When it comes to targeting and strengthening all of your key running muscles—legs, arms, chest, and back—you may be accustomed to hitting major muscle groups over the course of a few days rather than all at once. With push-pull workouts, a strength-training style that focuses on two movement patterns, you target multiple muscle groups at once so you can get stronger faster.
Here, we spoke to Theresa Latona, an NASM-certified personal trainer and marathon runner, and Anthony J. Wall, MS, director of international business development for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and certified personal trainer, to get the full scoop on push-pull exercises so you can incorporate them into your weekly routine.
Push-Pull Exercises—Explained
Push-pull workouts split your exercises into two categories: pushing and pulling. For example, a reverse fly is a pulling exercise, while a bench press is a pushing exercise.
In fact, push and pull are just two of the five movement patterns ACE recognizes. The others are squat, lunge, and rotate. These movement patterns form the foundation of a well-balanced strength-training plan and one that will help you get stronger on the run.
“We typically look at pushing and pulling as the upper body, not the lower body,” says Wall. “But the legs do have a push-pull analogy.” If you’re a beginner, keep it simple for now—just think of push moves working the front of the body, while pulling exercises work the back of the body.
When doing a push-pull workout, you can structure it in a few ways. Most commonly, you’ll do a superset that alternates a push move with a pull move. For example, doing a push-up paired with a pull-up, and alternating between the two. Or perform a chest press for the first move of a superset and a lunge for the second. In the next superset, go for a bent-over row first and a squat second. This helps you hit all those major muscle groups in a functional way.
The Benefits of Push-Pull Exercises
In addition to covering more muscle groups, Wall says you’re able to target more muscles of the body in a single workout with a push-pull routine. That leaves more time in between sessions to fully recover, as you don’t have to do arms one day and legs the next.
It’s also an efficient way to hit the gym. When it comes to runners, Wall says: “The lifting component is not the focus [of your weekly workouts], right? So being able to come into the gym and do all of your lifts in one session will help condense the time that you need [in a week] to get it done.”
Another benefit of push-pull exercises is finding muscular balance. You work all important muscle groups, including opposing muscles (like chest and back), in the same session. In a typical workout routine, you might separate them into different days, but this could hinder your performance from one workout to the next. For example, let’s say you go really hard on pull-ups on Monday. On Tuesday, you might be too sore to properly finish your push-ups. This creates an imbalance that would not happen when following the push-pull strategy.
According to Wall, adding pulling exercises to your routine is a benefit in itself. “We live in a more pushing environment as opposed to pulling,” he says. “We face forward, our arms move forward easily, and our heads come forward all the time.”
But for running, those pulling muscles are just as important. Think about it: when your foot lands in the middle of your stride, not only are you pushing off with your quads. You’re also driving yourself forward with your hamstrings.
The Best Push-Pull Exercises for Runners
Here are examples of push-pull movements from Latona and how to structure them for a solid total-body strength routine that maximizes your time in the gym.
- Start with low weight or bodyweight
- Do 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
- As you get stronger, Wall recommends increasing weight and decreasing the number of reps.
Circuit 1
Push: Bench Press
- Lie faceup on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and feet flat on the floor.
- Hold dumbbells at chest, palms facing the ceiling, and elbows bent 90 degrees and held about 45 degrees from torso.
- While maintaining strong wrists and bracing core, push the dumbbells upward until elbows extend.
- Lower back down with control.
- Repeat.
Pull: Bent-Over Row
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
- Hinge at the hips, sending butt straight back and extend arms in front of body. Keep back straight and shoulders packed down away from ears. This is the starting position.
- Pull dumbbells back and up toward hips, elbows staying close to sides.
- Slowly lower back down to starting position.
- Repeat.
Push: Squat
- Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand down by sides.
- Engage core and send butt down and back as if sitting on a chair. Keep back straight.
- Press feet into ground to stand back up.
- Repeat.
Circuit 2
Pull: Pull-Up
- Grab a pull-up bar with palms facing away from body.
- Pack shoulders down, engage core and legs, and pull yourself up using arms, back, and shoulders, until chin is level with the bar.
- Slowly lower back down.
- Repeat.
Push: Overhead Press
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell, or barbell in each hand. Hold weight at shoulders, arms out to the sides to form a W.
- With core engaged and back straight, press the weight straight up overhead, biceps by ears.
- Slowly lower back down.
- Repeat.
Pull: Reverse lunges
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand down by sides.
- Step back with one leg and bend both knees 90 degrees, back knee lowering toward the floor. Keep chest tall and core tight.
- Drive through feet, especially front foot, to stand back up, back foot stepping forward.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating.
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
