The push, pull, legs (PPL) training split is often used by lifters who prefer training multiple muscle groups on a single day. Push days comprise training the chest, shoulders, and triceps, while the pull days typically target the back and biceps. Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves are reserved for the leg day.
Canadian bodybuilder, powerlifter, and content creator Jeff Nippard is known for simplifying complex subjects into easy-to-understand concepts and actionable steps. On June 3, 2023, Nippard shared his push-day workout and training tips with his 3.8 million YouTube subscribers. Check it out below:
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Jeff Nippard Push-Day Workout
Nippard performed seven exercises in his chest, shoulders, and triceps workout:
- Close-Grip Incline Barbell Bench Press — 3 x 8-5-15
- Machine Shoulder Press — 3 x 10-12
- Floor Reset Skull Crusher— 3 x 6-8
- Bent-Over Cable Flye — 3 x 10-12
- Machine Lateral Raise — 3 x 20
- Plate Front Raise — 2 x 15-20
- Diamond Push-Up — 1 x failure
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Warm-Up
Nippard warmed up with a five-minute walk on the treadmill followed by dynamic stretches, including arm swings and cable external shoulder rotations.
Close-Grip Incline Barbell Bench Press
Nippard performed three pyramid sets to warm up: 10 reps with an empty barbell in set one, 50 percent of his target working weight for four reps for set two, and about 75 percent of his working weight for three reps for warm-up set three.
Nippared performed three working sets of eight reps on the first set, five reps on the second, and 15 reps on the final. He used moderate weights for eight reps, heavier weights for five reps, and light weights for 15 reps.
This is a unique undulating set pattern.
According to Nippard, starting with eight reps with moderate weight helps “drill the movement,” preparing the body for the heavier set of five reps. He recommends resting three to five minutes between sets.
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Machine Shoulder Press
The incline bench press stimulates the anterior delts. Nippard ensured his upper arms broke parallel on the eccentric to move his shoulders through their full range of motion in each rep.
Per Nippard, using machines allows one to train close to failure in each set without increasing the risk of injury. However, he emphasized the importance of including free weight exercises to train muscle stabilizers.
Floor Reset Triceps Skullcrusher
After two compound exercises, Nippard moved to an isolation movement — the skull crusher — targeting his triceps. He performed the floor reset variation with a fixed-weight EZ bar.
While laying supine on the floor with knees bent and feet flat, grab the EZ bar with a narrow underhand grip and hold it a few inches away from the head. Initiate the movement by pulling the bar toward the head, then press the bar by contracting the triceps until the arms are almost perpendicular to the floor.
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Return the bar to the floor and roll it away from the body behind the head. Rolling the bar on the floor allows for greater elbow extension and flexion (read: better range of motion) and therefore lead to greater triceps development.
Bent-Over Cable Flye
To perform this cable flye variation, bend forward until the torso is almost parallel to the floor. This position emphasizes the mid-pecs.
“By leaning forward over the cables, you’ll be more stable since your body weight is grounded with the floor,” explains Nippard. “This should allow you to direct more attention onto the pecs.”
Machine Lateral Raise
Nippard used a “fun intensity technique” to target his lateral deltoids. He performed three sets of 20 reps with five-second eccentrics for the first five reps before switching to a one-second cadence for the remaining 15 reps.
The five slow reps will are meant to help establish mind-muscle connection with the deltoids. Reps six through 20 should have a consistent cadence taken to near failure.
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Plate Front Raise
“Delts are one of those muscles that can tolerate quite a lot of volume,” said Nippard before starting his third shoulder exercise. He internally rotated the weight plate during the concentrics to deemphasize the anterior delt.
Diamond Push-Up
Nippard finished his push workout with one all-out set of diamond push-ups to failure. “I like finishing the workout with an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) set because there are no sets lefts to interfere, so you can just give it everything you’ve got,” said Nippard.
Featured image: @jeffnippard on Instagram
