Looking for an effective 4-day push & pull workout routine

[Vanbooring]

Hey guys,

So I've been hitting the gym for close to a decade now with okay-ish results. But I just can't seem to find a decent program to suit my needs as I've found that training each body part at least x2 a week works best for me.

Thus, I'd appreciate it if someone can help me out by sharing an effective 4-day push & pull routine. Obviously I'm not a novice so I can take on some extra volume, just nothing too crazy that'll leave me sore for days as I still have a job, a wife, kids etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[lowTengineer]

What programs have you tried? What does okay-ish results mean? What is your goal? Stronger, bigger, smaller?

Have you done any Wendler 5/3/1? There are tons of great programs in the Forever book.

gzcl has good programs that could be 4 day.

I did nSuns 531 as an upper/lower for awhile. I think it is pretty high volume though.

I'm currently in the middle of my second 21 week cycle of Average to Savage 2. It has 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 days a week options. It's from Greg Nuckols and its $10 but I think it's worth it. It has the option to use a last set AMRAP or reps in reserve to determine any increase/decrease in training max.

 

[Starplex]

Growth Stimulus Training. Ebook on Amazon. Best program ever, simple to use and fantastic results. Also the author is on Facebook and always available to answer questions.

 

[Cips1975]

Hi there. No need to overthink or get a book. A great program to meet your news could be a upper body push pull legs. You’ll get enough frequency and volume and it meets your four day requirement very well. Basically on workout A you would do upper body push movements and lower body push movements. The next workout you would do upper body pulling movements and lower body pulling movements. Yes you can combine upper and lower body exercises in the same work out. Be mindful of all the bro science and once a day bro split stuff. That’s all magazine stuff and professional bodybuilder mumbo-jumbo on loads of gear. Don’t train like a professional bodybuilder they are unique genetic specimens on boatloads of stuff anything they do will work even if the program is nonsensical and laid out poorly. Yes you can get results but is if the best path ? Train smart, train efficient and use exercises that are biomechanically designed to target those muscles if hypertrophy is your goal.

 

[Vanbooring]

What programs have you tried? What does okay-ish results mean? What is your goal? Stronger, bigger, smaller?

Have you done any Wendler 5/3/1? There are tons of great programs in the Forever book.

gzcl has good programs that could be 4 day.

I did nSuns 531 as an upper/lower for awhile. I think it is pretty high volume though.

I'm currently in the middle of my second 21 week cycle of Average to Savage 2. It has 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 days a week options. It's from Greg Nuckols and its $10 but I think it's worth it. It has the option to use a last set AMRAP or reps in reserve to determine any increase/decrease in training max.

Well, I've tried a bunch of programs and by okay-ish I mean that I'm not that big, but people can tell I lift. As for results, getting bigger is what I'm after.

And thanks for the recommendations. I've looked into nSuns 531 but I'll probably go for someone not as demanding.

Growth Stimulus Training. Ebook on Amazon. Best program ever, simple to use and fantastic results. Also the author is on Facebook and always available to answer questions.

Cheers and thanks for mentioning it - I'll look it up. Athough I'm not keen on paying for any program honestly unless it's custom-tailored for my specific needs.

Hi there. No need to overthink or get a book. A great program to meet your news could be a upper body push pull legs. You’ll get enough frequency and volume and it meets your four day requirement very well. Basically on workout A you would do upper body push movements and lower body push movements. The next workout you would do upper body pulling movements and lower body pulling movements. Yes you can combine upper and lower body exercises in the same work out. Be mindful of all the bro science and once a day bro split stuff. That’s all magazine stuff and professional bodybuilder mumbo-jumbo on loads of gear. Don’t train like a professional bodybuilder they are unique genetic specimens on boatloads of stuff anything they do will work even if the program is nonsensical and laid out poorly. Yes you can get results but is if the best path ? Train smart, train efficient and use exercises that are biomechanically designed to target those muscles if hypertrophy is your goal.

Right, great idea - I'm thinking of something similar. Training upper and lower body x2 is definitely better as more frequency has been shown to produce better gains (can't remember the exact study atm).

