For Quality Gains Try A Push/Pull Split

Clean up your training program with smart progression and a push/pull split for consistent size and strength gains.

- Andrew Gutman

If you’ve spent the past few years following the same body-part split— chest on Monday (duh, bro), then back, shoulders, arms, and legs—we’ve got some news for you: It’s time to change it up.

While Matt Pudvah, C.S.C.S., head strength coach at the Manchester Athletic Club in Manchester, MA, admits that a typical body-part split isn’t a bad approach to accumulating the volume necessary to gain muscle, he thinks that there’s something to be said for focusing your efforts when it comes to programming.

The first suggestion he makes is to get on a push/pull split, which is defined as performing two workouts a week that consist of just pushing exercises and another two workouts that are made up of only pulling exercises.

“You’ll be able to perform higher quality work, as opposed to doing six chest moves, so you’ll be able to go heavier and, in turn, do more work overall,” Pudvah says. “Also, for a general person, unlike for a high-level bodybuilder, six to eight exercises for each muscle group is way too much.”

You’ll want to be cautious of your exercise selection. Since you’ll have fewer choices overall, you need to be more precise in your pickings. Pudvah suggests: “Start with double-leg, compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses. Then you can do your accessory movements like biceps curls. Think about performing the largest patterns and moves, then the smallest patterns and moves.”