Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Sam Coleman, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
Training is a whole lot easier and far more effective with a game plan. And one of the best muscle-building game plans you can have is a push-pull or push-pull-legs split.
Both of these tried-and-true splits demand an effective upper-body push day routine, which focuses on your chest, delts, and tris; the muscles responsible for pushing movements, hence the name.
I'll start by providing two solid push day workouts, so if you just want the routine you can take it run. Below that you'll also learn about the best exercises for push day, muscles worked, and essential programming tips.
The Best Push Day Routine
Because we like variation in our routine, we're giving you two workouts.
- If you're following a 3-day split, I recommend choosing one of the workouts for your routine and sticking to it for 4-8 weeks, but you can rotate between the two if you'd like.
- If you train at a higher frequency, which means you will do two push workouts a week, rotate between the A & B workouts below.
FYI: Research shows that for most people, working each muscle group twice weekly is best1.
Push Day (A)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Push Press | 3x3 |
| Dumbbell Flat Bench Press | 4x4 |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3x9 |
| Arnold Press | 3x8 |
| Chest Fly | 3x10-12 |
| Lateral Raises | 3x10-12 |
| Triceps Overhead Extension | 3x10-12 |
Push Day (B)
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Military Press | 3x5 |
| Incline Bench Press | 4x6 |
| Chest Dips | 3x8 |
| Seated Dumbbell Press | 3x8 |
| Dumbell Pullover | 3x10-12 |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3x12+ |
A push-pull-legs split following a 6-day workout schedule can look like this:
- Monday: Pull Day
- Tuesday: Push Day
- Wednesday: Leg Day
- Thursday: Pull Day
- Friday: Push Day
- Saturday: Leg Day
- Sunday: Rest
With this schedule, you can switch up the training days, starting with a leg or push day instead of your pulling routine. And you don't need to end your week with a rest day. Feel free to place it anywhere within your training week.
Want to get stronger by following a proven workout program? Check out our SFS Strength Program developed by Garett Reid (NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S).
Prepare to maximize your strength with our exclusive 13-week strength training program. 3, 4, and 5 day per week programming options.
Anatomy: Upper Body Pushing Muscles
We are focusing on the upper body pushing muscles here, as our push day program was created to be included in a Push-Pull-Legs Routine.
The upper body pushing muscles are:
- Pectorals (Chest Muscles)
- Deltoids (Shoulder Muscles)
- Triceps
In addition, the lower body pushing muscles include the quads and calves. Alternatively, your pulling muscles include your back, biceps, glutes, and hamstrings.
We're about to provide a brief overview of your upper body pushing muscles, but if you're ready to get right to the exercises, just keep scrolling.
1. Pectorals:
The pectorals, commonly referred to as chest muscles, include the pec major and pec minor and are a large set of fan-shaped muscles positioned across your chest.
The pec major includes the sternocostal head (larger and makes up the middle and lower chest) and clavicular head (upper chest). This entire muscle group works to manipulate your shoulder joint, resulting in control of your arm movements.
2. Deltoids:
The deltoids, or shoulder muscles, sit on top of your shoulder joint and have 3 heads: the anterior (front) delt, the lateral (side) delt, and the posterior (back) delt. The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint, meaning your shoulder is highly mobile.
3. Triceps:
The triceps are composed of three muscle heads that sit on the back of your upper arm. Together, these three heads, the lateral head (sits on the outside of your arm), the medial head (sits along the middle of your arm), and the long head (crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints), work to straighten your elbow.
This is the last action of any pushing movement and, oftentimes, the hardest. This is why it's common for powerlifters to specifically train the triceps to increase their lockout strength, the term used for fully extending the elbow during exercises like the bench press.
The 9 Best Push Day Exercises
Now it's time to learn how to perform each of the exercises in this push workout routine. Because, at the end of the day, push day is nothing without the right exercises.
- Push Press
- Bench Press
- Incline Bench Press
- Close Grip Bench Press
- Military Press
- Lateral Raise
- Chest Fly
- Dip
- Dumbbell Pullover
Let's go over how to correctly do each!
1. Push Press:
The push press is a must-have push day exercise for anyone wanting to improve their muscular power. Arguably the easiest power exercise to perform, the push press is unique on this list, being the only true power movement.
How to do the Push Press:
- Stand with feet flat on the ground and shoulder-width apart.
