Push-Pull Workout Routine: 4-Day Split for Building Muscle

In this post, I’m going to show you a highly effective 4-day push-pull workout routine you can use to build muscle.

First, I want to talk briefly about what a push-pull workout routine involves.

Then I’ll show you the workout plan in full, so you can see all the exercises, sets and reps.

Finally, I’ll explain why the program is set up the way it is, as well as how to adjust it so that it’s a close fit for you and your goals.

Here’s what’s covered:

• What Is a Push/Pull Workout?
• The Benefits of a Push/Pull Routine
• The 4-Day Push/Pull Workout Plan
• Push Day Workout
• Pull Day Workout
• 2-Day Routine
• 3-Day Routine
• 5-Day Routine

What Is a Push-Pull Workout Routine?

A push-pull workout routine involves training the major muscle groups in two different workouts:

• Push workout
• Pull workout

The push workout is focused on the pushing movements for the upper body, which involve the chest, shoulders and triceps, along with the quads.

The pull workout is based around pulling movements for the upper body, which involve the back and biceps, as well as the hamstrings.

Push Muscle Groups

• Quadriceps
• Glutes
• Chest
• Shoulders
• Triceps

Pull Muscle Groups

• Hamstrings
• Back
• Biceps
• Abs

The Benefits of a Push-Pull Routine

One of the main benefits of a push-pull routine is that muscle groups that work together are trained together in the same workout.

Take the example of a pulling movement like the lat pulldown. This exercise works not only the lats, but the biceps as well. Or a pushing exercise like the bench press, which hits the chest and shoulders along with the triceps.

Training the muscles that work together in the same session has a number of benefits:

1. Starting a workout with the bench press, for instance, gets your shoulders and triceps warm, which helps to prepare them for the exercises that come later in the workout. As a result, you don’t need to do as many warm-up sets to prepare for those exercises.

Not only does this save time, it can also reduce the risk of an injury caused by skipping warm-up sets and going straight into the heavy stuff.

2. If you run out of time, you can skip the last couple of exercises, as they’re often hitting muscle groups that have been worked already. A push workout, for example, will typically start off with compound lifts for the chest and shoulders, before moving on to some isolation exercises for the triceps.

However, those same compound lifts will still have stimulated some growth in the triceps, albeit not as much had you trained the triceps directly. So if you’re pushed for time, you can always leave out some of the isolation exercises and stick with the compound movements.

3. Your muscles get plenty of time to recover between workouts. On the pull days, your quads, chest, shoulders and triceps are getting the chance to recover and grow.

Likewise, when you’re training your hamstrings, back and biceps, the muscles involved on push day can rest and rebuild.

A push-pull workout routine is also ideal for people who don’t like leg workouts. Rather than devote an entire workout to your lower body (as you would do with a push/pull/legs split and upper/lower split), you do a little bit of leg work every time you train.

That is, the push day workouts involve some exercises that focus on your quads, such as the back squat, while the pull day workouts will include some work for your hamstrings, like the leg curl.

You can use the push-pull split to train anywhere between two and six days per week, with each training frequency having its own advantages and drawbacks.

The 4-day version of the program is the one I think will work best for most people, most of the time. You get a balance between effectiveness and practicality.

That is, it’s more effective than the 2- and 3-day versions, but more practical than training 5 or 6 days a week.

Lifting weights 5-6 days a week may, in some cases at least, work better than training four days a week. But not everyone can make it to the gym five or six days a week. Four days a week is a more realistic goal for most people.

4-Day Push-Pull Workout Routine

With all that out of the way, here’s what the 4-day push-pull workout routine looks like. You can throw in some ab work at the end of each pull workout.

If you do want to train your calves, exercises like the standing and seated calf raise can be done on either a push or pull day.

The number of sets listed are the actual work sets only, and don’t include warm-up sets. It’s always a good idea, especially if you’re using heavy weights, to do several progressively heavier warm-up sets to prepare your body for the heavy work to come.

Push Day Workout

• Squat 3 sets x 5-8 reps
• Bench Press 3 sets x 5-8 reps
• Leg Press 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 sets x 5-8 reps
• Lateral Raise 2 sets x 15-20 reps
• Lying EZ Bar Triceps Extension 3 sets x 10-15 reps

Squat 

Sets 3 Reps 5-8

The main areas targeted by the back squat are your quads, glutes and lower back. In terms of depth, squatting to the point where your knees hit 90 degrees, which is slightly above parallel, is still deep enough to stimulate growth in your quads. If you can’t do back squats for whatever reason, the front squat and split squat are both viable alternatives. More alternatives to the barbell squat are covered here.

Bench Press 

Sets 3 Reps 5-8

Next up is the bench press, which is a highly effective way to build size in your chest, shoulders and triceps. Because this is your first upper body exercise, and you’re training in the 5-8 rep range, make sure to do several progressively heavier warm-up sets before your first work set. To save time, you can do your warm-up sets in between sets of squats.

Leg Press

Sets 2 Reps 10-15

Exercise number three is the leg press. Like the squat, the leg press hits the quads and glutes, but with less involvement from the muscles in the lower back. If you don’t have access to a leg press machine, there are some effective leg press replacements listed here.

