Boosting your upper body strength and taking control of your fitness journey is daunting, with plenty of rewards for people who stick to their routines. But with every routine, aside from being tailored to your needs, can be improved and progressed.

If you’re ready to take your workout routine to the next level, look no further than the push-day gym workout. This intense training technique focuses on exercises that engage your "pushing" muscles to build strength, boost your muscle size, and achieve your ultimate body goals.

But what does a productive push-day routine look like? And what muscle groups should you focus on for a thorough workout? 

This guide will help you answer those questions and help you to plan and prepare for your first push-day session. Read on for our top workout routine suggestions and a list of push-day exercises for a successful session. 

Let’s begin!

What Muscle Groups Does a Push Day Exercise Target?

During your push-day workout, you'll be targeting several muscle groups in your upper body. Understanding these muscle groups will help you choose the right exercises and ensure proper muscle activation. The groups considered as part of your “push-day muscles'' include:

1. Chest (pectoralis major and minor): Exercises like bench presses, dumbbell flyes, and push-ups primarily engage your chest muscles, helping you develop a strong and well-defined chest.

2. Shoulders (deltoids): Movements such as dumbbell shoulder press and overhead press focus on your shoulder muscles, providing you with broader and more sculpted shoulders.

3. Triceps: Push day exercises like tricep dips and pushdowns specifically target your triceps, allowing you to develop strength and size in this vital muscle group.

Push Day Workout Routine

A productive push-day workout routine incorporates various exercises to target different muscle groups in your upper body, with a particular focus on your triceps, chest, and shoulders.

Push-day exercises challenge your muscles and allow you to hit your fitness goals, consider adding these to your workout routine;

Barbell Bench Press

This exercise targets your chest, triceps, and shoulders to build your upper body strength. To perform this exercise, load the barbell with weights, but be sure not to outdo your limits. Once you find a comfortable weight, lie back on the bench and press the barbell upwards, then lower it down to your chest level. Push upwards again and repeat.

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Complete 3 sets of 8-10 reps for an invigorating push workout routine.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

This exercise targets your shoulder muscles and is highly effective for fitness enthusiasts looking to build their muscle size to achieve large, defined, and round shoulders. 

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The dumbbell shoulder press can be intense for beginners, so if it’s your first time trying this routine out, follow the steps below:

1. Sit on a bench or stand with a dumbbell in each hand. Plant your feet on the ground and keep the dumbbells at shoulder level. Have your palms facing forward.

2. Keep your back straight throughout the exercise.

3. Slowly exhale. As you do this, fully extend your arms, lifting to push the dumbbells overhead.

4. Pause at the peak of the movement when your arms are fully extended.

5. Inhale, slowly lowering the dumbbells back to the original position.

6. Repeat the exercise for as many reps as you’re comfortable with.

Tricep Pushdowns

As the name suggests, this activity targets the triceps to develop strength and size in this area of your arms. 

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Tricep pushdowns are necessary for a thorough push-day workout that engages all your upper body muscles. The pushdown can be done in the following steps:

1. Attach a cable bar to a pulley machine.

2. Hold the bar with your hands, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart. Keep your elbows bent at approximately 90 degrees and hold your upper arms close to your sides.

3. Hold your chest high and engage your core, maintaining a subtle knee bend.

4. With your forearms parallel to the ground, exhale and push the bar downward by extending your elbows. Keep your upper arms stationary.

5. Lower the cable bar until your arms are fully extended, maintaining control throughout the movement.

6. Hold the fully extended position without locking your elbows.

7. Inhale as you return the bar to the starting position by bending your elbows.

8. Repeat the exercise for the target number of reps.

Dumbbell Chest Fly

This exercise is perfect for targeting your chest muscles, specifically the pectoralis major. The dumbbell chest fly is an intense workout, but remembering the process shouldn’t be too difficult. Begin by lying on a bench with dumbbells above your chest at arm’s length.

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With your hands facing each other and elbows slightly bent, bring the dumbbells down and out to your sides. You will feel a stretching sensation in your chest muscles. Reverse this motion, return to the original position, and repeat the motion for the desired number of reps. 

This activity is essential for your push-day routine–it’s easy to remember but intensive enough to give you a thorough workout.

Behind the Neck Overhead Press

This type of overhead press is perfect for targeting your shoulder muscles and a must for any complete gym push day routine. When preparing to perform the behind-the-neck overhead press, ensure that you start with lighter weights to avoid possible injury to your neck and shoulders. 

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This exercise requires proper technique and mobility to be conducted correctly and is most suitable for those with some exercise experience. To perform this exercise, complete the following:

1. Sit on a bench, positioning a barbell behind your neck with your hands shoulder-width apart.

2. Holding your chest high, press the barbell upward until you’re in a position where your arms are straight.

3. Pause briefly at the top of the gesture before lowering the barbell to the initial position behind your neck. Repeat the process as many times as you’re comfortable with.

Structuring Your Push Day

By incorporating push-day exercises into your routine, you can build upper body strength quickly. However, you shouldn’t focus on push-day exercises every day of the week. The best structure for your push-day exercises weekly is typically the following:

• Monday: Push day

• Tuesday: Pull day

• Wednesday: Legs and core

• Thursday: Push day

• Friday: Pull day

• Saturday: Legs and core

• Sunday: Rest

Enhance Your Exercise With Village Gym

Incorporating a dedicated push-day workout routine into your fitness regimen is a brilliant way to target your upper body muscles and focus on strengthening your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Fitness enthusiasts can enhance their exercise experience with Village Gym along with these push-day exercises.

Village Gym has several locations across the UK to help you get in shape with a diverse workout routine. Check out our membership options today to find the exercise routine that’s perfect for you, or book a tour and check out our day passes to get started on your fitness journey.

Progress towards accomplishing your fitness goals with Village Gym today!