Part 1: The Push/Pull Workout
In my 10 week plan to get lean while gaining or maintaining strength, I had one key training system on my side: the push/pull method. The push/pull workout is a brilliant training system because it allows for the training of each muscle twice a week without overtraining. While it is commonly said that pro bodybuilders only train each body part once per week, what significance does that have for the natural trainee? These professionals load up on not only anabolic steroids but also clenbuteral, T3, insulin, and other potent yet dangerous prescription drugs. These allow for unattainable results for the natural weight lifter. For those without assistance, it is often better to increase the frequency of training rather than try to destroy each body part only once a week. This is where the push/pull program comes in: half of the training days focus on the pushing muscles (chest, triceps, shoulders) while the other half focus on the pulling muscles (back and biceps). Intrigued?
This program lends itself very well to a 4x per week routine, pushing 2 days and pulling the other 2. Now you may have noticed one glaring hole in this program. Where are the legs? Have I gone the way of a college jock, trying to create a massive upper body supported by chicken legs? Well, no. If you choose to work out 4 days a week, then quads and calves should be thrown in with your pushing day, while hamstrings and glutes should be worked on your pulling day. In my case, however, I decided to go to the gym 5x per week using a modified push/pull/legs program, which follows the same basic pattern except the 5th day is used to work legs exclusively.
One important caveat of the push/pull program is that you really need to focus your efforts on big, compound exercises. No one-arm reverse curls here. I would adamantly recommended that you squat, deadlift, and bench press (either with the bar or dumbbells) at least once a week on this program. At the end of the article, I will give you a table of good exercises to choose for the push pull workout.
Now, here is an example for how you could structure a 4x a week push/pull workout:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Push | Pull | Off Day/light cardio | Push | Pull |
Here is an example workout for each day:
Push 1:
Bench Press: 3×5
Power Cleans: 4×6
Dips (ideally weighted): 4 sets to failure
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3×8
Leg Press: 3×5
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 2×8
Pull 1:
Deadlift: 5 sets pyramiding up to a heavy triple, double, or single
Heavy Leg Curls: 3×5
Pull-Ups (ideally weighted): 3 sets to failure
Bicep Curls: 3×6
Barbell Row: 3×6
Pinwheel Curl: 3×6
Push 2:
Push-Press: 5×3
Dumbbell Bench Press: 3×8
Front Squats: 5×5
Arnold Press: 4×6
Incline Bench Press: 3×8
Standing Calf Raises: 5×5
Pull 2:
Romanian Deadlift: 5×5
Dumbbell Row: 2×10 (go heavy on these)
Rack Pull: 3×5
T-Bar Rows: 3×8
Alternating Curls: 3×8
Here is the schedule for a push/pull/legs program like what I did
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Off Day/Light Cardio | Pull | Push | Legs | Off day/light cardio | Pull | Push |
Here is an example workout for this routine (this follows what I actually did on an average day):
Pull 1:
Deadlift: 5 sets pyramiding up to a heavy triple, double, or single
Weighted Pull-Ups: 3 sets to failure
Pendlay Row: 4×6
Bicep Curls: 3×6
Alternating Curls: 3×8
Push 1:
Bench Press: 5×5
Power Cleans: 3×6
Dips: 4 sets to failure
Lateral Raises: 3×8
Incline Bench Press: 2×8
Legs:
Back Squat: 5 sets pyramiding up to a heavy triple or double
Front Squat: 3×5
Romanian Deadlift: 3×5
Standing Calf Raise: 5×5
Pull 2:
Pull-ups: 3 sets, non-weighted, to failure
Dumbbell Row: 2×10 (go heavy)
Biceps Curl: 3×6
T-bar row: 3×8
Alternate Curls: 3×8
Push 2:
Push Press: 4×6
Dumbbell Bench Press: 3×8-10
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3×6
Decline Barbell Bench Press: 3×8-10
Close-Grip Bench Press: 3×6
Good Exercises:
Pull: deadlift, any kind of row (barbell or dumbbell), pull-ups, rack pull, shrugs, t-bar row, barbell bicep curls
Push: bench press (barbell or dumbbell, flat/incline/decline), military press (standing or sitting), push-press, dumbbell shoulder press, arnold press, dips, close-grip bench press
Legs: back squat, front squat, leg press, romanian deadlift, good mornings, glute-ham raise, standing calf raise, donkey calf raise
In general, I would say try to structure it as a heavy push and pull day in the beginning of your week and then a lighter push and pull day later. Make sure to keep the sets/body part less than 10 per day, and I would say 6-8 working sets should be the goal. This program should cause some soreness the next day, but not nearly as much as you would expect from a more traditional one body part per day routine. Aim to thoroughly stimulate the muscle, not to completely destroy it. As long as you do that and you gradually progress week to week by adding weight to the bar or getting more repetitions than the week before, I guarantee you will see great strength and size increases with this program.
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