open with three sets of five squats every time.

The post adds weight to a main lift at every session. The jump is 2.5 kg (5 lb) for the bench press, row, overhead press and squat, and 5 kg (10 lb) for the deadlift. The lighter lifts follow a slower rule, where the weight goes up once all three sets reach 12 good reps. A set that drops below 8 reps means the weight is too heavy. For a first session, Metallicadpa suggests working up from the empty bar in sets of five until the bar slows down, then taking 2.5 kg off that weight.

When a lift stalls

A stall in Reddit PPL means three failed sessions in a row on the same lift. The post then takes 10 percent off that lift, so a 100 kg squat goes back to 90 kg, and the climb starts again from there. Metallicadpa also leaves room for an off day, because a session lost to poor sleep or food does not count as a true failure.

The lighter weight after a stall is where the AMRAP set earns its place. On the way back up, the last set gets more reps than it did the first time, and the old weight comes around again with reps to spare.

What Kinoku works out for you

Kinoku’s Reddit PPL template tracks six lifts: the deadlift, bench press, back squat, barbell row, lat pulldown and overhead press. When you start the program, you enter a one-rep max for each of them, and Kinoku turns that number into a first working weight.

• Deadlift, bench press and squat. These keep the post’s sets of five and the AMRAP last set, starting at 80 percent of your one-rep max. A session where every set reaches five reps adds 5 kg to the deadlift and squat and 2.5 kg to the bench press.
• Row, pulldown and overhead press. These start at 65 percent of your one-rep max for sets of 8. Each good session adds one rep to the target at the same weight. After a good session at 12 reps, the weight goes up 2.5 kg and the target drops back to 8.
• Three misses in a row. Each lift keeps its own count of missed sessions, and the third miss in a row takes 10 percent off its weight, the same deload the post uses.

Kinoku cannot tell a bad night from a real stall, so every miss it sees counts toward the three. If a starting weight feels wrong, the Lift maxes section of Program settings takes a new one-rep max and restarts that lift from the next day.

Where the app’s version differs

Kinoku keeps one main lift per day where the post alternates two. The bench press leads every push day and the deadlift leads every pull day, so the deadlift comes up twice a week instead of once. The row moves to 4 sets of 8 to 12 on both pull days, and the overhead press runs 3 sets of 8 to 12 on both push days.

The squat also climbs faster in the app, by 5 kg a session where the post adds 2.5 kg. Choosing Smaller under Weight jumps in Program settings halves the usual jumps, which brings the squat back to 2.5 kg, though it also halves the deadlift, row, pulldown and overhead press jumps.

The day lists are a little shorter than the post’s. The push day has no overhead triceps extension, and it has one round of lateral raises in place of two. The pull day uses the barbell row where the post suggests a seated cable row or a chest-supported row. Kinoku also leaves the accessory weights to you, so the post’s rule of three sets of 12 is yours to apply. Your routines stay editable, and the post itself calls everything except the main lifts interchangeable.

If six days a week is more than your schedule allows, the four-day Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower program (PHUL) trains the same muscles twice a week in fewer sessions.

Frequently asked questions

Which app runs the Reddit PPL program for me?

Kinoku runs Metallicadpa's six-day Reddit PPL for free on Android and tracks six lifts from the one rep max you enter. The deadlift, bench press and squat keep sets of five with a last set taken as far as you can, while the row, pulldown and overhead press climb from 8 to 12 reps. A third missed session in a row takes 10 percent off that lift.

How does the six-day Reddit PPL schedule work?

The program trains pull, push and legs twice each a week, with one rest day. Metallicadpa puts that rest day in the middle of the week or at the end, whichever suits your schedule. Kinoku plans pull on Monday and Thursday, push on Tuesday and Friday, and legs on Wednesday and Saturday, which leaves Sunday free.

How much weight do you add on the main lifts?

The original post adds 2.5 kg (5 lb) a session to the bench press, row, overhead press and squat, and 5 kg (10 lb) to the deadlift. Kinoku keeps the bench press and deadlift jumps but adds 5 kg to the squat. The row, pulldown and overhead press move by reps first, from 8 up to 12, and only then gain 2.5 kg.

What happens when you miss reps?

In the post, three failed sessions in a row on one lift bring its weight down by 10 percent, and you build back up from there. Kinoku applies the same rule to each lift it tracks. A bad night's sleep looks the same as a real stall to the app, so every missed session it sees counts toward the three.

Can I swap the accessory exercises?

Yes. Metallicadpa calls everything except the main lifts interchangeable, and your routines in Kinoku are yours to edit. Kinoku sets weights only for the six lifts it tracks, so the load on every accessory is your call.