Resistance training programs come in a variety of different forms, whether your training split includes stacking two or three muscle groups per day, or you split between upper and lower body exercises, the main goal of any resistance training program is to build more lean muscle mass and strength. With a push/pull/legs routine instead of splitting between muscle groups, you are simply splitting your training into a three-day workout routine with exercises that require pushing weight, pulling weight, and leg exercises. We’re going to explain the benefits, muscle groups, and everything you need to know about push-pull workouts.

What Are Push-Pull Workouts 

Push-pull is a specific type of training split that structures a workout based around exercises that involve the action of pushing and pulling. Training variation and frequency are two important factors for muscle hypertrophy and overcoming training plateaus. Push-pull workout routines are traditionally formed on a three-day training split, hitting each muscle group twice per week. Push-pull training programs can also be created with a two-day training split or even a four-five day depending on how much rest you need, or your schedule. That being said, a 3 day training splits provide more frequency to encourage greater muscle growth and optimal time for post workout muscle recovery.

What Are Push Exercises

Push exercises involve pushing or pressing weight and include most muscles on the anterior or front of the body, with exception to the biceps, which are classified as a pull muscle. Exercises such as the overhead press, squat, dips, are all classified as push exercises.

What Are Pull Exercises

Pull exercises involve a majority of muscles in the posterior chain and the back of the body, with exception to the triceps. Muscles involved in pull exercises are the back, rear delts, biceps, and lats, and include exercises such as the lat pull down, deadlifts, rows, shoulder shrugs and glutes, and hamstrings.

3-Day Push/Pull/Legs Workout

This push/pull workout is to be performed as a 3-day training split, hitting all muscle groups twice per week, with one rest day. Workouts will typically take between 45-60 minutes to complete. This program does include a few advanced strength training movements such as the front squat and kettlebell snatch. These exercises can be replaced with goblet squat, landmine squat or any other squat variations. Kettlebell snatch can be replaced with the devils press, or shoulder plate raise.  

Load is an important factor in muscle growth and strength. Prescribed weight should be light enough to complete each set, but heavy enough to be challenging. If you’re not struggling to finish the last few reps, then the load should be increased.

This workout should be performed for 8-12 weeks for maximum benefit, muscle hypertrophy, and performance outcomes. 

Push/Pull/Legs Keys For Success: Nutrition & Supplementation

In addition to your training program, nutrition is the largest contributing factor to your success. The goal of any resistance training program is stacking on more gains. If you’re not getting the adequate amount and the quality of calories you need, then your training program can only take you so far. Conversely, you can never out train a bad diet. If you’re constantly in a caloric surplus and don’t train with enough intensity, frequency, or duration, you will inevitably gain weight, and see a minimal desired results from your training program. Including high quality lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats is essential to stack more gains and burn more body fat.

If you’re not familiar with what foods, how much, or when you should be eating to obtain a well-defined physique and build the body you want, I highly suggest hiring a certified nutrition coach to guide you in reaching your goals, like The Swole Kitchen. Working out for months, or even years without reaching your goals can be extremely discouraging. Take the guess-work out of it and get the results you want from the start.

Supplements are the last key to your success to gain more muscle mass and strength. Supplements such as Kre-Alkalyn, Whey Protein Isolate, Pre Workout, and Citrulline Malate can greatly improve training performance, endurance, muscle protein synthesis, and power output.

RELATED ARTICLE The Best Supplements For Strength

3-Day Split Push/Pull/Legs Workout Program

Push Pull Workout: Day 1 - Push [Chest, Shoulders, Triceps]

Push Pull Workout: Day 2 - Pull [Back, Biceps]

Push Pull Workout: Day 3 - Legs 

---

Need Help With Optimizing Your Diet And Nutrition Plan To Finally Get The Results You've Been Waiting For?

The Swole Kitchen is an exclusive membership opportunity for those who are looking to pursue a performance-driven lifestyle. By combining wellness consulting, nutritional lifestyle improvement, and 1:1 customized nutrition plans to our members, our programs aim to optimize human potential. In each of our programs, you’ll receive guidance to reclaim your health, fuel your lifestyle, and pursue performance ambitions, all while learning how to make nutritional decisions from a place of self-trust and intuition. All of our coaches are committed to providing the highest level of results-driven wellness to our members.

 

SWOLVERINE IS AN ENDURANCE ATHLETE AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLE BRAND. MADE FOR THE ELITE ATHLETE, AND THE STRONG-WILLED OUR PRODUCTS WERE DESIGNED TO FUEL YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. WE PERFORM WHEN YOU PERFORM. 

We believe that everyone can optimize not only their athletic performance but their human potential. The way we believe we can optimize performance is through transparency, clinically effective doses, and clinically proven ingredients with evidence-based outcomes. We provide the nutrients you need to power your active lifestyle.