People take different roads when choosing how to workout to achieve their fitness goals.
Some choose a whole-body approach that targets your major muscle groups to achieve a leaner look. In contrast, others target smaller muscle groups that work together to build their ideal body without reaching complete exhaustion.
While both strategies have benefits, working on one muscle group per exercise session (like your push muscles) allows you more time to recover between workouts. These rest periods increase muscle repair time to drive muscle growth and prevent overexertion.
If you want to learn how to isolate your push muscles in your workout routine, this post is for you!
What Muscles Make Up Your Pushing Muscles?
Imagine pushing a heavy object, like moving a couch across the living room floor — every muscle you use while pushing your couch is a pushing muscle.
The major push muscle groups include your:
- Chest muscles including the pectoralis major and minor
- Shoulder muscles like the anterior and lateral deltoids
- Triceps or the muscles on the rear of your upper arm
- Quadriceps or the muscles on the front of your thigh
3 Compound Movements to Work Out Your Pushing Muscles
Opting for compound movements that work multiple muscles is the ideal way to work all your muscles in less time than isolating individual muscles.
Try these pushing muscle exercises to get the best results out of your workout sessions.
1. Chest Presses
Chest presses, like a bench press, engage your pectorals, deltoids, and triceps as you push weight away from your chest. If you work out in a gym with a barbell and flat bench, here is how your bench press should look:
- Lie flat on the bench with your feet planted on the ground
- Grip the barbell a bit wider than your shoulders with your palms facing up
- Lower the bar to your chest, then push the bar away from your body
You can easily modify a chest press in a few different ways.
Choosing free weights over a barbell allows you to use less weight, varying your angle engages different muscles, or using a chest press machine will help you easily keep proper form.
2. Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are a bodyweight exercise that targets your push muscles. The most common way to perform dips is at parallel bars or dip stations.
This is how it works:
- Grip the bars with your arms fully extended and feet hanging
- Slowly lower your body at the elbows and lean your chest forward
- Engage your triceps and chest to push yourself back into the original position
One way to modify tricep dips is to sit in front of a bench (or a couch if you’re working out at home) and push your body up with your arms.
This method reduces the weight you need to lift because your body isn’t suspended in the air and doesn’t require parallel bars.
3. Back Squats
Back squats are an excellent way to engage your push leg muscles like the quadriceps and glutes.
This exercise typically involves a squat rack with a barbell or a Smith machine, but you can squats to match your available equipment and exercise level. Here’s how to perform a back squat with a barbell:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell across your shoulders
- While keeping your upper body straight, engage your core and lower your hips
- Push with your legs to move back to your standing position
To modify this exercise, hold kettlebells or free weights at your sides and perform the same squatting motion. You can also squat with body weight only until you are ready to add extra weight to your routine.
How Many Exercises Should I Do on a Push Day?
Your push days should be as unique as you are! Different factors, such as your current fitness level, desired results, and the time you can dedicate to exercise, all impact your routine.
If you don’t have enough time in the day for isolated movements, 30-minute sessions that incorporate compound movements may be best for you. But if you have more time to set aside for exercise, opting for a more detailed routine with isolated movements might yield better results.
Choose Fit Body Boot Camp to Level Up Your Push Exercises
At Fit Body Boot Camp, we foster an inclusive environment that encourages our members to achieve their fitness goals!
Our signature 30-minute Afterburn group workouts target specific muscle groups to help you tone muscle and shed body fat. Every member also has access to personal training from our fitness coaches and nutritional guidance to keep you on track during your fitness journey.
If you want to work out in a place that makes you feel accepted while building the body of your dreams, FBBC is the place for you. Check out a location near you to learn why people call our workouts “the best 30 minutes of your day!”
