Push and Pull Workouts
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated January 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Push and pull strength training routines revolve around performing all pushing exercises on one day and all pulling exercises on another. For example one day would be filled with push-ups, another day would be filled with pull-ups. A push pull workout routine can be very effective at building muscle and getting stronger for intermediate trainees. For those new to strength training, full body workouts are recommended to first be learned and mastered before graduating to more advanced training methods like split routines (push pull workouts, legs and shoulders, etc).
Full body workouts are the foundation of the Wild Free Organic 6 month workout routine, and if you intend on following this strength training routine, start with part 1 which is the one month starting phase and follow the natural progression from there.
WFO Workout Routines
Part 2 - Push & Pull Workouts ✅
Full body workouts stimulate the full body all in one go, creating a powerful adaption stress response. Because of this, full body workouts form the foundation of any successful strength training and hypertrophy routine. Additionally, when life becomes hectic, full body routines offer a fall-back where workout frequency can be reduced but progress can still be made, albeit at a slower rate.
As great as full body workouts are, sometimes more volume, frequency, and intensity is needed to stimulate greater adaptations for specific body parts. When this is the situation, the best way to accomplish this for the upper body is with push and pull workouts.
The push/pull split is simple, you simply train all pushing movements in one workout, and all pulling movements in the other. Pushing movements use the chest, shoulders, and triceps, while pulling movements use the back, shoulders, and biceps. Push and pull workouts programmed around compound exercises create the greatest muscle growth stimulus, but the arms will be less stimulated than the torso. Isolation exercises added for the arms at the end of push/pull workouts helps to alleviate this imbalance, and incorporating a dedicated arm workout into a strength training routine is recommended for improving physique symmetry and strength balance. Arm workouts are discussed and incorporated into the routine during part 4, at this early stage of the progression they are not needed.
With this push pull strength training routine, legs are trained during full body workouts that happen twice a week.
Training Philosophy
If you are following a strength training routine, building muscle, increasing strength, and sculpting an aesthetic physique are likely your primary goals. When working out at a gym, the objective is to create a large adaptive stimulus in the desired parts of the body which can be successfully recovered from. The gym is a means to this end, nothing more. It is not a hangout spot, it is not a place to flex the ego. Workouts should be focused in their intention, and once completed, the focus shifts to other important wellness activities which aid in recovery and create lifestyle free of chronic stress. The less stress in daily life, the more stress can acutely apply to the body via strength training, and the greater the results will be.
Target Muscles
Main Muscles Recruiting during PUSH:
Chest
Pectoralis Major
Sternal head
Clavicular head
Shoulders
Anterior Deltoid
Lateral Deltoid
Triceps Brachii
Long head
Medial head
Lateral head
Main Muscles recruited during PULL:
Back
Latissimus Dorsi
Teres Minor
Trapezius
Rhomboids
Shoulders
Posterior Deltoid
Biceps Brachii
Short head
Long head
Main Movements
Main pushing movements for each muscle group:
Chest
Push-Up
Flat (bench) Press
Incline Press
Chest Fly
Dips
Shoulders
Handstand Push-Up
Press
Front Raises
Upright Row
Lateral Raise
Triceps
Close-Grip Push-Up
Close-Grip Flat Press
Cable Push-Down
Overhead Triceps Extension
Skull Crusher
Main pulling movements for each muscle group:
Back
Pull-Up
Chin-Up
Inverted Row
Deadlift
Lat Pulldown
Bent Over Row
Shrug
Pullover
Shoulders
Pull-Up
Inverted Row
Rear Delt Row
Rear Delt Fly
Biceps
Chin-Up
Curl
Preacher Curl
Note - Various implements can be used for the above exercises, such as the barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, cables, machines, and more.
Push and pull workouts are the best way to build a larger, thicker, and stronger torso. An impressive upper body requires an impressive frame, and upper body compound exercises done correctly built the size and strength of frame needed to pack on serious muscle mass.
Push Workouts
The same exercises from the full body workouts of part 1 are used to create the base movements for the push and pull workouts of part 2. This exercise selection allows us to dynamically adjust the types of workouts scheduled every week to best stimulate the body while also keep progressive overload simple and allowing for routine flexibility in the face of occasional adverse circumstances.
Below are the two push workouts that will be incorporated into the weekly routine. Push workout A is more chest stimulating, and push workout C directs more attention to the shoulders and triceps.