- Maintain good form with elbows under the bar (or dumbbells) the whole time.
- When performing the dip, utilize a minimal dip (1/4 squat).
- Straighten your arms upward with power.
- Think about sending the load up in a straight line.
- Lockout with arms extended fully overhead, and then slowly lower down.
2. Barbell Bench Press and Dumbbell Chest Press:
While technically two exercises, we're going to put these two bench press chest exercises together. This is because both the barbell and dumbbell bench press use a flat bench and a very similar movement pattern.
And, because they are so similar, you don't need to perform both of them at the same time. Swap one for the other every 8 weeks or so.
How to do the Bench Press:
- Lie down on a bench, keeping your feet on the ground.
- Bend your elbows to slowly bring the bar or dumbbells down, following a path toward about "nipple level".
- Think about blowing the bar up when you exhale. Straighten your arms to extend the bar.
- Try squeezing the bar to get more power. Slowly lower down.
3. Incline Bench Press and Incline Dumbbell Chest Press:
These two bench presses train the upper chest, and because you perform this variation on an incline, you're going to hit your shoulder muscles more.
For variety, I recommend performing the flat bench and incline press on separate training days and using different implements for each.
How to do the Incline Bench Press:
- Keep your feet on the ground and back and butt on the bench. (You can use a stability ball if you don't have a bench, as demonstrated in the video)
- Bring the bar or dumbbells down to your upper chest to start.
- Lower your elbows to a 45-degree angle.
- Extend the bar by straightening your arms.
- Bend your elbows to lower the bar back down.
4. Close Grip Bench Press:
The close grip bench press is an awesome triceps and upper chest exercise. The narrower grip requires your elbows to bend more and your arms to stay closer to your body, resulting in less chest activation and more triceps work.
How to do the Close Grip Bench Press:
- Grab the bar slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart. Many people grab the bar way too narrow. If you are using dumbbells, you can use a hammer grip as shown in the video above.
- No need to tuck the elbows into your body. They only need to be slightly more tucked than the bench press. Start with your elbows bent.
- Straighten your arms to raise the weight upward. Be sure to lockout at the top with your arms straight every rep. Many lifters tend to stop just short of the full lockout on these.
5. Military Press:
The military press (or strict press) is the premier exercise to demonstrate your overhead pushing strength. No other exercise will create brute strength in your shoulders and triceps the way the military press does, meaning it's a must for any program.
While this overhead press generally refers to using a barbell while standing, you can alter the exercise slightly for a different stimulus by using dumbbells or sitting.
How to do the Military Press:
- Grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your elbows tucked under the bar.
- Keep your core tight and your glutes tight. This will help brace your torso.
- Drive the barbell up in a straight line.
- Bend your elbows to slowly lower the weight down.
Note: You can use dumbbells for this as well. Seated or standing.
6. Lateral Raises:
Lateral raises are awesome deltoid exercises that are made even better when used in conjunction with the military press. One of the reasons this exercise is so important is because isolates your side delts, which don't get hit as frequently as your front and rear shoulder muscles.
You can use cables or dumbbells for this (my personal favorite is cables).
How to do Lateral Raises:
- You can choose dumbbell or cable machine for this. You can also opt for a standing lean or not. Leaning can help to hone in on the side delts.
- Pull your arm upward, thinking about a swooping motion.
- Keep your elbows slightly bent the entire time.
- Concentrate on bringing your elbow parallel to your shoulder. Your hand should not be higher than shoulder height.
7. Chest Fly:
The chest fly is one of the best isolation exercises for your pecs. While you can use dumbbells, I recommend using the cable pulley system as it allows constant tension throughout the entire range of motion.
Cables also allow you to direct the resistance from a wide range of angles, enabling you to train the muscle fibers in every direction, which is vital for muscle growth.
How to do the Chest Fly:
- Your hands should be slightly past your torso in the starting position. Stagger your stance for balance.
- Keep your elbows slightly bent.
- Your arms will maintain the same bend throughout the movement.
- Think about "swooping" your hands, trying to make the biggest circle as they come together. Slowly return to the starting position.
- Add a rotation at the end to maximize contraction of the pecs.
8. Dip:
Dips are the king of body weight pushing exercises (sorry, push ups!) because you have to lift your entire body weight when performing them. Not only does it hit your chest, but it will also work your tris.
