How to Maximize Your Workout with Push-Pull Strength Training

As much as I enjoy my exercise time, I don't want to burn all of my daylight hours at the gym. I'll bet you're the same. So, when I am interested in building some muscle, I prefer to perform a push-pull strength training workout. This strategy gives me, and many of my clients, muscular and strength results in a lot less time.

What is a push-pull workout?

In a nutshell, a push-pull workout is one where you choose a single muscle or muscle group and perform a set of exercises that use those muscles in a pushing direction. Then—either immediately or during your next workout session—you focus on that same muscle or muscle group, but you move in a pulling direction.

Sound complicated? It’s not. Keep reading and you’ll understand.

Reasons to love push-pull training

In the classic muscle-building technique, you typically exercise a single muscle group each day. For example, you'll dedicate one day to your back, followed by leg, chest, arm, shoulder, and core days. It's effective, but it can be tedious, and it requires a lot more time at the gym.

As much as I enjoy my exercise time, I don't want to burn all of my daylight hours at the gym. I'll bet you're the same.

Another reason why I like the push-pull workout over the classic technique is that when I categorize my chosen exercises between whether they engage pushing or pulling muscles, it really does make building a full workout easy.

I also don't have to just sit there on the weight bench staring at the clock on the wall while I give the different muscle groups their prescribed amount of rest between sets. Instead, I'll tire out the push muscles but then let them rest while I am engaging the pull muscles.

Sure, there's some cross-over between muscle groups, but when I find that I'm not quite ready for the pull set after finishing a particularly punishing push set, I take a quick 30-second rest to get myself ready again.

Another big advantage is that if you happen to do this workout in a busy gym, you can easily choose, on-the-fly, which set of exercises to do next based on the machine or device currently available. That is, as long as you're able to keep the push-pull balance intact.

If you happen to do this workout in a busy gym, you can easily choose, on-the-fly, which set of exercises to do next based on the machine or device currently available.

The push-pull plan also allows you to use something called microcycles. With microcycles, during one session, you can use heavier weights for more strength-style training. Then, for the next session, you choose lighter weights but complete a higher amount of reps for a more hypertrophy (muscle building) workout. By using the...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips