Push-Pull Workout
Hi Rx Girls! In this issue I'm bringing back an old school workout routine: Push-Pull workouts, what it is and how you can incorporate it into your routines. Push-Pull workouts whether upper body days, lower body days or circuit routines are a basic yet very effective workout routine. If you’ve never tried a Push/Pull workout, consider it a functional way to train your body in that it is more consistent with your normal day to day movements, than many other routines. Think about the simple action of putting your groceries away; You don't just use your hands and arms to perform this task; you use your back, traps, delts, rhomboids, obliques as well as other muscles all at once. This type of routine will help you develop overall total body strength. With a push/pull routine, you fatigue the muscles that work to perform the same action so the workouts are more efficient and the recovery is actually faster than with traditional body part split routines. It's a very balanced program. By training this way, you'll quickly find out where your strengths and weaknesses lie and will better be able to correct and compensate for them.
When incorporating a Push-Pull routine, you'll want to begin with the larger muscle groups, such as chest and back, and perform a multi-joint exercise like a chest press or pull-down. Then move to the smaller muscle groups like biceps, triceps, shoulders, calves and do single-joint exercises like curls and press downs. In addition, this type of split can condense your upper-body training into two days instead of the typical three or four. Do a program like this for 4-6 weeks, and you'll begin to see results such as increased strength and improved posture. So what are you waiting for? It's time to begin your Push-Pull Workout!!
Push Movement (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps):
Flat Dumbbell Chest Press
Flat Barbell Press
Flat Dumbbell Fly
Push-ups
Machine Press
Cable Crossover
Incline-Bench Dumbbell Fly
Incline Branch Press (db/bb)
Military Press (db/bb)
Overhead Press (db/bb/cable)
Front Raise (db/bb/cable)
Lat Raise (db/cable)
Bent over Lat Raises (db/cable)
Straight-Arm Press down (bb/db/cable)
Triceps Rope Press down
Tricep Overhead Extension (db/bb/cable)
Dips
Skull crushers (db/bb)
Pull Movements (Back/Biceps/Abs):
Exercise:
Wide-Grip Pull-down
Pull-Ups
Bent-Over Row (dumbbell, barbell, cable)
Close-Grip Seated Row
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Hyperextensions
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
One-Arm Cable Raise
Bent-Over Lateral Raise
Shrugs (db/bb/cable)
Barbell Curl
Alternating Dumbbell Curl
Straight-Bar Cable Curl
Single-Arm Cable Curl
Dumbbell Concentration
Curl Preacher Curl
Abs:
Crunches (flat/incline/decline)
Bicycles
Oblique Twist
Reverse Crunches (flat/incline)
Leg Lifts
Single-Arm Cable Curl
Dumbbell Concentration
Curl Preacher Curl
Core:
Planks
Oblique Planks
Side Plank
Leg Day:
Add a 5-10 minute warm up before beginning this workout because of the large muscle groups involved. Begin your workout with a multiple-joint exercise such as squats, lunges, step ups as these exercises target your entire lower body, so do them before moving onto single-joint exercises.
Push Leg Movements:
Squats (db/bb/cable/smith bar/hack squat)
Lunges (db/bb/cable/smith bar) walking, side, forward, reverse, etc.
Leg Extensions
Pull Leg Movements:
Leg Curls (standing, lying, single, cable)(but you can always add a multi-joint movement on your Pull day such as Split Lunges, Jump Squats, Walking Lunges, etc.)
Goal Suggestions:
If you're short on time try a 30-minute Push or Pull routine by decreasing your resting time to 15-30 seconds, and make sure you hit every muscle group at least once in your workout.
Muscle Gain Goals: Keep this same routine, but increase your weights and lower your reps accordingly. Go heavy enough so that you can only get 6-8 great reps done.
Weight Loss Goals: Modify into a circuit to elevate your heart rate and burn more calories. Pick five exercises from each list and do two sets of 12 repetitions with 10-15 seconds of rest between sets.
Then do 3-5 minutes of cardio at 80% effort. Go on to do two sets of the next exercise and another 3-5 minutes of cardio, and so forth. Try to use cardio machines (i.e., Treadmill, step mill, Stairmaster or stationary bike, to prevent fatiguing your upper body.
If it's ab toning and strengthening your core: train your rectus abdominis with more traditional ab exercises, such as the crunch, reverse crunch and hanging leg raise. It doesn't matter if you add ab and core training at the beginning or the end of your workout, as long as you do it.
Bored with your workout? Change cable handles or bench angles, exchange barbells for dumbbells and vice versa, use machines or bands instead of free weights. Just make sure you always do the workout in order of biggest to smallest, multi-joint to single movements.
Until next time…stay strong and keep moving towards your goals!
Fitfully yours,
Lisa
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