Push Day: A Guide to Training the Upper Body
Table of Contents
What Is a Push Day?
You may have heard gym goers say they are doing a push day. What exactly does it mean? Well, push day is a particular day's workout that emphasizes pushing movements, which involve pushing muscles. It is a fundamental component of the famous push/pull/legs split in training.
What Muscles Are Primarily Worked in a Push Day
The muscles that achieve the pushing movement are the primary focus of the push day. Although people may have different routines and exercise preferences, a typical push day includes the following muscles:
List of Push Exercises
You can look up more push exercises here. Remember to use the search bar to find exercises tutorials.
How Would You Go About a Push Day Workout Routine
Compound lifts involving multiple joints, such as the bench press and overhead press, are typically performed first, followed by single-joint exercises for isolation. This is to ensure that you have the most energy and freshest when performing the compound lifts first.
Recommendations Prior to Incorporating a Push Day Routine
For most people, a whole-body workout is sufficient for fitness and health. Many would also do an upper/lower routine, where the chest, back, triceps, and biceps are worked in the upper body workout, and the legs are worked in the lower body workout. For the more advanced lifters, many of them adopt the push/pull/legs routine to better address each body part. If you have limited time or want to be healthier, the whole-body and upper/lower splits are perfectly effective. If you want to take things up a notch, incorporate the push/pull/legs routine! You will not be disappointed with the results.
There are many workout routines developed by the fitness community. Choose one that best fits you and adjust it according to your goal and preference.
Examples Of A Push Day Workout
| Beginner |
|---|
| Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Machine Fly: 3 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Triceps Pushdown: 4 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 3 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Intermediate |
|---|
| Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 70% 1RM |
| Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 70% 1RM |
| Barbell Overhead Press: 2 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Cable Crossover: 4 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Dips: 2 Sets Of 10 Reps |
| Triceps Pushdown: 4 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 3 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Advanced |
|---|
| Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 70% 1RM |
| Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 70% 1RM |
| Incline Dumbbell Fly: 2 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Cable Crossover: 3 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Barbell Bench Press: 2 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 55% 1RM |
| French Press: 2 Sets Of 10 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
| Triceps Pushdown: 3 Sets Of 12 Reps @ 60% 1RM |
