Free/body Weight Push Day Workout
In fitness, deciding a workout schedule is one of the most important things. A good workout schedule throughout the week will target all of the muscles in your body needed for muscle growth. A very famous workout plan is the push/pull/legs split where you exercise pushing muscles, pull muscles and legs all on different days throughout the week. In this workout routine we will focus on performing a successful push day workout routine just using dumbbells and your body weight where you train your pushing muscles groups (chest, triceps, shoulders).
Supplies
2 dumbbells
Push Up
- Get down on all fours with your hands placed firmly on the ground and slightly tilted
- Straighten your arms and legs
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest until it nearly touches the floor
- Pause for about one second and push back up and straighten your arms
- Repeat until you fail to push up again.
Tip: Make sure you tuck in your shoulders to prevent tension on them
Suggested Beginner: 3 sets of 5 pushups
Suggested Intermediate 4 sets of 15 pushups
Suggested Advanced: 5 sets of 20 pushups
Video link below:
Downloads
Dumbbell Floor Press
- Begin sitting on the floor in an upright position with your legs straight and the dumbbells vertically balanced on the floor.
- Pick up each dumbbell and set it high in your hip crease while maintaining a tight grip.
- Slowly lay back while keeping the dumbbells close to your chest and bend your knees to roughly 45 degrees and move your feet up slightly.
- Press the weights to full extension by contracting your triceps and chest.
- Slowly lower the weight until both elbows touch the floor then press both dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions
- To complete the exercise, simply lower the weights to the ground in “controlled drop” fashion. It should be a smooth motion but not one requiring excessive effort or one that puts the shoulder under unnecessary risk.
Tip: Make sure to keep your arms aligned with your chest when pressing
Beginner: 3 sets of 4 reps with 10 pound dumbbells
Intermediate: 4 sets of 8 with 20 pound dumbbells,
Advanced: 4 sets of 12 with desired amount of weight
Video link below:
Downloads
Tricep Extensions
- Stands with your feet shoulder width apart
- Grasp the weight with both hands and place behind your head, aiming for between your shoulder blades
- Lift your arms so they’re straight above your head and repeat
Tip: Make sure your elbows don’t flare outward too much when placing the weight behind your head
Suggested beginner 3 sets of of 10 reps with 12 pound dumbbells
Suggested intermediate 4 sets of of 12 reps with 25 pound dumbbells
Suggested advanced 4 sets of 12 reps with 40 pound dumbbells
Video link below:
Downloads
Tricep Dips
- Find a low – and very secure – chair, table or bench and place your hands on it, shoulder-width apart, behind you.
- Put your feet in front of you with a slight bend.
- Straighten your arms – without locking them – and then slowly bend your elbows and lower your body toward the floor, until your elbow is at about a 90-degree angle. Remember to keep your butt close to the bench!
- Once you reach the ‘bottom’ of the move, straighten your arms to push down on the bench til you’re back ‘at the top.
Tip: Don't extend your shoulders out too much and make sure you extend your legs out
3 sets of failure reps. (Keep going until you can no longer push up)
Video link below:
Downloads
Lateral Raise
- . Grab a set of dumbbells and stand straight up with the dumbbells at your sides.
- Your palms should be facing your body. You should be holding the dumbbells slightly off your body, as this keeps the tension on the side delts. This is your starting position for the exercise.
- To execute, slowly raise the dumbbells up to around shoulder height. It's important that you do not let your wrists go above your elbows while raising the weight, as this will take the work off the side delts and put it on the front delts.
- Pause at the top of the movement, and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
- Do not let the dumbbells touch your body, and then raise them for the next rep.
Tip: Don't fully extend your elbows, make sure they're bent slightly
Suggested beginner :3 sets of 10 reps with 5 pound dumbbells
Suggested intermediate 4 sets of 12 reps with 12 pound dumbbells
Suggested advanced sets of 12 reps with 20/25 dumbbells.
Video link below:
Downloads
Shoulder Press
- Set up for the exercise by grabbing a pair of dumbbells and standing straight up with your feet around shoulder width apart
- Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height on each side, and twist so that your palms are facing forward.
- Keep your head up and eyes facing forward. This is the starting position for the exercise.
- Slowly raise the dumbbells above your head until your arms are almost fully extended.
- Do not pause at the top of the movement, and immediately begin lowering the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
- Repeat this movement for the desired amount of reps.
Tip: Do not dip elbows too low.
Suggested beginner 3 sets of of 10 reps with 12 pound dumbbells
Suggested intermediate 4 sets of of 12 reps with 25 pound dumbbells
Suggested advanced 4 sets of 12 reps with 40 pound dumbbells
Video link below: