A Total-Body Push-Pull Circuit for Full-Body Strength

The workout below is for Day 12 of the SELF 2022 Spring Challenge. Check out the full four-week workout program right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails for this challenge, you can do that here.

That rest day yesterday felt good, didn’t it, #TeamSELF? Hopefully you were able to take some time to let your body relax and recharge, which, after all, is one of the key components in any workout program! We hope you’re feeling fresh for this routine: a total-body push-pull circuit.

Programming a workout in push-pull fashion is a time-efficient way to structure your workout without feeling like you’re completely blowing out your muscles. That’s because a push-pull circuit alternates between movements that work opposing muscle groups. The benefit of this is, even if you’re doing a circuit with minimal rest between moves, your muscles won’t fatigue so quickly because while one muscle group works, the opposing one rests. While a push-pull circuit may seem more intuitive when thinking about your upper body, the same premise applies to lower-body exercises too.

There’s one new exercise in this total-body push-pull strength workout that we’d just like to call attention to before you get started: the kickstand deadlift. The kickstand deadlift is a nifty hybrid between the Romanian deadlift—which you’re quite familiar with!—and the single-leg deadlift, which is a more advanced move. With the kickstand deadlift, you’re primarily working your front leg, which makes it a unilateral exercise, though your back leg is still there for support. This makes balancing a whole lot easier!

We really invite you to take advantage of the bonus 60-second finisher here. The I-Y-T raise targets the small muscles in the back of your shoulders and your rotator cuff, which is super important in helping to stabilize your shoulder muscles. Many people forget about these muscles when strength training, which can leave them vulnerable to injury, especially when performing weighted pressing movements. So take some time to show these tiny muscles some love too!

WORKOUT DIRECTIONS

Aim for 8 to 15 reps of each exercise. Rest for up to 30 seconds between exercises. Rest for 1 to 2 minutes after each round. Complete 2 to 4 rounds total.

EXERCISES

• Kickstand Deadlift
• Bent-over Row
• Sumo Squat
• Overhead Press
• Glute Bridge

BONUS MOVE

After your last circuit, try the bonus move for 60 seconds.