Push/Pull/Leg Workout Method

This morning I was thinking of what I can talk about today. I have so many ideas and stories to share, it was hard to decide where to go next. That's when I decided to make every day of the week something unique. Today we start the first installment of Training Thursdays. Every Thursday I will discuss old and new techniques for working out and what I personally do to keep in shape.

The workout routine I follow is one called "Push/Pull/Legs". Below is the schedule I follow every week:

Monday - Push
Tuesday - Pull
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Basketball
Friday - Legs/Abs
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Push
Monday - Pull
Tuesday - Off
etc...

As you can see, I never keep the same schedule every week, because there is an odd number of events that I do. The only one that remains the same is basketball on Thursdays, because this is when me and my friends have decided we can play for a good 3 hours after work. I recommend finding an activity you like to do every week other than working out so you can keep it fun. Now let me explain what I do on each of these days.

"Push" days train all of the upper body muscles that are involved in pushing exercises. This primarily includes chest, shoulders and triceps. Example of workouts I do are:

• Bench Press or Dumbbell Press - I recommend dumbbell press if you are working out alone, because the bar press can be dangerous when you get heavier weight involved.
• Decline and Incline Press - I do these to workout all parts of your chest. This is important if you want a well defined chest.
• Shoulder Press - This is great for working out your shoulders.
• Cables Crossovers - This is a workout that doesn't receive enough attention. Doing these is a great way to make your triceps stronger.
• Pulley Pushdowns - This is a great workout to target your triceps. I use the rope, but you can also use the iron bar if you want. I feel that the rope isolates the triceps better and is a little harder.

Those are the exercises I generally do on "Push" days. Sometimes I will add a tricep dip or another way of doing shoulder press if I am feeling pumped. This is a good start though for those trying out this method.

"Pull" days train all of the upper body muscles that are involved in pulling exercises. This primarily includes back and biceps. Example of workouts I do are:

• Wide Grip Pulldown - This is a key exercise in working out your back and biceps. I sometimes see guys pull the bar behind their back, this is a big NO NO! Besides injuring yourself, you are not getting the full potential of the workout. Bringing the bar to your chest is the correct way to do this. I cannot stress that enough.
•  Machine Row - This is a great exercise for your back. You can either use the machine row or get on a rowing machine at the gym.
• 21's - Not many people have heard of this one. My friend Jon Robert taught me this one time in high school when we were at 24 Hour Fitness. It's called 21's because you do 3 sets of 21 reps for each arm. I would recommend using a light weight because it can wear you out. I use 15 lbs on this exercise. You setup like you are doing bicep curls, and then you curl halfway up 7 times, then full curl 7 times, then halfway down 7 times. This is a beast workout for your biceps and you will see results almost immediately. Thanks Jon!

These are the main workouts I do on "Pull" day. I will usually add a few bar curls, isolated rowing machines, and maybe some machine bicep curls. If you do the 21's it is almost enough of a workout on your biceps to only do that along with the back workouts.

 "Legs/Abs" day train the entire lower body. This primarily includes quads, hamstrings, calves, and abs. Example of workouts I do are:

• Squats or Leg Press - This is a key workout to get your quads in beast mode. This is like the equivalent of bench press for your chest.
• Calf Raises - I do this on two machines actually, and is a great way to isolate your calves.
• Leg Curls - This is a great exercise to work both your quads and your hamstrings. You can do this in a forward motion and also laying down. The laying down way focuses more on your hamstrings.
• Captain's Chair - You may have seen this but didn't know it was called this. It is the piece of equipment where you hold on above the ground, and raise your legs up. This is a monster workout for your lower ab section.
• Back Extensions - This is where you lay face front on a little piece of equipment and raise your upper body up and down. This is great for your lower back. The reason I do this on abs day is because it goes well with the other exercises I do for abs.
• Crunches- You know what these are! I do enough until my abs are burning.

These are the main workouts I do on "Legs/Abs" day. Like the other days, I will sometimes add variations of these workouts if I feel I haven't pushed myself to the limit.

So there you have it, my workout routine. For all exercises, I will do 3 sets of 10 reps unless stated otherwise above. If you are trying to build muscle, I would increase weight after every set by a minimal amount. If you are just trying to tone up, keep the weight at the same but make sure it's not too light. The reason I like this method of working out is because it targets a group of muscle per day. This decreases your chance of injury due to muscle fatigue and actually helps build muscle faster because you are targeting specific muscles each day and giving them the attention they deserve. I also will do 30 minutes on the elliptical every day I workout as a warm up and extra workout for my legs.

In conclusion, you want to work out at least 3 times a week and give yourself at least 2 or 3 days rest per week so that your muscles can heal and build. The routine I just showed you is not for everyone, especially those who don't visit the gym as much as I do. If you are good about keeping your routine and want to get in shape faster, I definitely recommend trying this out in the future.

*If you have questions about any of the exercises I listed, please feel free to comment below and I will explain in more detail or find a picture to demonstrate it.