Pull-Push routines (“Push-Pull”) are a training strategy where training sessions are divided into two types of movement:
One day we will do the exercises in which we move the weight away from our body, push it
And another day we will perform exercises in which we pull the weight towards our body.
If we look at the basic exercises for each muscle group we see that the pull day will mainly involve the back and biceps while the push day will involve the pectorals, shoulders, triceps and legs.
Due to this difference in the number of muscles involved, my recommendation is to go for a regular variation of the pull-push routine that involves separating the legs from the push workout .
Why use the Pull-Push Routine?
The reason this training system works so well is because it places much more emphasis on compound exercises than isolation exercises. In addition, it is a very efficient routine with respect to rest periods , it avoids any possible overlap that can occur with the classic routines by muscle groups.
It is also a very versatile training system that can be used both for volume and definition periods, if your goals are aesthetic, as well as for strength gain periods if you are a powerlifter.
Who can use the Pull-Push Routine?
It is recommended that the person have previous training experience of at least 1 year, and of course master and know the perfect execution and technique of each of the exercises. However, when planning the training week, as we will see later, those subjects with less experience may need to add an extra day of rest, and modify the scheme proposed here.
Advantages of the Pull-Push Routine
The push-pull system avoids over-stressing the muscles
When we follow a routine divided into muscle groups, it may be the case that we train pectoral one day, shoulder the other day and triceps the other day. In this case, the triceps would have received stimulation for three days in a row, so the stress applied to the muscle may be excessive and may be limiting our growth.
However, in the pull-push routines, these three muscles are trained in the same session, the push session, and they will not receive stimulation again until the next push session.
Allows you to train more frequently and burn more fat
Push-pull routines are primarily based on compound exercises that will have a high metabolic impact. A squat, a deadlift or a bench press require a much greater effort from our body than, for example, a triceps extension with a cable, so the caloric expenditure of a training session made up of heavy multi-joint exercises will generate an expense much higher caloric than your usual single muscle group workout.
In addition, as we have seen in the previous point, we managed to make the recovery period sufficient .
