Push Day Workout with Ben Chidiebele

A push day workout is one component of the push-pull-legs (PPL) split. On push day, the goal is to work muscles involved in the pushing movement, like the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

These muscles work together in pushing movements and thus are grouped for the workout split. The benefit of a split like the push-pull-legs routine is that you train specific muscle groups on specific days, allowing for a balanced routine and proper recovery time for each group.

Shoulders | Shoulder Press & Lateral Raises

For his push session, Ben starts off with the shoulders, warming up on the shoulder press with one set and then hitting an additional 2 sets of 8-12 reps for a total of 3 sets.

For this move, while Ben has a specific rep range in mind, he focuses on going to near failure with every set.

The next move for shoulders is lateral raises. For these, Ben performs 2 sets of 12-15 reps. Ben advises going slow and controlled and focusing all of the tension directly onto the side delt.

Chest | Chest Press & Chest Flys

The first chest exercise in the routine is a plate-loaded chest press, with 2 sets of 8-12 reps. For this exercise, Ben suggests taking your set to near failure while still hitting the rep range.

The second chest move is chest flys at 2 sets of 12-15 reps. For this move, Ben recommends taking it slow to really establish that mind-muscle connection. Ben also takes this move to near failure, fighting for that last rep.

Partial reps are better than nothing.

Triceps | Tricep Bar Pushdowns & Skull Crushers

Ben's first tricep move is tricep bar pushdowns at 2 sets of 12-15 reps.

The second move for triceps is skull crushers, also known as lying triceps extensions at 2 sets of 12-15 reps. This is the only exercise that Ben doesn't recommend going to absolute failure for, unless you have a spotter. With that being said, the trainer still advises that you push yourself for this move.

Finally, Ben finishes off his workout with 100 push-ups. The goal with these is to crank them out as fast as you can while maintaining good form—you can take as many breaks as you need to.

Training Tips

In addition to a solid push workout, Ben is giving us valuable tips for how to get the most out of your training.

According to Ben, while many fall into the trap of training "just to train", without clear expectations and intent, training can become less structured, making it more difficult to achieve the results you want.

The trainer explains that by setting clear intentions with your training, or any goal in life for that matter, you can "better measure progress, adjust strategies as needed, and maintain motivation to ensure that your time and efforts are used productively."

So, when you go into training, create a strategy for yourself, outlining the results you want and what exercises you'll need to get there. This will make achieving those results a whole lot easier.

Take Home Message

If you're looking to change up your routine and implement a push-pull-legs split, this push workout from our ambassador covers all the basics and is a great place to start. Do the work and see results—you got this.