Push/Pull/Legs Workout Explained

Have you heard of the push/pull/legs lifting training routine? If your goal is to build muscle, lose fat, or have an easy, straightforward exercise plan, this is one of the simplest and most popular routines out there - and for good reason. Not only is it highly effective, it also allows for recovery days for each muscle group. This method enables you to train your muscles synergistically, enhancing their ability to work together and leading to increased strength gains. Additionally, it is very versatile, allowing you to do this routine anywhere from 3 to 6 days a week, depending on your experience and goals.

So what exactly is this push/pull/legs training routine? This exercise split divides your body into three parts:

1. Push: Weight-lifting upper body muscles involved in pushing movements, including your chest, shoulders, and triceps

2. Pull: Weight-lifting upper body muscles involved in pulling movements, including your back and biceps

3. Legs: Weight-lifting the entire lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and often abdominals (though abdominals can be combined with workout day of your choice)

Depending on your goals, you can cycle through these muscle groupings 3 days a week and up to 6 days a week if you are experienced and very focused on building muscle mass. This combination of exercises helps you to avoid overlapping muscle groups between workouts, allowing for better recovery. The reason these muscle sets are grouped together is that during compound movements, multiple muscle groups work in unison (for instance, during an incline chest press, your triceps and shoulders are actively engaged as well).

If you are new to exercising and lifting weights, it is recommended to spend approximately 4-6 months doing total body workouts a few days a week before transitioning to a push/pull/legs routine. A simple way to start this split is picking three days a week, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, to rotate through these groupings. As you gain experience with this routine or are looking to increase your muscle gains, you can incorporate additional lifting days. Alternatively, if you are short on time, you can combine lower body movements with your upper body days (for example, pairing squats and other pushing movements with upper body push exercises). Please be sure to always include a proper warm-up and cool-down with your weight-lifting workouts. If you have any questions regarding this or any other workout routine, please message me!