Push-pull workouts offer a powerful and efficient way to build strength, improve performance, and avoid overtraining. At AFAC gym in Thornton, Colorado, our members are discovering the benefits of this tried-and-true workout method to gain muscle, boost endurance, and maintain a balanced physique.
Unlike traditional split routines that often isolate muscle groups across an entire week, push-pull training works smarter, organizing your workouts based on the body’s movement patterns. This structure not only helps prevent injuries and muscle imbalances but also improves recovery time between sessions. Curious about how it works? Let’s dive into the world of push-pull training and how it can overhaul your fitness journey.
What Are Push-Pull Workouts at the Gym?
Push-pull training is a method of organizing your strength training sessions into two core movement patterns: pushing and pulling. Each workout focuses on exercises that either push weight away from your body or pull weight toward it.
Push exercises primarily engage the chest, shoulders, and triceps. These movements include exercises like bench presses, overhead presses, sled workouts, and push-ups. On the flip side, pull exercises focus on the back, biceps, and forearms, with examples like rows, pull-ups, and bicep curls.
The idea is simple. On one day, you target all your pushing muscles. The next day — or after a rest — you shift to the pulling muscles. Many gym-goers pair this with a third day dedicated to lower body and core training, targeting the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. This cycle allows you to train all major muscle groups up to twice a week while providing enough rest for recovery and muscle growth.
Push-pull workouts are popular among bodybuilders, athletes, and casual fitness enthusiasts alike. Not only do they promote muscular balance, but they also streamline your weekly schedule for maximum efficiency and strength development. Research supports the benefits of training with this method, indicating that it may lead to greater strength gains compared to isolating single muscle groups each day.
What Are the Benefits of Push-Pull Workouts?
Promotes Balanced Strength and Reduces Muscle Imbalances
One of the primary goals in fitness is balance. Overdeveloping certain muscles while neglecting others can lead to imbalances that affect posture, performance, and injury risk. Push-pull routines ensure that both sides of your upper body are trained evenly, reducing this risk and promoting full-body strength.
Optimizes Recovery
Traditional routines often overlap in muscle usage. For instance, a chest workout on Monday may leave your triceps sore for Tuesday’s arm workout. Push-pull training avoids this pitfall by organizing workouts in a way that gives synergistic muscles the rest they need—typically 48 to 72 hours before being worked again.
Suitable for All Fitness Levels
Push-pull workouts are flexible enough to fit any training schedule:
- Beginners (less than 6 months of training) can aim for 2–3 sessions per week with rest days in between.
- Intermediate lifters (6 months to 2 years) can benefit from training 3–4 days per week.
- Advanced athletes (2+ years of experience) can use a 6-day split with one rest day per week.
Supports Muscle Growth
This workout split allows you to perform both compound exercises (which work multiple muscle groups at once) and isolation movements (which target a specific muscle), giving you the best of both worlds. The strategic rest and intensity also make it an excellent setup for muscle hypertrophy.
Enhances Functional Fitness
Training your body in the way it naturally moves — through pushing and pulling—builds functional strength that translates to real-life tasks. Whether you’re carrying groceries, lifting your kids, or playing recreational sports, this training style makes daily activities easier and less taxing.
Encourages Variety
Because you’re targeting movement patterns rather than isolated muscles, push-pull routines offer plenty of variety. This keeps your workouts fresh and engaging, helping you stay motivated while reducing your risk of overuse injuries.
Improves Posture and Upper Body Strength
Pull exercises like rows and lat pulldowns strengthen the upper back, contributing to better posture and shoulder health. Meanwhile, push exercises enhance pressing power, benefiting everything from athletic performance to lifting heavy objects.
Push or Pull: Which Is Better?
Here’s the short answer: neither push nor pull is “better” — they’re both essential. Each targets different muscles and movement patterns, and when combined in a balanced routine, they help you build a strong, symmetrical, and injury-resistant body.
A push-pull workout split ensures you’re not neglecting any major muscle group. It also creates natural opportunities for recovery, giving your body the rest it needs to grow stronger. For most people, this structure leads to greater consistency, better gains, and improved long-term results.
What Are the Best Push Exercises?
Want to incorporate push workouts into your fitness routine? Here are some of the top push exercises, along with how to perform them.
Push-ups
A foundational bodyweight movement that works your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Lower your chest toward the floor by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides. Once your chest nearly touches the floor, press through your palms to return to the starting position. Keep your core tight and avoid letting your hips sag.
Bench Press
The bench press is the king of upper body pressing, targeting the chest and triceps.
Lie flat on a bench under a barbell loaded with your desired weight. Keep your feet flat on the ground. Grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Unrack the bar and slowly lower it to your chest, keeping your elbows at about a 45-degree angle. Once the bar comes close to or touches your chest, press it back up to the starting position without locking your elbows.
Overhead Press
The overhead press is a powerful shoulder and triceps builder performed standing or seated with dumbbells or a barbell.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing forward. Brace your core and press the weight straight overhead until your arms are fully extended. Slowly lower the weight back to shoulder height with control. You can also use a seated overhead press machine.
