The push, pull, legs workout split is one of the most often used training splits for building muscle and strength. In this video, I’m going to deliver the next in the perfect workout series to give you the best pull workout for building a bigger back, traps and biceps. As always, I’m breaking down all sets and reps for each and every exercise to make sure you get the muscle gains you are looking for.
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We start by understanding what a PPL split is. As the initials represent, this is a pull, push and legs workout program. The order of the workouts can be done a few different ways but my favorite is to do them as listed here. You have the option of repeating these twice in sequence for a total of 6 workout days in a row before having an off day. The problem with this approach is that it leaves too little recovery time between your legs and pull workouts.
You can alternatively take an off day after completing the first 3 workouts. This is a called an asynchronous split. While potentially making the off days more unpredictable because they rotate this way it does provide the much needed recovery time to allow for overall better gains.
Whichever calendar you follow, the important thing is how the workouts break down.
Here we start with Pull Workout 1:
- Deadlifts - 1 x 5
- Chest Supported Rows - 3 x 8-10 (takes the low back out of the equation)
- DB High Pulls - 3 x 10-12 (targets the upper back muscles with healthy shoulder mechanics)
- DB Pullovers - 2-3 x 10-12 (direct lat work)
- BW Chin Curls - 3 x F into Overhead Triceps Extension - 3 x 10-12
- Angels and Devils - 3 x 15-20 (posterior chain corrective)
The goal of pull workout one is to hit the posterior chain with a big compound lift - in this case the deadlift. As a one by five, you will be working up to your one workout set of 80% of your 1RM with 4 sequential warmup sets. Don’t perform too many reps at each stage of the warmup as you don’t want to tire yourself out but rather prepare your body for your working set.
The chest supported row allows you to perform a basic row without letting the low back fatigue from a deadlift compromise your output.
The dumbbell high pull helps us to keep the overload coming however on the upper back muscles. This area of the body is one of the most undertrained and overlooked in the entire body and is responsible for many of the muscle imbalances that many trainees suffer from. We are going to hit it hard in this PPL workout.
The DB Pullovers allow us to train the lats with a great hypertrophy inducing exercise geared more specifically to the lats.
The arms are hit in the form of a superset with a chinup variation that targets the biceps and a triceps exercise (yes even on pull day to get some additional volume) with the overhead triceps extension.
The angles and devils is a tremendous posterior chain corrective exercise that hits all the back muscles and serves as the perfect finisher.
Pull Workout 2 looks like:
- Snatch Grip Deadlifts - 3 x 5 (Leave 2-3 in the tank)
- Weighted Pullups - 3 x 6-8
- Alt. DB Gorilla Rows - 3 x 10-12 each arm
- Straight Arm Pushdowns - 2-3 x 12-15
- Barbell Curls - 3 x 6-8 into Triceps Pushdowns - 3 x 10-12
- Face Pulls - 3 x 15-20
The combination of these two workouts will serve as your PPL pull workout. Remember to alternate these two workouts each time you encounter your next pulling workout in the calendar. When you can, add weight to the exercises you are performing to ensure that you are failing within the rep ranges prescribed outside the deadlift variations.
If you’re looking for a step by step push pull legs workout that can help you to build ripped athletic muscle and includes a meal plan as well, be sure to visit athleanx.com via the link below and check out the AX1 training program.
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