Push-pull training

Here's what you need to know...

• Build muscle and strength with a push-pull training split and you'll avoid overloading muscle groups.
• Push-pull training allows you to exercise more often and burn more fat.
• Use the recommended sample workout plans or tailor the workouts to your goals and physiology.

Push-pull for progress

When it comes to training, I've tried it all: Powerlifting style, Olympic style and of course bodybuilding style.

All of these have worked - at least for a while - but the program I keep coming back to, the program that has never let me down, is the most basic of them all. It's the push-pull system.

In a nutshell, this system trains the muscles involved in pushing exercises during one training session and the muscles involved in pulling exercises during another. This type of program has some distinct advantages:

You avoid overloading muscle groups

Most people would have said that you avoid overtraining, but I don't think overtraining is that common and when it does occur, it takes months of pushing yourself to your physical limits and beyond.

This doesn't happen too often.

However, it is possible to overload muscle groups in a very short period of time and thereby impair recovery. Push-pull training allows the muscles to fully recover.

In traditional training schemes, you could train the chest on day one, the shoulders the next day and the triceps the day after. This would mean that you train the triceps and to a lesser extent the front shoulder muscles three days in a row!

Push-Pull avoids this by grouping all muscles involved in pulling movements (back, biceps, posterior shoulder muscles, forearms, leg flexors) and all muscles involved in pushing movements (chest, triceps, quadriceps, lateral and anterior shoulder muscles).

You improve your physical fitness and burn extra fat

By separating your muscles by function, you are able to exercise more frequently because the muscles you exercise in a day are not screaming for their mommy. Also, by splitting a full body workout into two workouts, you are forced to go to the gym more often.

When you do this, it logically improves your fitness and burns a few extra calories in the process.

Unfortunately, with these benefits come a few potential drawbacks:

Certain muscle groups might get shortchanged

With many push-pull programs, you end up training triceps, biceps, posterior shoulder muscles and forearms in a depleted state compared to chest, back and quadriceps, as the heavy exercises (squats, deadlifts, rowing, bench press) are typically trained first.

Solution: Vary the order in which the exercises are performed and prioritize the big, heavy exercises.

They could put a lot of strain on your nervous system

Squats, pull-ups, deadlifts and presses are inherently taxing on the body. Typically, you need at least 48 hours of recovery between training sessions during which these exercises are performed.

Solution: Use an intra-workout and a post-workout drink that provides you with high-quality carbohydrates and amino acids. You can also perform an unloading week every fourth week, during which you reduce the volume by 50%.

An example push-pull program

The split:

• Monday: heavy pull
• Tuesday: heavy push
• Wednesday: no training
• Thursday: light/moderate pull
• Friday: light/moderate push (push)*
• Saturday: no training
• Sunday: heavy pull
• Monday: heavy push

* Some exercisers may use this day as an additional training-free day and perform only 5 training sessions instead of 6 training sessions within 8 days.

The program

Monday: heavy pull

• A1.Deadlift 8 sets of 3 repetitions
• A2.Dumbbell curls with supported back 8 x 3

o lean against one of the posts of a power rack so that your entire spine and head are flat against the post - this will prevent you from bending over

• B1.Pull-ups with additional weight (full extension of the arms) 8 x 3
• B2.Deadlift with straight legs 8 x 3
• C.Serratus crunches (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8UDVAVctyk) 3-4 x 8-10
• A1.Front squats 8 x 3

Tuesday: heavy press (push)

o Start with the bar at the bottom of your range of motion, i.e. move under the bar in a "duck walk", get into position and move the weight up.

• A2.Bench press on the 8 x 3 multi-press

o Gironda style: wide grip, lower the bar towards your neck directly under your chin. I know it's the frowned upon multi press, but this one allows you to lower the bar towards the neck with a degree of safety, making bench press a good chest exercise and a mediocre tricep exercise instead of a good tricep exercise and mediocre chest exercise

• B1.Standing shoulder press 8 x 3
• B2.Dips (forearms touching the biceps in the bottom position) 8 x 3
• C.Calf raises on the leg press 3-4 x 8-10
• A1.Romanian deadlift 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• A2.SZ curls with reverse grip 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• B1.Barbell or dumbbell rows 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• B2.Leg curls 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• C.One-sided shoulder raises (shrugs) 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• D.Flying movements for the rear shoulder muscles 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• E.Cable crunches 3-4 x 8-10
• A.Leg presses 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• B1.Bulgarian squats 4 x 6 or 2 x 12 per leg
• B2.Dumbbell floor press (dumbbell press lying on the floor, https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/exercise/strength/dumbbell-floor-press/ss-BBtOa9Z) 4 x 6 or 2 x 12

Wednesday: no training

Thursday: light/moderate pulling (pull)

Friday: light/moderate press (push)

o Keep the elbows close to the body to emphasize the triceps

• C1.Flying movements with dumbbells 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• C2.Single-arm tricep press lying down (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvQbnyp0EC8) 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• D1.Dumbbell side raises 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• D2.Overhead shoulder lift with barbell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSEb1ULOzSQ) 4 x 6 or 2 x 12
• E.Seated calf raises 3-4 x 15-20
• Do not underestimate the 8 x 3 training session. If you use an "honest" weight - about 85% of your 1RM - it will give you a kick in the butt - maybe not during the actual training session, but later in the day.
• In most cases, you'll see that the total number of reps is 24 regardless of which rep/set scheme I've specified. This is a repetition count that has proven to be extremely useful and effective.
• The rest intervals between sets are 60 seconds on the heavy days and 45 seconds on the light/moderate days.
• Although you may question performing two heavy workouts on two consecutive days, it is best to perform these heavy workouts early in the week when you are probably at your freshest and strongest. Also, as you are training different muscle groups on different days, there is little overlap, so you should have no problems in this regard.
• In terms of calf training and repetition recommendations, calf exercises with bent knees primarily train the soleus muscle, which requires higher repetitions (a longer time under tension), while calf exercises with straight legs, such as calf raises on the leg press, require fewer repetitions (time under tension).

Tips for push-pull training sessions

It doesn't matter whether you like the exercises or set and repetition schemes you choose or not. Adapt the program to your physiology. You could add a third cycle so that you rotate between 8 x 3, 4 x 6 and 2 x 12. Only you know what will work for you.

Just remember the key benefit of the system: you can train muscle groups several times a week without overloading the body and this equates to muscle growth.

From TC Luoma | 07/03/07

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/push-pull-workout