7 Exercises for an Epic Push-Pull Workout

Are you looking to take your push day workout to the next level with a full body workout? Look no further than this comprehensive list of exercises designed to help you work your chest, shoulders, and triceps with challenging push day routines. This detailed guide will set you on your way to building strength and boosting your physique in no time!

1) The Squat

Benefits: Full Body Workout

• Targets: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings

• Improves: Lower body strength, stability, and power

• Burns Calories: Engages large muscle groups, aiding in overall calorie burn

• Engages: The posterior chain, which is crucial for overall strength and stability

Execution:

1. Starting Position: Stand with feet hip-width apart and toes facing forward. Ensure your spine is neutral and your chest is up.

2. Descent: Push your hips back as if sitting into a chair. Bend your knees, ensuring they stay behind your toes. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly below.

3. Ascent: Push through your heels to stand back up, engaging your glutes and keeping your back straight. Avoid locking your knees at the top.

4. Repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Tips:

• Form: Keep your weight on your heels and your abs tight to maintain balance and protect your lower back.

• Depth: Lower yourself as far as you can while maintaining good form to fully engage your muscles.

2) The Deadlift

Benefits: Posterior Chain

• Targets: Lower back, glutes, hamstrings

• Improves: Total body strength, core stability, flexibility

• Functional Fitness: Enhances movements used in daily life

• Benefits: Often requires max effort, which helps in building strength and endurance

Execution:

1. Starting Position: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and toes slightly outward. Bend your knees and grab the barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

2. Lift: Brace your core, pull your shoulder blades back, and keep your chest up. Lift the bar by pressing through your heels and extending your hips and knees simultaneously.

3. Descent: Lower the bar back down in a controlled manner, maintaining a flat back and slightly bending your knees.

4. Repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.

Tips:

Form: Keep the bar close to your body throughout the lift to reduce strain on your lower back.

Variations: Try conventional, sumo, stiff-leg, single-leg, or hex-bar deadlifts to target different muscle groups.

Tip: Gradually increasing the weight can help in building stronger muscles and improving overall fitness. Exercises like single-leg deadlifts distribute more weight on fewer limbs, enhancing the difficulty and effectiveness of the workout.

3) The Bench Press

Benefits:

• Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps

• Improves: Upper body strength, muscle hypertrophy

• Versatility: Can be adjusted with different angles and grips to target various muscles

• Benefits:

  • Each one rep in the bench press is crucial for building upper body strength and muscle hypertrophy.

Execution:

1. Starting Position: Lie on a flat bench with feet flat on the ground. Hold the barbell with a shoulder-width grip.

2. Descent: Lower the bar to your chest, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle from your torso.

3. Ascent: Press the bar back up until your arms are fully extended, without locking your elbows.

4. Repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Tips: More Weight

• Spotter: Always use a spotter for safety, especially when lifting heavier weights.

• Variations: Incorporate incline and decline bench presses to target different parts of the chest.

4) The Shoulder Press

Benefits:

• Targets: Shoulders, triceps

• Improves: Shoulder strength, stability, and mobility

• Core Engagement: Helps strengthen the core muscles as well

• Endurance: Builds endurance, essential for maintaining muscle strength over extended periods

Execution:

1. Starting Position: Sit or stand with a barbell or dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.

2. Press: Push the weight overhead until your arms are fully extended. Avoid locking your elbows.

3. Lower: Bring the weight back down to shoulder height in a controlled manner.

4. Repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Tips:

• Form: Keep your back straight and core engaged to prevent lower back strain.

• Variations: Try seated, standing, or single-arm shoulder presses to add variety and target different muscles.

5) The Triceps Extension

Benefits:

• Targets: Triceps

• Improves: Arm strength, muscle definition

• Versatility: Can be done with different equipment like dumbbells, barbells, or cables

• Benefits:

  • Easily scalable: Triceps extensions can be modified to suit both beginners and advanced athletes, making them accessible and allowing for progression according to individual capabilities.

Execution:

1. Starting Position: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell or barbell with both hands overhead.

2. Extend: Lift the weight overhead, fully extending your arms.

3. Lower: Bend your elbows and lower the weight behind your head, keeping your elbows close to your ears.

4. Repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.

Tips:

• Form: Keep your elbows stationary and avoid flaring them out.

• Variations: Use a barbell, dumbbells, or resistance bands to vary the exercise.

6) The Biceps Curl

Benefits:

• Targets: Biceps

• Improves: Arm strength, muscle size

• Adaptable: Can be performed with various grips and equipment

• Benefits:

  • Enhances muscle definition

  • Increases arm strength

  • Improves overall upper body aesthetics

  • Maintaining the quality of movement during biceps curls is crucial for effective muscle engagement and reducing the risk of injury

Execution:

1. Starting Position: Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells with an underhand grip.

2. Curl: Bend your elbows and curl the weights toward your shoulders, keeping your upper arms stationary.

3. Lower: Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.

4. Repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.

• Form: Avoid swinging the weights and keep your movements controlled.

• Variations: Try barbell curls, dumbbell curls, or cable curls to target different parts of the biceps.

7) The Leg Press

Benefits:

• Targets: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes

• Improves: Lower body strength, muscle mass

• Joint Friendly: Puts less stress on the back compared to squats

• Benefits: Great exercise to perform at the gym for building lower body strength

Execution:

1. Starting Position: Sit on a leg press machine with feet hip-width apart on the platform.

2. Press: Push the platform away by extending your legs, ensuring not to lock your knees.

3. Lower: Bring the platform back down to the starting position in a controlled manner.

4. Other Side: After completing the leg press on one side, ensure to perform the exercise on the other side to maintain balanced muscle development.

5. Repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.

Tips:

• Form: Keep your back flat against the seat and avoid locking your knees.

• Variations: Adjust foot placement to target different muscle groups in the legs.

Conclusion

Incorporating these seven exercises into your push day workout will help you build strength, enhance muscle definition, and improve overall fitness. Additionally, incorporating functional fitness principles can further enhance the effectiveness of your push day workout by providing structured program designs and fostering a sense of community. Remember to use proper form, increase weights gradually, and stay consistent with your workouts. Happy training!