10×10 Push-Pull Chest and Back Workout

There are two body parts that when you train them together, will give you the ultimate pump and ignite muscle growth. Chest and back.

Now, if you apply a certain method to these muscles you’ll make even more gains and it will be one of the most intense workouts you’ve ever had! Push-pull.

But we’re not done yet. I want you to force your muscles to grow bigger with another technique. 10×10.

In this post, I’m going to give you a series of 10×10 push-pull chest and back workouts that you can use for massive gains. And I’ll show you how to alternate these workouts for best results.

You’re also going to learn the secrets to making this workout more effective. Are you ready for this?

**You may want to mix up your pre-workout drink now! After you finish reading this, you’re going to want to hit the gym.

Oh, and you can use my discount code for my recommended pre-workout here: Jason’s pre-workout deal for insane pumps.
A new page will open so you don’t lose this one!

Explaining the Methods for Serious Muscle Gains

Before we get into the chest and back workouts, I’m going to explain the methods you’ll be using.

There’s also a specific way that you’ll be applying these methods when you get to your workouts (and that’s the part that makes it exciting!).

Push-Pull Method

The push-pull method actually comes from the push-pull-legs workout concept. Here’s the way it normally works:

• Day 1: Push
• Day 2: Pull
• Day 3: Legs

However, this is not the way you’ll be using push-pull. You’re going to be using push-pull on the same day, in the same workout.

Chest is ‘push’ while back is ‘pull.’

Think about chest exercises like bench press, incline press, dumbbell press, etc. All of those exercises are performed with a pushing effort. Even with flyes, you’re still pushing that weight.

All back exercises require you to pull the weight. Think about exercises like lat pulldowns, barbell rows, seated rows, etc. You’re pulling the weight or the bar into your body.

Using push-pull in the same workout creates this massive pump on both the front and back of your upper body. You’ll feel like a 3-D monster when you’re done. And you’ll also get into better condition because you’ll essentially be doing more volume during this workout.

There are two ways that you’ll use the push-pull method for chest and back:

1. Alternating chest and back exercises
2. Supersetting chest and back

In other words, you will not be doing all chest followed by all back or vice versa. Each muscle will get adequate attention.

**If you’d like to learn more about the original push-pull-legs training method, be sure to read my post: Push-Pull-Legs Workout: 6-Day Routine for Mass and Strength

10×10 Method

10×10 is 10 sets of 10 reps.

This method forces you to pump more blood into your muscles, adds more volume to your workouts, and can even stretch the muscle fascia, similar to the FST-7 training method.

As you would expect, you’re not going to be lifting as much weight as you would if you were doing the normal bodybuilding-style of training. But don’t let that mess with your head.

There are different ways to use 10×10. In the workouts you’re doing below, I’m going to have you sticking with the same weight throughout your 10×10 exercises.

Here’s how it will work.

• Let’s say you can bench press 185 for 10 reps, but it’s a struggle to do that.
• Chances are you wouldn’t get 10 reps on the 2nd set.
• In this case, you would drop down to about 155 and use that weight for all 10 sets.
• Believe me, that 155 is going to feel a lot heavier as you get towards the end of your sets.

You can also adjust the weight along the way.

For example, if the weight is feeling too light by the 4th or 5th set, you can increase it by about 10%. But if you’re not getting the full 10 reps at any point, you’ll want to drop down a little.

If you have to decrease the weight, don’t get discouraged, and don’t let your ego get in the way. This isn’t a ‘how much can ya lift’ contest. It’s about forcing your muscles to grow.

10×10 Push-Pull Chest and Back Workouts

I’m going to give you three chest and back workouts. I’ll also show you how to rotate these workouts for best results.

You’ll be using the methods we talked about in all of the workouts below: Push-pull with 10×10.

But each chest and back workout will be slightly different, serving its own unique purpose, which will ultimately lead to more muscle growth for you. So there is indeed a strategy here.

Here are some important training notes before you get started:

• When supersetting, don’t worry about racing over to the next exercise. Take your time, but don’t rest any more than 15-20 seconds.
• Also when supersetting, do your best to have both exercises set up and ready to go. You may also want to train at a time when the gym isn’t crowded, like early mornings (I have a post on early morning workouts here).
• For non-superset exercises, rest about 35-45 seconds between sets.
• You’ll typically start with 10×10 but you may want to do a warm-up set before getting started – that warm-up set does not count as a working set (you may also feel that you don’t need to warm-up since you’re not lifting as heavy – use your best judgment).
• Spend about 5-10 minutes stretching your chest and back muscles after your workout.
• Make sure you get adequate pre and post-workout nutrition. You’ll need energy for your workout and you’ll want to start the recovery process right after.

Workout 1: Chest and Back Mass and Strength Builder

You’re starting here with 10×10 for two compound mass-building exercises. But you won’t be supersetting these.

After that, you’ll superset the next two exercises, pec dec flyes and lat pulldowns. And those 10 sets are split between the two.

Workout 2: Chest and Back Ripped Mass

This workout has you starting out with by pre-exhausting your chest and back muscles. This means doing isolation exercises before compound lifts.

This method will force your muscles to work even harder when you get to your main chest and back exercises.

On that note, you’re going to switch to the machine version of your compound exercises for chest and back. This is going to allow you to put more focus into each muscle and targeting that muscle at a deeper level.

If your gym has Hammer Strength plated-loaded machines, use those. If not, you can use any machine, even the Smith Machine or any other plate-loaded machine.

Workout 3: Chest and Back Extreme Conditioning

In this workout, you’re supersetting chest and back throughout your workout. So you’ll do a set of reverse-grip rows followed by a set of bench press.

This may sound tough, and it is. But you’ll be amazed at how conditioned you’ll get from supersetting these two compound movements. You may also be surprised at how strong you are on both exercises.

You’ll finish by supersetting seated rows and incline dumbbell flyes. This won’t be quite as taxing but you should aim to get a good pump and force your muscles to work harder on these exercises.

Chest and Back Push-Pull Program

Alright, now you have three chest and back workouts to do. And you may be trying to decide which one to do.

Here’s what you can try:

• Week 1: Mass and Strength Builder
• Week 2: Ripped Mass
• Week 3: Extreme Conditioning
• Week 4: Repeat

Do this for a total of six weeks and assess your results. You can also use this concept by grouping other body parts. Here are some examples:

• Quads (push) with hamstrings (pull)
• Triceps (push) with biceps (pull)
• Shoulders (push) with back (pull)

Or may also decide to start one of my complete 90-day programs:

• Hardcore Muscle Building Program
• Lean Muscle Building Program

And those are much more than just workout plans. Just click the one that best suits your current goals to learn more.

I hope this post helps you continue your muscle-building journey!

Train with Passion,

Jason