Push Pull Workout at Home for Beginners
Foundational push and pull patterns with core work, three sessions a week at home. Minimal equipment and joint-friendly progressions.
Routines
Day 1 — Push Basics
Foundational chest, shoulder, and triceps work with simple core finishers.
Day 2 — Pull Foundations
Beginner pull emphasis with posture and scapular control, plus core stability.
Day 3 — Push/Pull Mix
Balanced session reinforcing push and pull with supportive core work.
About this plan
Three sessions a week split by pattern: a push day, a pull day, and one that combines them. Three sets of everything, and the only equipment needed is something to row under.
Day one is pushing — wide-hand push-ups, knee push-ups, diamond knee push-ups, isometric chest squeezes and core work. Day two is pulling — inverted rows, underhand inverted rows, scapular wall slides, bird dogs, dead bugs and oblique crunches. Day three mixes them: wide-hand push-ups, inverted rows, knee push-ups, wall slides and chest squeezes.
Push-pull is the most useful split available for home training, because the pull is the half that gets dropped when equipment is short and the consequences accumulate quietly. Months of pressing with nothing pulling shortens the chest, weakens the mid-back, and rolls the shoulders forward. Giving the pull its own day makes it hard to skip.
The inverted row needs something waist-height and solid: a sturdy table, a desk edge, a bar between two chairs, or a broom handle across two seat backs. Lie underneath, grip it, keep a straight line from heels to head, and pull your chest up. Bend your knees to make it easier, straighten them to make it harder, elevate your feet to make it harder still.
The isometric chest squeeze on day one is the most portable exercise in the catalogue. Press your palms together hard in front of your chest and hold. No range of motion, no equipment, and genuine tension in the pectorals — it is what you do when there is no floor space at all.
Scapular wall slides on days two and three are for the shoulder blades. Back to the wall, arms up, slide them overhead keeping contact. Most people cannot at first.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 3 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android.
Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
