Strength Strength Training Push-Pull Strength Training Routine By Paige Waehner facebook linkedin Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer"; and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness." Learn about our editorial process Paige Waehner Reviewed by Reviewed by Heather Black on July 29, 2020 instagram Heather Black, CPT is a NASM-certified personal trainer and owner of Heather Black Fitness & Nutrition where she offers remote and in-person training and nutrition coaching. Learn about our Review Board Heather Black Updated on July 29, 2020 Print John Fedele/Getty Images Table of Contents View All Overview Push Exercises Upper Body Push Exercises Pull Exercises Upper Body Pull Exercises Why Push-Pull? Tips A push-pull strength training routine refers to a method of strength training in which you split your routine into different muscle groups and workouts. The reason? This kind of routine actually comes to us from the world of bodybuilding. Bodybuilders began using this method as a way to maximize their workouts as well as their rest periods, which are essential for building bigger muscles. They figured that splitting their workouts into "push" exercise one day and "pull" exercises on another day, they could work out more often without overtraining. Overview Push-Pull workouts are great for any exerciser, whether you're a bodybuilder or just someone lifting weights to be strong and fit. This kind of routine is usually spread out over three days of training, allowing you to do shorter workouts, which may fit into a busy schedule easier than longer, total-body workouts do. You can also do these exercises with a cable pulley system or resistance bands. Day 1 might be a push upper body workout, day 2 might be a lower body workout, and day 3 might be your pull upper body workout. Push Exercises As the name suggests, push exercises involve all the movements you can do where you push the weights away from your body. These exercises typically focus on the quads, outer thighs, chest, shoulders, and triceps. Upper Body Push Exercises The following are a list of upper body push exercises: PushupsChest pressesChest fliesOverhead pressesLateral raisesBent arm lateral raisesFront raisesDipsTriceps ExtensionsSkull crushers Top 10 Chest Exercises to Build Strength Pull Exercises Pull exercises are movements where you are pulling the weight toward your body. These exercises primarily use the biceps, hamstrings, glutes, and back muscles. For that reason, you can set up a routine in which you do a push routine one day and a pull routine the next without working the same muscles two days in a row. Upper Body Pull Exercises The following are a list of upper body pull exercises: One arm rowsBarbell rowsDouble arm rowsBarbell high rowsDumbell pulloversSeated rows with bandsLat pulls with a resistance bandBack extensionsSeated alternating rowsRenegade rowsBiceps curlsHammer curlsReverse curlsBarbell curlsIncline curlsConcentration curlsPreacher curls How to Get a Great Cardio Workout on a Rowing Machine Why Push-Pull? There are lots of great reasons to try this kind of routine. First, it allows you to work your muscles without overstressing them. Second, your workouts are shorter. Yes, they're more frequent, but you can do more in your workout because your other muscles are resting. Third, your workouts are more interesting and contain more variety. You can do push-pull routines in a variety of ways. You can also split your lower body into a push-pull routine, working the quads one day and the glutes and hamstrings on another day. Tips The trick is to change your workouts every 6-12 weeks to avoid hitting a plateau, which can stall your weight loss. You could do a push-pull routine for a few weeks and switch to a different training method like pyramid training. You could even change more drastically and go back to total body workouts, which you can do up to 3 non-consecutive days a week. Circuit training may be an option because the workouts move quickly and you can get your cardio in all at the same time. With so many different ways to train, there's no need to do the same workouts over and over. This can be welcome news for those who are easily bored with weight training and prefer a variety of exercises. 14 Exercises to Strengthen Your Back and Core Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Castanheira RPM, Ferreira-junior JB, Celes RS, et al. Effects of Synergist vs. NonSynergist Split Resistance Training Routines on Acute Neuromuscular Performance in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3482-3488. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001762 Collins P. Functional Fitness: Build Your Fittest Body Ever. Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer; 2009. American Council on Exercise. Weight Loss Plateaus and Pitfalls. Published January 29, 2009. Haltom RW, Kraemer RR, Sloan RA, Hebert EP, Frank K, Tryniecki JL. Circuit weight training and its effects on excess postexercise oxygen consumption. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999;31(11):1613-8.