Greatest Push Day Workouts: Lifts & Exercise Splits

A push exercise is a power coaching routine focusing on the muscular tissues concerned in pushing issues away out of your torso.

You practice these muscular tissues by doing “push workout routines.”

Usually, push day workout routines are press variations, such because the flat, incline, and close-grip bench press, overhead press, and shoulder press.

On this article, you’ll be taught precisely what a push day exercise routine is, which muscular tissues you practice in a push day exercise, why push exercises are helpful, the most effective push workout routines to incorporate in your exercises, an instance push exercise plan, and extra. 

What Is A Push Day Exercise?

A push day exercise trains the principle higher physique muscular tissues concerned in pushing issues away out of your torso. Usually, they emphasize compound pushing workout routines, together with the flat and incline barbell bench press and overhead press.

Additionally they normally embody a number of isolation workout routines to focus on the elements of your pushing muscular tissues that compound push workout routines don’t practice effectively, such because the dumbbell facet lateral elevate, overhead triceps extension, and triceps pushdown.

Push exercise plans are sometimes a part of “push pull legs break up,” which is a technique of organizing your coaching that dedicates particular days to workout routines that target both pushing, pulling, or coaching your decrease physique.

Muscle tissues Labored in a Push Day Exercise

The principle muscle teams labored in a push day exercise are:

Right here’s how these muscular tissues look in your physique:

What Are the Advantages of Push Day Exercises?

The principle advantages of push day exercise are:

1. Time Effectivity: Push day routines practice your chest, shoulders, and triceps in a single session, eliminating the necessity for separate exercises for every muscle group and making it excellent for these with restricted time.
2. Increased-quality coaching: While you practice one muscle group per exercise, its efficiency decreases because the exercise progresses. To compensate, it’s important to use lighter weights or do fewer reps, which isn’t excellent for muscle and power achieve. Push day exercises keep away from this concern by distributing the trouble throughout a number of muscular tissues.
3. Much less Soreness: Because you’re not overdoing it with anybody muscle group, most discover they’re much less sore from push day exercises and might get well sooner, making it simpler to keep up coaching depth throughout the week with out one session negatively affecting the following.

The 14 Greatest Push Day Workouts

1. Barbell Bench Press

The barbell bench press is without doubt one of the single finest push day workout routines for constructing virtually each main muscle in your higher physique, significantly your pecs, triceps, and deltoids. That is why virtually all well-designed push day exercises revolve round heavy benching. 

The way to:

1. Lie on a flat bench and place your ft flat on the ground. 
2. Pull your shoulder blades collectively and down, and with out lifting your butt or shoulders off the bench, barely arch your again. 
3. Seize the bar with a barely wider than shoulder-width grip and unrack the barbell.
4. Decrease the barbell to your chest, conserving your elbows tucked 6-to-8 inches out of your sides.
5. Press the bar again to the beginning place.

2. Incline Barbell Bench Press

The incline barbell bench press trains your chest, triceps, and shoulders, but it surely’s additionally probably the greatest push workout routines for coaching your “higher chest.” Together with it in your push day exercises ensures you construct proportionate chest mass—“filling out” your whole pecs. 

The way to:

1. Lie on a bench angled at 30-to-45 levels and plant your ft on the ground. 
2. Pull your shoulder blades collectively and down, and with out lifting your butt or shoulders off the bench, barely arch your again. 
3. Seize the bar with a barely wider than shoulder-width grip and unrack the barbell.
4. Decrease the barbell to your higher chest, conserving your elbows tucked 6-to-8 inches out of your sides.
5. Press the bar again to the beginning place.

3. Dumbbell Bench Press

The dumbbell bench press trains your pushing muscular tissues equally to the barbell bench press. The distinction is the dumbbell variation means that you can use a better vary of movement, which is useful for muscle development.

The way to:

1. Whereas sitting on a flat bench, maintain a dumbbell in every hand and relaxation them in your thighs. 
2. Lie again and produce the dumbbells up so that you’re holding them on both facet of your chest by giving them a nudge together with your thighs.
3. Press the dumbbells over your chest till your arms are straight and your elbows are locked. 
4. Decrease the dumbbells to the beginning place.

4. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

The incline dumbbell bench press trains your chest (and significantly your “higher chest”), triceps, and shoulders in an identical solution to the barbell variation. Nevertheless, the incline dumbbell bench press means that you can use a better vary of movement and stretch your chest muscular tissues barely greater than the barbell bench press, which advantages muscle development. 

