Push/Pull Routine: Save Time and Burn More Calories

 

By Jordon Macht, MS, CSCS

When most people think about weightlifting, they think of a person doing one set of an exercise for a given body part and then resting for three to four minutes. At that time they repeat the same exercise. This is a fine routine if that person is looking to increase their muscle size and has the time to spend in the gym. But, this is not a good routine if you are looking to lose some weight and only have 45 minutes to an hour to spend in the gym. A better routine for someone who wants to drop a few pounds and does not have a great deal of time to spend in the gym is a push/pull routine.

 

As the name implies you start with a pushing exercise and then go straight to a pulling exercise with no break in between. The main point in this routine is that you work two different body parts with the two exercises. An example of this would be starting with a chest press exercise and then going straight into a mid-row exercise. In this case your chest is resting and recovering when you are doing your mid-row back exercise so, after the mid-row you can go right back to the chest press again.

 

This type of routine is great for two reasons. First, it saves time. You can get a total body workout in about 45 minutes to an hour because you cut out the rest time between sets. The second great thing about this routine is that it will burn more calories. If you keep the intensity high during the exercises and move quickly to the next exercise your body has no time to recover, your heart rate will stay high, and you will burn more calories. Something else that can be done to burn more calories is to start with a cardio exercise first. This will increase your heart rate from the start and if you keep moving during the weights portion of your workout your heart rate will not come down. Just remember the main way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in and that is done with cardio. But, muscle burns more calories than anything else in your body so, weightlifting is important. If you increase your muscle mass then your body will burn more calories and that will help you lose weight. Below are some good exercises to put together in a push/pull routine.

 

Chest/Back:

Chest Press/Lat. Row                                                                    

Chest Fly/Mid-Row                                                                                                        

Biceps/Triceps: 

Seated Bicep Curls/Triceps Pushdown

Bicep Hammer Curls/Triceps Kickbacks    

           

Quadriceps/Hamstrings:               

Leg Press/Hamstring Curl            

Wall Squats/Straight Leg Deadlift    

                       

Abdominals:

Crunches/Leg Raises

Oblique Twist/Prone Plank

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