Incline Dumbbell Press

Sets 2 Reps 10-15

With the incline dumbbell press, set the angle of the bench at around 30 degrees. You’re still targeting the chest, shoulders and triceps, but going from a flat to an incline bench shifts the emphasis to the upper part of the chest.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Sets 2 Reps 5-8

The dumbbell shoulder press targets the triceps and shoulders, with most of the work being done by the front part of the shoulder, known as the anterior deltoid. You can also do this exercise with a barbell if you prefer, or even a shoulder press machine. 

Lateral Raise

Sets 2 Reps 15-20

The lateral raise targets the side delts, helping to make your shoulders broader. The anterior delts have been worked earlier in the workout, while the rear delts are targeted on pull day, so the lateral raise ensures that your side delts don’t miss out.

Lying EZ Bar Triceps Extension

Sets 3 Reps 10-15

The final exercise on push day is the lying EZ bar triceps extension. While you can do these with a straight bar, the EZ bar is a little easier on your elbows. Instead of lowering the bar to your forehead, you can work your triceps a little harder by bringing the bar down behind your head, as shown in the video below.

Pull Day Workout

• Seated Leg Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps
• Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 8-12 reps
• Romanian Deadlift 2 sets x 10-15 reps
• Seated Cable Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Face Pull 2 sets x 15-20 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 8-12 reps

Seated Leg Curl

Sets 3 Reps 10-15

First up is the seated leg curl, which targets your hamstrings. Research shows that the seated leg curl works better than the lying leg curl for hamstring growth. However, both are still very effective, so just use whatever machine is available. If you don’t have access to a leg curl machine, try one of these leg curl alternatives.

Wide Grip Front Lat Pulldown 

Sets 4 Reps 8-12

The lat pulldown, done with a wider overhand grip (palms facing forwards) and pulled to the front rather than behind your head, works your back and biceps. Very few people are able to crank out multiple sets of pull-ups with their own body weight, which is why I normally recommend pulldowns instead. But if you’d rather do pull-ups, and you’re able to do four sets of 5-10 pull-ups using good form, do pull-ups instead.

Romanian Deadlift

Sets 2 Reps 10-15

The Romanian deadlift targets the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Normally, you do Romanian deadlifts with a barbell, but you can also use dumbbells. More advice on how to do the Romanian deadlift is here.

Seated Cable Row 

Sets 3 Reps 8-12

The seated cable row is a horizontal pulling exercise that targets your back and biceps. Keep your elbows close to your body, and pull your hands towards the lower part of the stomach, near the belly button. If you don’t have access to a cable machine, there are several alternatives to the seated cable row listed here.

Cable Face Pulls

Sets 2 Reps 15-20

The cable face pull hits both the lateral and posterior delts, as well as various upper back muscles. While there are many different ways to do the face pull, depending on the muscles you want to target, this is the way I like to do them.

Incline Dumbbell Curl 

Sets 3 Reps 8-12

Pull day ends with some isolation exercises for your biceps. Because the incline curl positions your elbows behind your back, it involves the long head of the biceps to a greater extent than curls done with your arms at your side.

With the standard version of the 4-day routine, you do the push workout on Monday, the pull workout on Tuesday, then have a rest day.

On Thursday it’s back to the push workout, with the second pull workout of the week on Friday. Then you have the weekend off. Each muscle group is trained directly twice a week.

• Monday: Push Workout
• Tuesday: Pull Workout
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Push Workout
• Friday: Pull Workout
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

The program is flexible, and you can move the training days around if you miss a workout. If, for example, you’re not able to make it to the gym on Friday, you can just push that workout back to Saturday.

• Monday: Push Workout
• Tuesday: Pull Workout
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Push Workout
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Pull Workout
• Sunday: Off

Or, if you prefer to train at the weekends, your week might look like this.

• Monday: Off
• Tuesday: Push Workout
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Pull Workout
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Push Workout
• Sunday: Pull Workout

As I mentioned earlier, I much prefer the 4-day version of the push/pull workout plan. However, I want to take a quick look at what the 2, 3, and 5-day routines have to offer.

The 2-Day Routine

The 2-day push/pull split involves lifting weights twice a week. You’ve got plenty of different options for the days of the week you train – Monday and Thursday, Tuesday and Friday, Wednesday and Saturday and so on.

• Monday: Push Workout
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Pull Workout
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

If your main goal is to build muscle as fast as possible, the 2-day push/pull split is probably the least effective option, mainly because it involves working each muscle group just once a week. To maximize growth, you want to train each muscle group at least twice a week [1].

That’s not to say the 2-day push/pull split is a waste of time. It can work reasonably well if you’re trying to maintain (rather than gain) muscle.

And if you want to shift gears and improve some other aspect of your fitness, hitting each muscle group once a week can help maintain size/strength while you focus on other things.

But to repeat, if you want to maximize muscle growth, the 2-day push/pull split isn’t ideal. You’d be better off using a full-body routine and training your whole body twice a week.

