Push/Pull Workouts: Benefits, How to Plan, Sample Workout

There are so many ways to divide and conquer your workout routine. For example, many people like to have a leg day, an upper body day, and a core day. Others focus more on strength days versus cardio days. 

An increasingly popular way to split up workouts to build strength and improve body balance is the push/pull workout. It’s a useful division for a lot of reasons. We’ll go through those here and explain how to set up an effective push/pull routine. 

What is a Push/Pull Workout? 

Push/pull training is a type of workout plan that separates movements by their mechanics. One set of exercises focuses on pulling motions, while the others use a push motion. Each targets different muscles: 

Push Workouts Target the Anterior Chain

Exercises that require you to push or press something away from the body work the anterior muscles. These muscles are mainly on the front of your body: 

• Chest

• Shoulders

• Triceps

• Quadriceps

Pull Workouts Target the Posterior Chain

Moves that require you to pull toward the body works the posterior muscles, those mainly along the back of the body: 

• Back

• Biceps

• Hamstrings

The idea of a push/pull routine is to split your training between these types of exercises and the muscles they work. Do a push workout one day and pull the next to ensure balanced strength training. 

Learn more: An upper/lower body split workout is another effective routine. 

The Benefits of Push/Pull Workouts

There are many good reasons to choose this type of workout split plan. For most people, it’s a simple, effective, and efficient workout that maximizes precious gym time. It hits each major muscle group equally so that you don’t forget anything. Additional benefits include: 

Create a Balanced Physique

It’s easy to focus too much on either the anterior or the posterior chain if you’re not planning your workout carefully. By focusing on a balance between push and pull exercises, you’ll hit both equally. This helps equalize strength and physique throughout the body. 

Work the Whole Body with Ample Recovery Time

Recovery is essential between strength workouts. It allows muscles to rebuild bigger and stronger. If you do pull exercises one day and push the next, the muscles worked one day have a chance to rest before you hit them next time. 

Improve Posture

Many people have poor posture, often due to hunching over a desk, smartphone, or computer for hours per day. The result is back pain and other issues. In addition to sitting a lot, muscle imbalance contributes to hunched posture. 

There is a tendency to focus on pushing exercises that strengthen the anterior muscles and neglect the posterior. A push/pull routine can bring back balance and build strength in upper back muscles that improve posture. 

Push/Pull Workouts Mirror Actual Movements

If you’re into fitness for more than just aesthetics, you want a functional workout. Push and pull movements mimic how we move throughout the day. They are fundamental motions for many everyday activities, like opening a door or moving an object. 

By training fundamental movements, your strength becomes more functional. Daily tasks are more manageable, and you’re less likely to get injured doing these ordinary things. The basic moves also support your other workouts, priming you to lift heavier for building muscle mass and muscle growth and perform better in athletics. 

The Push Exercises

The push exercises are probably more familiar to the average gym-goer. Many people spend more time on these, neglecting or under-utilizing pull exercises and the posterior chain. Each of these counts as a push exercise: 

• Overhead shoulder presses

• Chest and bench presses

• Triceps dips and triceps extensions

• Push-ups

• Chest flys

You can also consider exercises that work the quads—like a squat and a leg press—to be push exercises. You can include them in a push day or leave lower body workouts for a third workout day. Perhaps you even create a specific push pull legs routine.

The Pull Exercises

There are many different ways to plan a push pull workout, but first, it’s essential to understand the differences. Once you get started, it’s easy to see the difference, but to get you started, these are all pull exercise examples of moves that require a pulling motion: 

• Bent over rows and cable rows

• Lat pulldown

• Biceps curls

• Pull-ups and chin-ups

• Barbell shrugs

Deadlifts and other exercises that strengthen the hamstrings are also pulling exercises. As with the quads, you can include these in a pull day or dedicate another day of the week to the legs and lower body, a push pull legs split. 

Pull-ups are among the best strength exercises you can do to target a lot of muscles, but it’s hard to get there. Check out this pull-up guide for working up to a full rep. 

How to Plan a Push/Pull Workout Routine

One of the great things about this type of workout plan is that it’s simple and versatile. You can plan a workout program for any client at any level and ability. Just stick with the split between push exercises and pull exercises. 

For example, a basic framework to follow looks like this: 

• Monday – push exercises

• Tuesday – pull exercises

• Wednesday – core, core with legs if you don’t include legs on the other days

• Thursday – rest day

• Friday – push exercises

• Saturday – pull exercises

• Sunday – core and legs

With this type of rotation, you get a full 72 hours of recovery time between workouts. This is optimal for results and injury prevention. Of course, the schedule doesn’t have to begin with Monday. It can start on any day. 

Sample Push/Pull Workout

The basic schedule for a push/pull split gives you a lot of freedom to design a workout that’s best for you or your client. Here’s an example of a more detailed plan to give you some inspiration. Perform 8 to 12 reps of each exercise in the set. Repeat 3 to four times, depending on your client’s fitness level.

Monday – Push

• Bodyweight triceps dips or skull crushers

• Dumbbell chest fly 

• Lateral shoulder raises

• Overhead press

• Bench press

Tuesday – Pull

• Bent over dumbbell rows

• Cable lat pull downs

• Biceps curls

• Renegade rows in plank position

Wednesday – Core and Legs

• Deadlifts

• Squats

• Glute bridges

• Plank variations

• Mountain climbers

Friday – Push 

• Cable triceps pushdowns

• Dumbbell chest presses on an incline

• Push-ups, on knees for beginners

• Shoulder presses

Saturday – Pull

• Reverse dumbbell fly

• Biceps hammer curls

• Dumbbell shrugs

• Pull-ups, with assistance for beginners

Sunday – Core and Legs

• Lunges

• Side lunges

• Sumo squats

• Crunch variations

• Bird dog

What About Cardio? 

Of course, the most balanced routine includes cardio and strength. With this simple split plan, you can fit in cardio where it works best for your schedule and recovery. 

Because the push/pull days are largely upper body, those are good days to add 30 or 40 minutes of cardio. Most cardio workouts involve your legs, so it’s a good balance that works better than adding cardio to a leg/core day. 

Push/pull splits are not new, but they’re ready for a comeback. For building total body strength in balance, it’s hard to beat this routine. Try it with clients at all levels and for your own workouts. 

If you love trying new workouts and helping others meet their goals, personal training might be your dream job. Everything you need to start your new career is included in the Certified Personal Trainer – Self-Guided Study Program from ISSA.  

References

Posture and back health - Harvard Health. Harvard Health. (2014). Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/posture-and-back-health.