My only concern is hitting the upper body hard after doing legs (or vice versa). But I guess the focus is on progressing with small steps, without destroying your CNS and eventually overtraining.

 

[thirdstone]

You might want to check out Jeff Nippard on youtube. He has a very science informed approach. Here’s a link to his “Science Applied: Push-Pull” series.

Science Applied Series (Push Pull Legs) - YouTube

And here’s a series regarding training frequency and volume along with other fundamentals.

Fundamentals Series - YouTube

 

[Cips1975]

Well, I've tried a bunch of programs and by okay-ish I mean that I'm not that big, but people can tell I lift. As for results, getting bigger is what I'm after.

And thanks for the recommendations. I've looked into nSuns 531 but I'll probably go for someone not as demanding.



Cheers and thanks for mentioning it - I'll look it up. Athough I'm not keen on paying for any program honestly unless it's custom-tailored for my specific needs.



Right, great idea - I'm thinking of something similar. Training upper and lower body x2 is definitely better as more frequency has been shown to produce better gains (can't remember the exact study atm).

My only concern is hitting the upper body hard after doing legs (or vice versa). But I guess the focus is on progressing with small steps, without destroying your CNS and eventually overtraining.

You’ll be fine doing upper after legs. You’ll be getting plenty of rest on the off days and if your nutrition and sleep is decent I would not worry about all the CNS stuff. You really have beat the shit out of yourself to tax your CNS to the point where it affects your recovery.

 

[Roy5678]

Kettlebells! Master the two handed swing and Turkish Get up - "Simple and sinister". https://www.amazon.com/Kettlebell-Simple-Sinister-Pavel-Tsatsouline-ebook/dp/B00GF2HP9G

 

[Vanbooring]

Thanks - I've got a 30-pound kettlebell at home so I might give this a try. However, it's always hard to get myself motivated to workout at home.

You’ll be fine doing upper after legs. You’ll be getting plenty of rest on the off days and if your nutrition and sleep is decent I would not worry about all the CNS stuff. You really have beat the shit out of yourself to tax your CNS to the point where it affects your recovery.

Right, you have a point.

But working out pretty hard on a regular basis does leave a tole on one's CNS. So I guess that I'll have to train smart as doing such a split can definitely lead to overtraining in no time.

 

[Roy5678]

I hear ya. Recommend buying a used copy of “The Swing” by Tracy Reifkind.

 

[Rabbit91476]

I did a 5x5 program for last 2 months to bring my strength up to speed
Today I start a 5/3/1 program. Once you figure out the math. It looks simple to follow. I’m 43. I want raw strength vs looking like I have even triceps.

 

[PawelMat]

I do something like this:
Monday - Military Press (MR: 75lb)
Tuesday - Deadlift (MR: 205lb)
Thursday - Bench Press (MR: 125lb)
Friday - Squat (MR: 175lb)
For your back I advise this workout program Good Gym Exercises for Back with Calum Von Moger's - Workout Me

 

[mjb]

Fortitude training, by Dr. Scott Stevenson. Great 4 day split with titratable volume tiers. Free templates available to check it out and reasonably priced ebook to get all of the details, if you like.

Also addresses concerns about upper/lower on same day with alternating set types. Lower loading sets/upper pump day 1 and vice versa on day 2, along with a third set type called muscle rounds on days 3-4.

Been lifting for 30+ years and this is one of my all time favorite programs.

 

[riSe80]

The push/pull/leg split I have been doing recently I like is:
Monday-Push
Tuesday-Pull
Weds-Off
Thurs-Legs
Fri-Push
Sat & Sun-Off
Mon-start with Pull

Progress through workouts in same order. Doesn't have to start in that order just keep the same order you start with. You won't get all worked twice the same week but at least one of the splits will each week. As you can see the first week push is on Monday then repeated on Friday the next week Pull would and the following week Legs would.

I like to avoid deads or squats if they land on consecutive days though, so whichever follows, the other doesn't suffer so I pick which I would prioritize that week.