Choose the Reddit PPL if you want a free plan with one rule: its post says to add weight to the main lifts every session. Choose RIGOR if you want reps to rise across a range before weight, and a deload in the plan. RIGOR is for iPhone, has no Android app, and costs $59.99 a year.
The Reddit PPL and RIGOR side by side
Each Reddit line below was read in the original post, through an archived copy. Its author's account is deleted. RIGOR's side is its 6-day push/pull/legs program.
| Reddit PPL | RIGOR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | A free post; no app | $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month; the yearly plan starts with 7 days free; iPhone and Apple Watch |
| Written for | An advanced lifter in a commercial gym | |
| Days | 6 days, then a rest day | |
| Main lifts | A main lift first, for 6 to 10 reps | |
| When weight goes up | When every set reaches the top of its rep range at about the planned effort | |
| Step | The next weight your gym can make above the last one | |
| Accessories | The same rule on every exercise | |
| After misses | Short of the range in two sessions running at one weight: 10% off that lift | |
| Deload | Planned: week 5 of each block |
What a week looks like in each
The post puts a heavy barbell lift first each day and alternates them: deadlift one pull day and barbell row the next, bench press one push day and overhead press the next, and a squat on every legs day. Added to every session, a squat rises twice a week and the other main lifts once. RIGOR's plan gives each day a main lift and then a rep range for every exercise.
In the Reddit PPL
- Open the day with its heavy barbell lift, in sets of 5.
- Add weight at the next session, every session.
- Fail three sessions in a row: lower the weight.
In RIGOR
- Tell it your days, session length and gym.
- Open today's workout to see each lift's sets, reps and weight.
- Log it; the next target follows the rules, and the Why sheet shows the rule.
In RIGOR's plan the work is 84 working sets a week, and a block is five weeks: four of training, then a deload. See double progression for the rule.
RIGOR is a strength training app for iPhone that builds your plan and sets every weight by rules you can read.
YOUR IPHONE
Where the Reddit PPL is better
- One rule. Add weight every session on the main lifts. Double progression waits for the top of the range on every set, and for the effort to match.
- Free, on any phone. It is a post, with no subscription. RIGOR has no free plan and no Android app.
- Aimed at beginners. It says a beginner can make progress very quickly this way. RIGOR's six-day plan is for an advanced lifter, and a beginner would train three or four days.
- A way out. The post says linear progress ends for intermediates, and names programs to move on to.
If any of these decides it for you, choose the Reddit PPL.
Where RIGOR is better
If you would rather not choose the next weight yourself. RIGOR sets each target from your last session of the lift and shows the rule.
- Reps before weight. With every set at the top, if the next weight would put you under the bottom of the range, RIGOR asks for extra reps at the same weight first.
- Effort counts. The post leaves the effort of each set to you. RIGOR plans reps in reserve: about three left on the big lifts in week 1, one in week 4.
- A planned deload. In the deload week the plan halves the sets, rounded up, takes about 10% off the weights and leaves at least four reps in reserve.
None of this makes RIGOR the better choice for everyone. The Reddit PPL is simpler, free, and written for a beginner. RIGOR suits a lifter who wants a range, a rule and the reason behind each target. Stuck on a lift? See what to do at a strength plateau.
See the reason behind every target
Reddit PPL is a trademark of its owner. RIGOR is not affiliated with it.
Questions
What is the Reddit PPL routine?
A six-day push, pull and legs plan in a post on r/Fitness, written for beginners. Each day opens with a heavy barbell lift that gains weight every session, followed by higher-rep accessory work.
How many days a week is the Reddit PPL program?
Six. The post runs it as PPLRPPL or PPLPPLR, where R is a rest day, and says the choice makes no difference.
How does the Reddit PPL add weight?
Main lifts gain weight every session: 2.5 kg or 5 lb for upper-body lifts and squats, 5 kg or 10 lb for deadlifts. Accessories gain weight once you reach 3 sets of 12 with good form.
What happens when you fail a lift on the Reddit PPL?
The post says that failing a session three times in a row means lowering the weight. Its deload takes 10% off your working weights, and you work back up.
Is there a Reddit PPL spreadsheet?
The post links a tracking spreadsheet made by another user. This page did not open it, and says nothing about its contents.
Is the Reddit PPL good for beginners?
It was written for them, and its author says intermediates can no longer add weight every session. RIGOR's own six-day plan is built for advanced lifters. This page does not rate either.