Tricep Dips
Great for isolating the triceps using a bench or dip bars.
Sit on the edge of a bench and place your hands next to your hips. Walk your feet forward and slide your hips off the bench, supporting your body with your arms. Lower yourself by bending your elbows to a 90-degree angle, then press back up by straightening your arms. Keep your chest lifted and your back close to the bench. You can also use dip bars for a more challenging exercise.
Skull Crushers
The skull crusher is an excellent isolation move for targeting the triceps, performed lying on a bench with a barbell.
Lie on a flat bench with a barbell or EZ-curl bar held with a narrow, overhand grip. Extend your arms straight above your chest. Slowly bend your elbows to lower the weight just past your forehead, keeping your upper arms stationary. Pause briefly, then press the weight back up by extending your elbows. Be sure to keep control throughout the movement and avoid flaring your elbows.
What Are the Best Pull Exercises?
To balance your training and build a strong posterior chain, here are a few popular pull exercises along with step-by-step instructions.
Pull-ups
A challenging bodyweight movement that targets the back and biceps.
Grip a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you and hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Start by hanging with your arms fully extended and shoulders engaged. Pull your chin up over the bar by squeezing your shoulder blades together and driving your elbows down and back. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position with control.
Bent-over Rows
Strengthens the middle back and biceps while reinforcing good posture.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart while holding a barbell or dumbbells. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the ground. Let the weights hang straight down. Pull the weight toward your lower ribs by retracting your shoulder blades and bending your elbows. Pause, then lower the weight with control. Keep your back flat throughout the movement.
Lat Pulldowns
Great for beginners who want to build up to full pull-ups.
Sit at a lat pulldown machine and adjust the thigh pad so your legs are secured. Grasp the bar with a wide overhand grip. Lean back slightly and pull the bar down to your upper chest, leading with your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly return the bar to the top position.
Deadlifts
The deadlift is a full-body movement that strengthens the entire posterior chain, especially the lower back and hamstrings.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell over your midfoot. Bend at your hips and knees to grip the bar with both hands, just outside your knees. With your back flat and chest up, push through your heels to lift the bar by straightening your legs and hips simultaneously. At the top, stand tall with your shoulders back. Lower the bar back to the floor by reversing the motion with control.
Dumbbell Shrugs
Focuses on the traps and upper back.
Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging by your sides. Keep your arms straight and shrug your shoulders up toward your ears as high as possible. Hold the squeeze briefly, then lower your shoulders back down. Don’t roll your shoulders; focus on a straight up-and-down motion.
Bicep Curls
A staple isolation move that hones in on the biceps for tone and definition.
Hold a dumbbell or barbell with an underhand grip, arms fully extended at your sides. Keep your elbows tucked close to your torso. Curl the weight up by bending your elbows until your forearms are vertical and the weights are at shoulder height. Pause, then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
Tips for Creating a Push-Pull Workout Routine
Mix Up Your Movements
Even with just two upper body days, you have countless exercise combinations. Rotate different push and pull exercises to target a wide range of muscles and avoid plateaus.
Don’t Forget Leg Day
Push-pull routines mostly focus on the upper body, but total-body fitness requires lower body strength, too. Make sure to dedicate at least one workout per week to your legs and core, including squats, split squats, lunges, and calf raises.
Prioritize Rest and Recovery
To truly benefit from your workouts, rest is non-negotiable. Muscles grow during rest, not in the gym. Prioritize 7–8 hours of sleep each night, hydrate, and fuel your body with nutrient-rich foods.
Watch Your Form
Bad form can lead to injury and diminish your gains. Always move through a full range of motion with control, especially when using heavier weights. Consider asking a personal trainer at AFAC gym to evaluate your form if you’re unsure.
Progress Gradually
Once your form is locked in, gradually increase the weight or intensity of your workouts. This progressive overload challenges your muscles to grow and adapt, taking your fitness to the next level.
Push and Pull Your Way to Total Body Fitness at AFAC Gym
Push and pull workouts are more than just a trendy gym routine — they’re a time-tested way to train smarter and see better results. By splitting your workouts into these two categories, you’ll target all the major muscle groups, reduce the risk of overtraining, and promote muscle balance.
Whether you’re training three times a week or six, the push-pull method helps you stay consistent, avoid burnout, and stay on track toward your fitness goals. At AFAC gym, we’re here to support your journey, every push and pull of the way.
Ready to put it into action? Stop by AFAC today and let one of our trainers help you build your personalized push-pull workout plan. Let’s get stronger together.
We hope you’ll visit AFAC gym today to speak to our team about our affordable memberships. AFAC gym is committed to supporting your health and wellness efforts, so you’ll see the results you’re working so hard for. That’s why we were voted the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, and have hundreds of 5-star reviews.
To learn more about our top-rated gym and our incredible array of strength training and cardio equipment — as well as our unique offerings and amenities like daily group classes, cryotherapy, InBody 770 assessments, hydro massage, personal trainers, and our rock climbing wall and cave — we hope you will contact us or visit for a personalized tour. Our team will be happy to help you. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.