Push Workout (A)
5x5 Incline Press
4x8 Dumbbell Incline Press
5x10 Pec Deck
Push Workout (C)
Dumbbell Front Raises 3x20
Bench Press 4x6
Kettlebell Press 3x10
Lateral Raises 3x15
Tricep Cable Extensions 3x10
What we’ll do with these workouts, the pull workouts, and the full body workouts is we’ll keep many of the same exercises but the rep ranges will be cycled. This stimulates new adaptations, creates accountability for exercise form across different weights, and will build the most aesthetic physique.
Pull Workouts
Below are the two pull workouts that will be incorporated into the weekly routine. Pull workout B is more back stimulating, and pull workout D directs more attention to the rear deltoids and biceps.
Pull Workout (B)
5x5 Deadlifts
4x8 Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull Downs
5x10 Seated Cable Rows
Pull Workout (D)
One-Arm Lat Pulldowns 3x20
Barbell Rows 4x6
Chin-Ups 3x10
Facepulls 3x15
DB Curls 3x10
Importance of Exercise Frequency
Frequency of muscle and nervous system is a very important factor as it determines the consistency of the adaptation stimulus.
If you follow a workout split where you only hit each muscle group (chest, back, legs, arms, shoulders) once per week, you can see how ineffective this is for stimulating constant muscle growth. Meanwhile the muscle group that is hit once per week is trained to absolute failure and beyond, causing greater muscle trauma which if improperly recovered from will lead to worsening outcomes.
Higher frequency strength training routines are better at stimulating strength and muscular adaptations, but with more frequent stimulus it is therefore even more important to reduce any unnecessary stressors that exists in life. Even though overall intensity workouts are lower as shown in the graphic above, adaptive stress from the workouts cumulatively is higher and more constant. It is for this reason that body-part split routines are attractive to many trainees, especially if they have a high stress lifestyle. It’s simply difficult to squat 3x a week if life outside the gym is chaotic and stressful.
Create a low stress environment and be diligent with recovery practices like heat therapy and overall progress made with a high frequency workout routine will be much greater and less volatile compared to less frequent higher intensity workout plans.
WFO Workout Routine Month Two
Push and pull workouts are combined with full body workouts for the Wild Free Organic month 2 strength training routine. Each individual workout outlined among these articles is very adaptable and can be combined with each other in uniquely useful ways.
The following two week workout routine is repeated twice. There are workouts 4x per week, with rest days on Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday.
Week 1
Monday - Full Body (A)
5x5 Squats
4x8 Pull-Ups
5x10 Pec Deck
3x15 Hanging Leg Raises
Tuesday - Pull (D)
One-Arm Lat Pulldowns 3x20
Barbell Rows 4x6
Chin-Ups 3x10
Facepulls 3x15
DB Curls 3x10
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Push (A)
5x5 Incline Press
4x8 Dumbbell Incline Press
5x10 Pec Deck
Friday - Full Body (C)
5x5 Deadlifts
4x8 DB Press
5x10 Leg Press
3x30 Reverse Crunches
Saturday & Sunday - Rest
Week 2
Monday - Full Body (A)
5x5 Squats
4x8 Pull-Ups
5x10 Pec Deck
3x15 Hanging Leg Raises
Tuesday - Push (C)
Dumbbell Front Raises 3x20
Bench Press 4x6
Kettlebell Press 3x10
Lateral Raises 3x15
Tricep Cable Extensions 3x10
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Pull (B)
5x5 Deadlifts
4x8 Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull Downs
5x10 Seated Cable Rows
Friday - Full Body (B)
5x5 Incline Press
4x8 Front Squats
5x10 Barbell Rows
3x20 Cable Woodchops
Saturday & Sunday - Rest
With this workout routine legs are trained 2x per week, chest 3x, back 3x, arms and shoulders regularly, and core 2x per week.
During the first month of full body workouts, the weight used for exercises was increased by 10% from start to finish. With month 2 the weights are still light and the emphasis is still on exercise form and muscle contractions. Use the same weight on exercises for week 1 of this month as week 4 of last month. On weeks 2, 3, and 4 increase the weight by 5%, for a total compounded weight increase of about 16%. Always round down weight increases, so for example if your percentage jump takes you from 165 to 173, load the bar with 170 lbs. Overall a couple pounds difference has a negligible impact if exercise form and maximum connectivity and contraction is the goal for each rep and set.
Note - Buy 2.5 lb change plates to make more precise weight jumps.
A routine that started with comically light weights at 40-50% of 1RM at the beginning of month 1 now uses weights by the end of month two 27.6% heavier. If you were squatting with 135 to start, now you’re squatting with 170 lbs with similar ease, form, and muscle activation. Congratulations, that’s a big achievement!