And because there are such wide varieties of the dip, you can perform them virtually anywhere with minimal equipment.
How to perform Dips:
- Wrap your hands around the bars so that the crease of your thumb sits on top of the bar. You can add load with a dumbbell as shown in the video above, or even easier, a dip belt loaded with plates.
- Start with your arms fully extended and torso straight.
- Slowly lower your body down.
- As you come down, keep your forearms vertical. Bend at your elbow to let your torso come forward.
- To hit your chest more, tuck your chin and allow your torso to lean over more.
- Lower down, so your arms are parallel to the ground. Straighten your arms to raise yourself back up.
9. Dumbbell Pullover:
The dumbbell pullover is a classic bodybuilding movement that targets your chest. While it's not as popular as it was for lifters during the Golden Era, it's a move that needs to make a comeback because it's one of the few exercises that hits your pushing muscles from every angle.
How to do the Dumbbell Pullover:
- Use a lighter dumbbell so you can concentrate on the stretch.
- Only allow the dumbbell to go slightly past your head, basically to the spot where you can't go lower comfortably.
- Keep your elbows slightly bent throughout the movement.
- Think about "swooping" the dumbbell as it comes over your head. Slowly raise back up.
Programming Tips For Push Day
In order to see results with your pushing workout, there are a few key things you need to keep in mind.
To continuing gaining muscle and strength with your pushing workout, you must:
- Address both muscular strength and hypertrophy.
- Focus on progressive overload.
1) Target muscular strength and hypertrophy.
Notice that the bigger compound movements in our pushing workouts use heavy loads for strength training, and the smaller accessory and isolation movements use lighter loads for muscle hypertrophy. It's the best of both worlds, simultaneously addressing strength and muscle-gaining goals.
2) Progressive overload is key.
One other key thing to keep in mind: Progressive overload is essential if you want to gain strength and muscle. Make sure you are consistently adding a set, rep, or weight to your program. This is where the muscle-building magic happens.
For exercises that don't have a rep range, but only one desired rep target (for example, 3 push press reps per set), bump up the weight when the assigned reps become easy. For moves with a rep range, start by increasing reps. When you get to the end of the recommended rep range, bump up the weight and decrease your reps.
Benefits Of Using A Push Day
There's a reason following a push-pull or push-pull-legs split is so popular. It has tons of advantages!
1) Optimize Recovery Time:
A push workout day ensures you get enough recovery time in between training sessions, as you'll rotate through your push, pull, and leg training days allowing plenty of muscle recovery time in between training sessions. As proper recovery is crucial for muscle growth, it's something you want to prioritize.
2) Ensures Equal Training:
When you go to the gym without a plan, you're unintentionally sabotaging your training. No set plan can cause one muscle group to be over-trained and another to be under-trained, which can cause muscle imbalances and a disproportionate-looking body.
Again, assuming that you're using a push-pull type split, you can be sure to have an equal training balance, meaning you are going to train your pushing muscles and pulling muscles with approximately the same volume.
3) Easy To Organize:
Similar to most training splits, a push-pull or PPL split are relatively easy to organize, meaning that when you go to the gym, you have a good plan to follow. On your push day, you're going to train your pushing muscles, and your pulling day is dedicated to pulling muscles.
This can also help lay the groundwork for building your very own program. While there's a lot more to building an effective program than just dividing muscle groups, it is a great first step.
The Perfect Push Workout: Final Word
We just laid out two awesome push day routines that will help you build muscle and strength. To maximize this plan, make sure to follow a proper diet (lots of protein!) and get adequate sleep for recovery.
Both of these can have a massive impact on not only your muscle growth but your muscle soreness as well. Also, you need to pair this routine with a pull day workout and leg program, so you're developing your muscles evenly.
Continue to use progressive overload and switch things up when things get stale. Now, it's up to you to get after it.
Now that you've got your push day exercise routine, it's time to learn about the pulling portion of this split. You can find a great pull day workout and exercises in our article: The Best Pull Day Workout To Build Muscle & Strength!
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
References:
- Bartolomei S, Nigro F, Malagoli Lanzoni I, Masina F, Di Michele R, Hoffman JR. A Comparison Between Total Body and Split Routine Resistance Training Programs in Trained Men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2020. doi:https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000003573
Garett Reid
Author