Your First Push Day: A Beginner's Guide to Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
This session is built for you if you are brand new to the gym and want to start building strength in your chest, shoulders, and the backs of your upper arms. We'll walk you through a clear, simple routine that teaches you the basics safely. Stick with it consistently, and the future you will thank you.
What the research says
The research we drew on for this entry covers CrossFit-style workouts that include push-ups and pressing movements, giving us some useful real-world data on how the body responds to this kind of training. One study looked at what best predicted performance in fast-paced workouts that included push-ups, and found that overall whole-body strength was the strongest predictor for two of the three workouts tested. A separate study measured muscle fatigue after a session that included push-ups and bodyweight work, and found that this type of session did produce measurable fatigue in the muscles afterward. These findings point in the same direction: pressing strength matters, and your muscles genuinely work hard during sessions like this one.
The evidence here is moderate — both studies were relatively small and used CrossFit athletes rather than beginners, so the findings give useful directional signals but cannot be applied directly to every person starting out.
A 2015 study of 14 CrossFit competitors found that whole-body strength was the only variable that survived prediction modelling for performance on two of three benchmark workouts — 'Grace' (30 clean and jerks for time) and 'Fran' (thrusters and pull-ups), accounting for 77% and 42% of the variation in performance times respectively. No significant predictors were found for the third workout, 'Cindy', which included push-ups.
View study →A 2017 study of 34 healthy participants found that a gymnastics-style session — consisting of pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats performed for 20 minutes — produced significant reductions in jump height, average power, and maximum velocity on a jump test after the session (p<0.01), indicating measurable muscular fatigue following that type of workout.
View study →The routine
Warmup
Stand up and extend your arms straight out by the sides. The arms should be parallel to the floor and perpendicular (90-degree angle) to your torso. This will be your starting position. Slowly start to make circles of about 1 foot in diameter with each outstretched arm. Breathe normally as you perform the movement. Continue the circular motion of the outstretched arms for about ten seconds. Then reverse the movement, going the opposite direction.
Stand with your hands together, arms extended directly in front of you. This will be your starting position. Keeping your arms straight, quickly move your arms back as far as possible and back in again, similar to an exaggerated clapping motion. Repeat 5-10 times, increasing speed as you do so.
Sit or stand with your feet slightly apart. Place your hands on your shoulders with your elbows at shoulder level and pointing out. Slowly make a circle with your elbows. Breathe out as you start the circle and breathe in as you complete the circle.
Main
Move the cables to the bottom of the tower and select an appropriate weight. Grasp the cables and hold them at shoulder height, palms facing forward. This will be your starting position. Keeping your head and chest up, extend through the elbow to press one side directly over head. After pausing at the top, return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
Lie on the floor with two kettlebells next to your shoulders. Position one in place on your chest and then the other, gripping the kettlebells on the handle with the palms facing forward. Extend both arms, so that the kettlebells are being held above your chest. Lower one kettlebell, bringing it to your chest and turn the wrist in the direction of the locked out kettlebell. Raise the kettlebell and repeat on the opposite side.
Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench. Lay on the bench face down. With a pronated grip, pick the barbell up from the floor. Flex the elbows, performing a reverse curl to bring the bar near your chest. This will be your starting position. To begin, press the barbell out in front of your head by extending your elbows. Keep your arms parallel to the ground throughout the movement. Return to the starting position and repeat to complete the set.
Run a band around a stationary post like that of a squat rack. Grab the band by the handles and stand back so that the tension in the band rises. Extend and lift the arms straight in front of you. Tip: Your arms should be straight and parallel to the floor while perpendicular to your torso. Your feet should be firmly planted on the floor spread at shoulder width. This will be your starting position. As you exhale, move your arms to the sides and back. Keep your arms extended and parallel to the floor. Continue the movement until the arms are extended to your sides. After a pause, go back to the original position as you inhale. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position. From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest. After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Cooldown
Sit upright on the floor with your partner behind you. Place your hands behind your hand, and push your elbows back as far as you can. Your partner should hold your elbows. This will be your starting position. Gently attempt to pull your elbows forward with your hands still behind your head for 10 or more seconds. Your partner should prevent your elbows from moving. Now, relax your muscles and have your partner gently pull the elbows back as far as it comfortable for you. Be sure to let your partner know when the stretch is adequate to prevent overstretching or injury.
Sit on the edge of a chair, gripping the back of it. Straighten your arms, keeping your back straight, and pull your upper body forward so you feel a stretch. Hold for 20-30 seconds.
Set and rep ranges are general starting suggestions based on this guide's level — adjust to your own experience, and progress gradually.
This entry is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice — if you have any pain in your shoulders, elbows, or wrists, or any health condition, check with a doctor before starting. STOP any exercise immediately if you feel sharp or sudden pain, and always use a weight you can control with good form rather than pushing to your limit as a beginner.