A push workout plan is key to building muscular chest, shoulder, and tricep muscles.
This plan focuses on exercises that push the weight away from your body, such as bench presses, shoulder presses, and dips. The push-pull leg split is my favourite workout split.
What makes this plan different? It’s based on proven principles of progressive overload and compound movements, but presented in a challenging yet achievable way.
This routine will fit your schedule and get you the results you want.
What is a Push Workout
Before we jump into the fun exercises, let’s chat about what a push day workout is. A push day is a key part of the popular PPL (Push, Pull, Legs) routine. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Push Day
- Pull Day
- Legs Day
Push exercises fundamentally involve extending joints away from the body’s centre of mass. The primary movement patterns include horizontal pushing (bench press variations) and vertical pushing (overhead press variations).
These movements engage the anterior deltoids, pectorals, and triceps as primary movers, while recruiting the core and posterior chain as stabilisers. In short, a Push Workout is about building that upper-body power and muscle definition.
This workout usually blends both compound and isolation exercises. Compound exercises, such as the Incline Dumbbell Chest Press, target multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
On the other hand, isolation exercises, such as lateral raises, focus on a single muscle group, specifically the deltoids.
Beginner Push Workout Routine
This beginner-friendly routine is specifically designed for individuals with 0-6 months of consistent training experience who are developing fundamental movement patterns and building initial strength reserves.
The beauty of this program lies in its progressive complexity approach – we begin with bodyweight movements to establish neuromuscular control, then advance to free weights for enhanced muscle activation.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Push-Ups | 3-4 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3-4 | 8-10 |
| Tricep Dips | 3 | 8-10 |
| Dumbbell Chest Flyes | 3 | 8-10 |
| Lateral Raises | 3 | 10-12 |
| Tricep Pushdowns | 3 | 8-12 |
Push Workout Plan At Home
This comprehensive home push workout eliminates the need for expensive gym memberships while delivering professional-grade training stimulus.
Closed kinetic chain exercises, such as push-ups, work your stabiliser muscles from your fingertips up. This integrated approach develops functional strength while improving intermuscular coordination.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Push-Ups | 4 | 10-15 |
| Incline Push-Ups (hands elevated) | 3 | 10-12 |
| Decline Push-Ups (feet elevated) | 3 | 8-10 |
| Diamond Push-Ups | 3 | 8-10 |
| Pike Push-Ups | 3 | 8-10 |
| Wide Grip Push-Ups | 3 | 10-12 |
| Tricep Dips (using a chair) | 3 | 10-12 |
| Plank to Push-Up | 3 | 8-10 (each side) |
Intermediate Push Day Workout Plan
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 6-8 |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 3-4 | 8-10 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 4 | 10-12 |
| Skull Crushers | 3 | 8-10 |
Chest Shoulder Tricep Trio Workout Routine
Perform three exercises consecutively with minimal rest between each exercise. After completing all three exercises, rest briefly before starting the next trio set.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Trio Set 1 | ||
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 10-12 |
| Tricep Pushdowns | 3 | 12-15 |
| Trio Set 2 | ||
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Lateral Raises | 3 | 10-12 |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 3 | 12-15 |
| Trio Set 3 | ||
| Chest Dips | 3 | 8-10 |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 10-12 |
| Overhead Tricep Extensions | 3 | 12-15 |
Push Workout for Hypertrophy
Modern exercise science identifies three primary pathways for muscle hypertrophy: mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage.
Research consistently demonstrates that moderate loads (65-85% 1RM) combined with moderate to high repetition ranges (6-20 reps) produce superior hypertrophy outcomes compared to pure strength or endurance protocols.
This introductory program emphasises movement quality while providing sufficient stimulus for muscle growth.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 8-12 | 1-2 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8-12 | 1-2 |
| Arnold Dumbbell Press | 4 | 8-10 | 1-2 |
| Cable Chest Flyes | 3 | 10-15 | 1-2 |
| Push-Ups (weighted if possible) | 3 | To failure | 1-2 |
| Cable Lateral Raises | 3 | 12-15 | 1-2 |
| Dumbbell Skull Crushers | 3 | 10-12 | 1-2 |
| Tricep Dips (Bench) | 3 | 8-10 | 1-2 |
Push Workout Plan for Strength
Unlike hypertrophy training that focuses on muscle size, strength training prioritizes the nervous system’s ability to recruit motor units rapidly and coordinate complex movement patterns under maximal loads.
