In this post, I’m going to show you a highly effective 4-day push/pull workout routine that you can use to build muscle.
Let’s dive right in…
What Is a Push/Pull Workout?
As the name suggests, a push/pull workout routine involves two different workouts: a push workout and a pull workout.
The push workout is focused on the pushing movements for the upper body, which involve the chest, shoulders and triceps. The pull workout is based around pulling movements for the upper body, which involve the back and biceps.
Take the example of a pulling movement like the lat pulldown. This exercise works not only the lats, but the biceps as well. The idea is that you train the muscles that work together – in this case the back and biceps – in the same session.
A push/pull workout routine is ideal for people who don’t like leg days. Rather than devote an entire workout to your lower body (as you would do with a push/pull/legs 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, while the pull day workouts will include some work for your hamstrings.
The Push Day Workout
Quadriceps
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps
The Pull Day Workout
Hamstrings
Back
Biceps
Abs
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.
I much prefer the 4-day push/pull split, for reasons I’ll get to in a moment. First, I want to take a quick look at what the 2, 3, 5 and 6-day routines have to offer.
The 2-Day Push/Pull Workout
First up is the 2-day push/pull split, which 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 Push/Pull Workout
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
It takes a couple of weeks before 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 4-Day Push/Pull Workout
The 4-day push/pull split 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, the 4-day push/pull split is 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.
With the 4-day push/pull split, 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
The 5-Day Push/Pull Workout
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.
If you want to have the weekends off, the program could look like this:
WEEK 1
Monday: Push Workout
Tuesday: Pull Workout
Wednesday: Push Workout
Thursday: Pull Workout
Friday: Push Workout
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
WEEK 2
Monday: Pull Workout
Tuesday: Push Workout
Wednesday: Pull Workout
Thursday: Push Workout
Friday: Pull Workout
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
The 6-Day Push/Pull Workout
You can also increase the training frequency still further and train six days a week, like so:
Monday: Push Workout
Tuesday: Pull Workout
Wednesday: Push Workout
Thursday: Pull Workout
Friday: Push Workout
Saturday: Pull Workout
Sunday: Off
With the 6-day routine, each muscle group is trained three times a week.
The Heavy/Light Rotation
With the push/pull workout routine, you can rotate between two different workouts for each set of muscles, rather than just repeat the same workout each time.
For example, Monday’s push workout might revolve around compound lifts and heavy weights, while the second push workout could involve lighter weights, higher reps and more single-joint exercises.
Monday: Push Workout (Heavy)
Tuesday: Pull Workout (Light)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Push Workout (Light)
Friday: Pull Workout (Heavy)
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
You can also use different exercises in each workout. For example, in the first push workout of the week, you might do squats for 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps, while in the second you’d do the leg press for 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps.
How many sets and reps should you do?
Studies show that a relatively small number of weekly sets is enough to stimulate muscle growth. In some cases, as little as five weekly sets per muscle group has been shown to make your muscles bigger [3].
However, if you want to maximize your gains, you’re better off doing at least 10 sets for the major muscle groups each week [4].
When I say “muscle group,” I’m not referring to a region of the body like the arms or the legs. Rather, I’m talking about a set of muscles, such as the quadriceps, that work together.
Let’s say, for example, that you do four sets of squats, four sets of leg extensions and four sets of leg curls every week. In total, you’ve done 12 sets for your legs.
But it’s your quads that have done most of the work.
While the hamstrings have been trained directly on the leg curl, as well as being called into action (to a degree, at least) during the squat, they haven’t done as much work as the quadriceps.
That is, four sets of squats doesn’t count as four sets for the quads and four sets for the hamstrings. In this example, if you wanted to make sure the hamstrings did roughly the same amount of work as the quads, you could throw in an extra exercise, such as Romanian deadlifts.
As far as reps are concerned, anywhere between 5 and 30 reps will get the job done. Most studies show similar gains in muscle mass with high reps versus low reps.
Sample 4-Day Push/Pull Workout
With all that out of the way, here’s an example of what a 4-day push/pull workout routine might look like. You can throw in some ab work at the end of each pull workout.
Push Workout 1
Squat 3 sets x 5-8 reps
Leg Press 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Bench Press 3 sets x 5-8 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 sets x 5-8 reps
Cable Lateral Raise 2 sets x 15-20 reps
Triceps Pressdown 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Lying Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Pull Workout 1
Leg Curl 3 sets x 15-20 reps
Romanian Deadlift 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 10-15 reps
Seated Cable Row 2 sets x 15-20 reps
Incline Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Push Workout 2
Bulgarian Split Squat 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Leg Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps
Push-ups 3 sets x AMRAP*
Cable Crossover 2 sets x 15-20 reps
Barbell Press 2 sets x 5-8 reps
Bent Over Lateral Raise 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Overhead Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Lying Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Pull Workout 2
Romanian Deadlift 3 sets x 5-8 reps
Leg Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Row 3 sets x 5-8 reps
Lat Pulldown 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Preacher Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Incline Hammer Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
* AMRAP = As Many Reps As Possible
NOTE: 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.
SEE ALSO: THE MUSCLE BUILDING CHEAT SHEET
If you're fed up spending hours in the gym with nothing to show for it, then check out The Muscle Building Cheat Sheet.
It's a "cut the waffle and just tell me what to do” PDF that tells you exactly how to go about building muscle. To get a copy of the cheat sheet sent to you, please enter your email address in the box below, and hit the “send it now” button.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christian Finn is an exercise scientist and former “trainer to the trainers” based in the UK. He holds a masters degree in exercise science, and has been featured in or contributed to major media on two continents, including the BBC and Sunday Times in the U.K. and Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness in the U.S.