Push Day Workout for Intermediate Lifters
This session is built for intermediate lifters who already have a handle on basic pressing movements and are ready to build real shoulder and chest strength with a structured, volume-driven push day. If you've been training consistently for at least a year and want to push past a plateau, this is your session. We'll walk you through every exercise so you train hard and walk out feeling accomplished — not wrecked.
What the research says
The research most relevant to a push day like this comes from strength and CrossFit performance studies. One study on CrossFit athletes found that whole-body strength — measured by a combined squat, overhead press, and deadlift total — was the strongest predictor of performance on barbell-based workouts, accounting for 77% of the variance in one workout and 42% in another. That's a clear signal: pressing strength matters. Separately, a study tracking muscular fatigue across different CrossFit session types found that gymnastics and weightlifting sessions both produced significant drops in jump performance after the workout — meaning they generated real muscular fatigue — while a metabolic conditioning session did not show the same post-session fatigue effect. That's worth keeping in mind as you plan how hard to push today.
Moderate — the findings are drawn from small, specific study populations (CrossFit athletes and healthy trained subjects), so direct application to a general intermediate push day is limited, but the direction of the evidence is consistent and clearly reported.
A study of 14 CrossFit Open or Regional athletes found that whole-body strength (measured by a combined back squat, overhead press, and deadlift total) was the only variable to survive regression analysis as a predictor of performance on two barbell-based workouts, accounting for 77% of the variance in one workout and 42% in the other.
View study →A study of 34 healthy subjects found that both a gymnastics-style session (pull-ups, push-ups, air squats) and a weightlifting session produced significant post-session reductions in countermovement jump variables — including jump height, power, and velocity — while a metabolic conditioning session did not show significant reductions between pre- and post-session measurements.
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
Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders. Clean the kettlebells to your shoulders by extending through the legs and hips as you pull the kettlebells towards your shoulders. Rotate your wrists as you do so. Press one directly overhead by extending through the elbow, turning it so the palm faces forward while holding the other kettlebell stationary . Lower the pressed kettlebell to the starting position and immediately press with your other arm.
Sit on an exercise bench with back support and hold two dumbbells in front of you at about upper chest level with your palms facing your body and your elbows bent. Tip: Your arms should be next to your torso. The starting position should look like the contracted portion of a dumbbell curl. Now to perform the movement, raise the dumbbells as you rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward. Continue lifting the dumbbells until your arms are extended above you in straight arm position. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. After a second pause at the top, begin to lower the dumbbells to the original position by rotating the palms of your hands towards you. Tip: The left arm will be rotated in a counter clockwise manner while the right one will be rotated clockwise. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Lay down on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with the palms of the hands facing towards the ceiling. Tip: Your arms should be parallel to the floor and next to your thighs. To avoid injury, make sure that you keep your elbows slightly bent. This will be your starting position. Now move the dumbbells by creating a semi-circle as you displace them from the initial position to over the head. All of the movement should happen with the arms parallel to the floor at all times. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Reverse the movement to return the weight to the starting position as you exhale.
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 your neck with your arms locked. This will be your starting position. As you breathe in, bring the bar down slowly until it is about 1 inch from your neck. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Sit on a bench with back support in a squat rack. Position a barbell at a height that is just above your head. Grab the barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip width, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms. Hold at about shoulder level and slightly in front of your head. This is your starting position. Lower the bar down to the shoulders slowly as you inhale. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
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 educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice — if you have any shoulder, elbow, or wrist issues, check with a qualified professional before loading overhead pressing movements, and always prioritize full range of motion over heavier weight.