Strength gains occur through two primary mechanisms: neural adaptations and morphological changes.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | |||
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 4-6 | 2-3 |
| Overhead Barbell Press | 4 | 4-6 | 2-3 |
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 4-6 | 2-3 |
| Weighted Dips | 3 | 6-8 | 1-2 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 8-10 | 1-2 |
| Skull Crushers (EZ Bar) | 3 | 8-10 | 1-2 |
| Plank (Optional) | 3 | 30-60s | 1 |
| Cool-Down |
PUSH WORKOUT SPLITS Weekly SCHEDULE
3-Day Split (Best for beginners)
- Monday: Push Day
- Wednesday: Pull Day
- Friday: Legs Day
4-Day Split (Best for beginners)
- Monday: Push Day
- Tuesday: Pull Day
- Thursday: Legs Day
- Saturday: Optional Push or Pull
5-Day Split (Best for Intermediate)
- Monday: Push Workout A
- Tuesday: Pull Workout A
- Wednesday: Legs Workout A
- Thursday: Push Workout B
- Friday: Pull Workout B
6-Day Split (for advanced lifters)
- Monday: Push Workout A
- Tuesday: Pull Workout A
- Wednesday: Legs Workout A
- Thursday: Push Workout B
- Friday: Pull Workout B
- Saturday: Legs Workout B
How to Do Push Day Workout
Let’s examine practical techniques and workout routines to target your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
1. Select Weekly Sets As per Your Fitness Level
Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on your fitness journey, but here is a great starting point:
According to the latest scientific evidence, 12–20 weekly sets per muscle group may optimize muscle growth.
- Beginners: ~10 sets per week.
- Intermediate: ~15 sets per week.
- Advanced: ~20 sets per week.
When a certain amount of volume stops being effective and your progress stalls, you can add sets to increase volume and use that as a driver of renewed progress.
2. Know More Workout Goal
The number of reps and sets required to structure an effective chest shoulder tricep workout to increase mass and strength will vary based on your fitness level, weekly workout frequency, and strength training goals.
The best rep ranges and loads to work with.
- For muscle hypertrophy (increased muscle size): Do 8-12 reps, with 70 to 85% of your 1RM.
- For muscle endurance, Aim for 15-20+ reps and moderate loads, with a weight at least 50 to 70% of your 1RM.
- For muscle strength: 4 to 6 reps, with at least 85% of your one-repetition maximum (1RM). The fewer reps you perform, the closer to 100% of your 1RM you should strive for.
It is always best to start with fewer reps and sets, then gradually increase as your strength improves.
Takeaways
A push day workout plan is an effective way to target the primary functional pressing muscles. These include the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Whatever your exercise goal may be, the push-day workout routine can be correctly programmed to help you achieve it.
When using the exercises above, follow the technique cues and tips for correct performance. Each workout should focus on strength and hypertrophy exercises that use progressive overload.
Combining heavy, low-rep strength exercises with moderate-weight hypertrophy exercises ensures you build size and functional power.
References
- Chaves (2020). Effects of Horizontal and Incline Bench Press on Neuromuscular Adaptations in Untrained Young Men. International journal of exercise science, [online] 13(6). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32922646/.
- Bishop, C., Chavda, S. and Turner, A.N. (2017). Exercise Technique: The Push Press. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319061549_Exercise_Technique_The_Push_Press [Accessed 19 Sep. 2024].
- Howe, L., Read, P. and Waldron, M. (2017). Muscle Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review on Training Principles for Increasing Muscle Mass. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320130602_Muscle_Hypertrophy_A_Narrative_Review_on_Training_Principles_for_Increasing_Muscle_Mass [Accessed 19 Sep. 2024].
- Rabello, R., Bertozzi, F., Lucas, I., Molinari, T., Cristian Roncada, Sforza, C., Rodrigues, R. and Carlos Leandro Tiggemann (2022). Activation of the three deltoid muscle portions during common strengthening exercises: A systematic review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. [online] doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2022.12.002.
- Bernárdez-Vázquez, R., Raya-González, J., Castillo, D. and Beato, M. (2022). Resistance Training Variables for Optimization of Muscle Hypertrophy: An Umbrella Review. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, [online] 4. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.949021.