The way to:

1. Whereas mendacity on a bench angled at 30-to-45 levels, maintain a dumbbell in every hand and relaxation them in your thighs. 
2. Lie again, hoisting the dumbbells up so that you’re holding them on both facet of your chest by giving them a nudge together with your thighs.
3. Press the dumbbells over your higher chest till your arms are straight and your elbows are locked.
4. Decrease the dumbbells to the beginning place.

5. Dip

The dip is a improbable push day train as a result of it trains all your upper-body pushing muscular tissues on the identical time. What’s extra, should you use a dip belt, it means that you can use heavy weights safely, which is necessary for gaining muscle and power.

The way to:

1. For those who’re utilizing a dip belt, wrap the chain round your waist, add the specified quantity of weight to the chain, and fasten the carabiner.
2. Seize each handles of a dip station, then press your self up by straightening your arms and gently leaping off the bottom so your arms are straight and supporting your whole physique weight. 
3. Bend your knees to maintain your ft from touching the bottom, then decrease your physique by bending your elbows till your higher arms are roughly parallel to the ground.
4. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

6. Shut-Grip Bench Press

The close-grip bench press trains your chest (and your higher chest specifically), shoulders, and triceps, making it an excellent push day train.

The way to:

1. Lie on a flat bench and place your ft flat on the ground. 
2. Pull your shoulder blades collectively and down, and with out lifting your butt or shoulders off the bench, barely arch your again. 
3. Grip the barbell with a shoulder-width grip or barely narrower and unrack the barbell.
4. Decrease the barbell to your decrease chest, conserving your elbows tucked 2-to-4 inches out of your sides.
5. Press the bar again to the beginning place.

7. Standing Overhead Press

Along with enhancing upper-body power and shoulder, triceps, and higher chest dimension, the overhead press develops your whole-body steadiness and coordination.

The way to:

1. Set a barbell in a rack on the identical peak as your higher chest. 
2. Grip the bar with a shoulder-width grip and your palms going through away from you.
3. Unrack the barbell, step backward, and plant your ft simply exterior of shoulder width.
4. Push the bar towards the ceiling till your arms are straight.
5. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

8. Seated Overhead Press

The seated overhead press trains your shoulders, triceps, and higher chest just like the standing variation. Nevertheless, as a result of the seated overhead press doesn’t require as a lot full-body coordination, you may raise heavier weights and progress sooner, which is usually higher for muscle development.

The way to:

1. Arrange an upright bench in a squat rack or use a seated barbell overhead press station.
2. Set a barbell within the rack at about shoulder peak when standing.
3. Sit down and grip the bar with a shoulder-width grip and your palms going through away from you.
4. Unrack the barbell and decrease it to your collarbone.
5. Press the bar towards the ceiling and return to the beginning place.

9. Shoulder Press

The principle good thing about the shoulder press is that it means that you can practice via an extended vary of movement than barbell overhead press variations, which is usually helpful for muscle development. 

The way to:

1. Sit on an upright bench and maintain a dumbbell in every hand, resting them in your thighs. 
2. Hoist the dumbbells up so that you’re holding them simply above your shoulders together with your palms going through away from you.
3. Press the dumbbells towards the ceiling till your arms are straight.
4. Decrease the dumbbells and return to the beginning place.

10. Arnold Press

The Arnold press emphasizes your facet delts greater than different overhead urgent variations, making it a superb pushing motion for balanced shoulder improvement. 

The way to:

1. Sit on an upright bench and maintain a dumbbell in every hand, resting them in your thighs.
2. Hoist the dumbbells up so that you’re holding them simply in entrance of your shoulders together with your palms going through you.
3. Press the dumbbells straight overhead whereas rotating your wrists till your arms are straight and your palms are going through away from you.
4. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

11. Triceps Pushdown

The triceps pushdown is especially good for focusing on the lengthy head of the triceps, particularly should you maintain your elbows barely behind your torso. It additionally trains the triceps via a full vary of movement, which is right for muscle development. 

The way to:

1. Set the pulley on a cable machine to barely above head peak and connect the rope and straight bar deal with.
2. Stand upright or lean barely ahead (you may undertake a staggered stance if it helps you steadiness), seize one finish of the deal with in every hand, and push it downward by straightening your elbows. 
3. As soon as your arms are straight and at your sides, reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

12. Overhead Triceps Extension

The overhead triceps extension trains your entire triceps (particularly the lengthy head) when absolutely stretched, which maximizes development.

