6 exercises19 setsabout 45 mina full gym: barbells, dumbbells, cables and machines
Everything that pushes: chest, shoulders and triceps. It opens with a heavy press for the chest, follows with one overhead, and ends with direct work for the side of the shoulder and the triceps.
With a full gym you can open with a heavy barbell lift and finish on cables and machines, which let you push close to failure without technique being the thing that gives out.
Start this workout free
Creates your account with these 6 exercises already loaded. Free to log, no card.
The workout
Bench Press4 × 8Pinch your shoulder blades together, lower the bar to mid-chest and press up and slightly back.2 min rest
Overhead Press3 × 8Squeeze your glutes and brace. Press the bar straight up, moving your head through once it clears your forehead.2 min rest
Incline Dumbbell Press3 × 10Bench at about 30 degrees. Lower until your upper arms pass the line of your chest, then press up and in.90 s rest
Lateral Raise3 × 15Lead with the elbows and raise to shoulder height. Go lighter than you think and lower under control.60 s rest
Triceps Pushdown3 × 12Elbows pinned to your sides. Push down to full lockout and let the weight back up slowly.60 s rest
Overhead Triceps Extension3 × 12One dumbbell held in both hands behind your head. Keep the elbows pointing forward and extend fully.60 s rest
Muscles worked
FrontBack
Triceps11
Shoulders9.5
Chest7
Traps3
Abs1.5
Sets per muscle. A muscle that only assists in an exercise counts half.
How to run it
Before the first exercise, do two lighter sets of it: one at about half your working weight and one at three quarters. Rest for the time shown next to each exercise; the heavy lifts at the top need more than the smaller ones at the end.
Aim to finish each set with one or two reps left in you. If every set reaches its target easily, the session is too light. Add the smallest plate you can to the barbell lifts, and move up one pin on machines and cables once every set reaches the target.
It is the first day of a push, pull, legs rotation. Run the three days once a week, or twice through with a rest day in the middle if you train six days.
If something is taken
Bench Press→Dumbbell Bench Press
Overhead Press→Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Incline Dumbbell Press→Incline Bench Press
Triceps Pushdown→Skull Crusher
Overhead Triceps Extension→Close-Grip Bench Press
Keep the same number of sets. In the app you can swap an exercise for one session without changing the program.
In myreplog
It is already set up. These 6 exercises arrive in your account as a program, with the sets and reps above.
Tap, do not type. Set your weights the first time, then mark each set done as you finish it.
Records count themselves. From your second session, a lift that beats your best is marked as a personal record on the spot.
See what you trained. The session ends with this muscle map, drawn from the sets you actually did.
Logging is free for good. The first 14 days also include Pro, where a coach reviews each session and suggests the weights for the next one. No card needed.
Questions
How long does this push day workout take?
About 45 minutes. That is 19 working sets with the rests listed next to each exercise, plus five minutes to warm up.
What muscles does it work?
Mostly the triceps, shoulders and chest. The traps and abs assist. The map on this page shades each muscle by the number of sets that reach it.
What equipment do I need?
A full gym: barbells, dumbbells, cables and machines.
What muscles does a push day work?
The chest, the shoulders and the triceps: every muscle that straightens the arm or pushes a weight away from the body. The back and biceps are left for pull day.
Should push day start with chest or shoulders?
Start with the one you want to bring up. This session starts with a chest press because it is the heaviest lift of the day, and puts the overhead press second while the shoulders are still fresh.