The 3-Day Routine

Next up is the 3-day push/pull workout routine. On Monday, you do the push workout, followed by the pull workout on Wednesday. On Friday, you’re back to the push workout again. Then you take a couple of days off over the weekend.

In the second week, you start with the pull workout, followed by the push workout on Wednesday. You keep on rotating the workouts in the same order – a push workout followed by a pull workout.

Here’s how it looks:

WEEK 1

• Monday: Push Workout
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Pull Workout
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Push Workout
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

WEEK 2

• Monday: Pull Workout
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Push Workout
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Pull Workout
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

In the third week, the program repeats itself, and the push workout ends up back on Monday.

What if you can’t train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday? If so, there’s no reason why you can’t switch the training days around, depending on when you can make it to the gym. Here’s an example of how it might look:

WEEK 1

• Monday: Off
• Tuesday: Push Workout
• Wednesday: Pull Workout
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Push Workout
• Sunday: Off

WEEK 2

• Monday: Pull Workout
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Push Workout
• Friday: Pull Workout
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Off

With the 3-day push/pull workout routine, you do three push workouts and three pull workouts over a two-week period, meaning that each muscle group is trained directly 1.5 times a week.

As I mentioned earlier, chances are you’ll see a faster rate of muscle growth by training each muscle group at least twice a week, which doesn’t happen with the 3-day push/pull split.

However, it can come in useful if you’re in a calorie deficit and trying to lose fat while retaining muscle.

Cutting back on your intake of carbs and fat can have an adverse effect on the quality of your training sessions, as well as your ability to recover from those training sessions, and a reduction in your overall training volume helps to compensate for the fact that you’re not eating as much food.

But if your main goal is to build muscle, you’re on a muscle-building diet that puts you in a calorie surplus, and you can only train three days a week, you’re probably better off with a full-body workout routine.

The 5-Day Routine

Next up, is the 5-day push/pull split. In week one, you do three pushing and two pulling workouts. This flips around in week two, where there are three pulling and two pushing workouts.

WEEK 1

• Monday: Push Workout
• Tuesday: Pull Workout
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Push Workout
• Friday: Pull Workout
• Saturday: Push Workout
• Sunday: Off

WEEK 2

• Monday: Pull Workout
• Tuesday: Push Workout
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Pull Workout
• Friday: Push Workout
• Saturday: Pull Workout
• Sunday: Off

It takes a couple of weeks before the program repeats itself, and the push workout ends up back on Monday.

In that two-week period, you do five push workouts and five pull workouts, meaning that each muscle group is trained directly 2.5 times a week.

How to Apply the Progressive Overload Principle

To build muscle, you need to apply the principle of progressive overload. By that, I mean your goal in every workout should be to push yourself to increase the amount of work your muscles are doing, whether that’s lifting heavier weights, doing more reps with the same weight, or increasing the number of sets you do for each muscle group.

You’re not going to register an improvement in every single workout. To do so indefinitely isn’t realistic, and there’ll be training sessions where you end up using the same amount of weight, doing the same number of sets and reps you did in the workout before.

However, you need to expend a high level of effort in each training session, striving to add reps or weight.

The last 1-2 reps of every work set should be extremely difficult. Those are reps that take a muscle out of its “comfort zone” and make the largest contribution to muscle growth. You don’t need to take each to failure, or the point where you’re unable to complete another rep, but you want to get close.

Doing so will give your muscles a reason to grow. Without a sufficient level of training stress, your muscles will remain stuck at the same size they are right now.

If you want to switch out some of the exercises, these lists show you which exercises to include on which days.

Upper Body Push Exercises

• Flat Barbell Bench Press
• Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
• Incline Barbell Bench Press
• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
• Cable Crossover
• Dumbbell Flyes
• Dips
• Standing Barbell Press
• Seated Dumbbell Press
• Lateral Raise
• Triceps Pressdown
• Lying EZ Bar Triceps Extension
• Overhead Triceps Extension
• Upright Row *

NOTE: With an exercise like the upright row, it can be tricky to know whether it’s a pull or a push day exercise.

That’s because it works the lateral deltoid and upper traps, which are typically trained on a push day. But it also works the elbow flexors (the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis), which are usually trained with the back.

So, is the upright row a push or a pull day exercise?

Personally, I use it mainly as an exercise for the shoulders, meaning it’ll be trained on push day.

Lower Body Push Exercises

• Squat
• Leg Press
• Hack Squat
• Front Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Leg Extension
• Hip Thrust

Squats, leg presses and split squats work the glutes as well as the thighs, so it makes sense to do exercises that target the glutes (such as the hip thrust) on the same day.

Upper Body Pull Exercises

• Seated Cable Row
• Barbell Row
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
• Lat Pulldown
• Pull-Ups
• Chin-Ups
• T-Bar Row
• Face Pulls
• Rear Delt Row
• Bent-Over Lateral Raise
• Incline Curl
• Preacher Curl
• Cross Body Hammer Curl

Lower Body Pull Exercises

• Deadlift
• Romanian Deadlift
• Lying Leg Curl
• Seated Leg Curl
• 45-Degree Hip Extension