The way to:

1. Sit up on a bench. 
2. Grip one finish of a dumbbell utilizing each palms and raise it overhead so your arms are straight. Your palms ought to be flat in opposition to the tip of the dumbbell and going through the ceiling. 
3. Decrease the burden till it’s behind your head by bending your elbows, then straighten your arms and return to the beginning place.

13. Mendacity Triceps Extension (“Skullcrusher”)

The skullcrusher is an excellent train for coaching all elements of the triceps, making certain you may have outlined, proportional higher arms.

The way to:

1. Whereas mendacity on a flat bench, maintain an EZ Bar above your chest with a shoulder-width grip. 
2. Deliver the bar all the way down to your brow by bending on the elbow, then reverse the motion to return to the beginning place.

14. Dumbbell Facet Lateral Elevate

The dumbbell facet lateral elevate isolates the lateral (facet) head of the deltoids, which is necessary if you would like your shoulders to have full, proportionate improvement.

The way to:

1. Arise straight with a dumbbell in every hand. 
2. Elevate the dumbbells out to your sides till your higher arms are parallel to the ground.
3. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

The Greatest Push Day Exercise Routine

Beneath are two top-tier push day exercise routines. For those who solely have time for one push day exercise weekly, do Push Day Exercise #1.

In case you have extra time to coach, do each push exercises every week, separated by not less than two days. For instance, you would do Push Day Exercise #1 on Monday, relaxation or do a leg or pull day on Tuesday and Wednesday, after which do Push Day Exercise #2 on Thursday.

Push Day Exercise #1

• Bench Press: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Shoulder Press: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Dumbbell Facet Lateral Elevate: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation

Push Day Exercise #2

• Overhead Press: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Incline Bench Press: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Shut-Grip Bench Press: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation

3 Suggestions for Extra Productive Push Exercises

1.   Finish each set 1-to-3 reps shy of muscle failure.

As I clarify in my health books for males and girls, to maximise your outcomes, you have to take a lot of the units in your push exercises to inside a rep or two of failure.

Ask your self on the finish of every set, “If I needed to, what number of extra reps might I’ve gotten with good kind?” If the reply is greater than two, improve the burden or reps to make your subsequent set more difficult.

2.  When you hit the highest of your rep vary for a set, transfer up in weight. 

In case your push exercise plan requires 4-to-6 reps of the bench press and also you get 6 reps for a set, add 10 kilos to your subsequent set.

For those who handle 3 or fewer reps with the brand new weight, cut back the burden by 5 kilos to make sure you keep within the 4-to-6 rep vary. 

Observe this sample of attempting so as to add reps or weight to each train in each exercise.

3. Take the appropriate dietary supplements. 

These dietary supplements may also help you optimize your push day exercise efficiency and positive aspects:

• Protein powder: Protein powder offers your physique with the vitamins wanted to construct muscle tissue and get well from exercises.
• Creatine: Creatine boosts muscle and power achieve, improves anaerobic endurance, and reduces muscle injury and soreness out of your exercises. 
• Pre-workout: A high-quality pre-workout enhances vitality, temper, and focus, will increase power and endurance, and reduces fatigue.

(For those who’d like much more particular recommendation about which dietary supplements you need to take to succeed in your well being and health targets, take the Legion Complement Finder Quiz, and in lower than a minute, you’ll know precisely what dietary supplements are best for you. Click on right here to test it out.)

Push Day Exercise FAQs

FAQ #1: What workout routines are in push day?

Push days exercises typically comprise compound workout routines that practice the muscular tissues concerned in pushing issues away out of your torso, together with the flat and incline barbell and dumbbell bench press, standing and seated overhead press, and dip. 

They usually additionally embody isolation workout routines that practice the elements of your pushing muscular tissues that compound push workout routines practice insufficiently.

FAQ #2: What number of workout routines ought to I do on push day?

The variety of workout routines you do throughout a push day exercise relies on your expertise degree. 

As a rule of thumb, learners (these with lower than one 12 months of coaching expertise) ought to do 3 units of 3-to-4 push workout routines as soon as weekly.

Extra superior weightlifters (these with greater than a 12 months of coaching expertise) ought to goal to coach every main muscle group concerned in pushing actions (pecs, shoulder, and triceps) with 15-to-20 weekly units unfold over 2-to-3 exercises. 

FAQ #3: What ought to I do first in push day?

Which train you do first in a push day exercise relies on your targets. To concentrate on chest improvement, start with the bench press. If constructing your shoulders is your focus, begin your push exercises with the overhead press. And if you wish to emphasize your triceps over your different pushing muscular tissues, do the close-grip bench press or dip first.