How To Balance Push, Pull, Hinge, and Squat in a 2–3 Day Workout Plan

Push

Any movement where you push weight away from your body or your body away from the ground. Includes horizontal pushes (push-ups, bench press) and vertical pushes (overhead press, incline press). Main muscles: chest, shoulders, triceps. These protect shoulder stability and support everyday tasks like pushing doors, getting off the floor, or putting objects overhead.

Pull

Any movement where you pull weight toward your body or pull your body toward an object. Includes horizontal pulls (rows) and vertical pulls (pull-ups, pulldowns). Main muscles: upper back, lats, biceps, rear delts. Pulling patterns balance pressing work, improve posture, and support healthy shoulders and spine.

Hinge

Overall weekly goal

For general strength and muscle, aim for roughly 8–16 challenging work sets per pattern per week. With only 2–3 training days, you’ll live at the lower end of this range, especially as a beginner or intermediate lifter, so you can recover.

Suggested weekly set ranges

Push: 8–12 sets; Pull: 10–16 sets (slightly more to counter daily slouching and pressing); Hinge: 6–10 sets (heavy lifts are more taxing); Squat: 6–10 sets; Core/carry: 4–8 sets. A 'set' here means a working set taken with 2–3 reps in reserve, not warm-up sets.

How this translates to 2 days per week

You’ll typically do 3–4 sets per pattern per day, so each pattern is trained twice weekly. Example: 3–4 sets of push, pull, hinge, squat on both days gives 6–8 sets weekly per pattern—enough to progress while keeping sessions under 60 minutes.

Push: choose 1–2 main movements

Pick one horizontal and one vertical push across the week. Examples: horizontal – push-ups, dumbbell bench, barbell bench; vertical – dumbbell shoulder press, overhead barbell press, incline press, landmine press. If your shoulders are sensitive, prioritize neutral-grip dumbbells and landmine presses and keep overhead volume moderate.

Pull: prioritize rows and pull-up variations

Pick at least one row and one vertical pull. Examples: rows – one-arm dumbbell row, cable row, chest-supported row; vertical pulls – assisted pull-ups, lat pulldowns, banded pull-ups. Many people benefit from slightly more pulling sets than pushing to improve posture and shoulder health.

Hinge: focus on technical big lifts

Choose 1–2 hinge variations that you can perform with great form. Examples: Romanian deadlift, conventional or sumo deadlift, trap bar deadlift, hip thrust, kettlebell swing. Because hinges are demanding, keep them low to moderate in weekly volume but high in quality, and avoid going to failure.

Day 1 – Full Body A (strength emphasis)

1) Squat pattern: Goblet squat or back squat – 3–4 sets of 5–8 reps. 2) Hinge pattern: Romanian deadlift or trap bar deadlift – 3 sets of 5–8 reps. 3) Push pattern: Dumbbell bench press or push-ups – 3 sets of 6–10 reps. 4) Pull pattern: One-arm dumbbell row – 3 sets of 8–12 reps. 5) Core: Front plank – 3 sets of 20–40 seconds. Rest 60–120 seconds between sets based on load.

Day 2 – Full Body B (hypertrophy and balance)

1) Squat pattern: Split squat or reverse lunge – 3 sets of 8–12 reps per leg. 2) Hinge pattern: Hip thrust or kettlebell swing – 3 sets of 8–12 reps. 3) Push pattern: Overhead press or landmine press – 3 sets of 8–12 reps. 4) Pull pattern: Lat pulldown or assisted pull-up – 3 sets of 8–12 reps. 5) Carry: Farmer’s carry – 3 trips of 20–40 meters.

How this balances the week

Day 1 – Squat + Push Emphasis

1) Squat pattern (primary): Back squat or goblet squat – 4 sets of 5–8 reps. 2) Push pattern (primary): Bench press or dumbbell press – 4 sets of 6–10 reps. 3) Hinge pattern (secondary): Hip hinge accessory like Romanian deadlift – 2–3 sets of 8–10 reps. 4) Pull pattern (secondary): Row variation – 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps. 5) Core: Side plank – 2–3 sets of 20–40 seconds per side.

Day 2 – Hinge + Pull Emphasis

1) Hinge pattern (primary): Deadlift or trap bar deadlift – 4 sets of 3–6 reps (heavier). 2) Pull pattern (primary): Pull-up or pulldown – 4 sets of 6–10 reps. 3) Squat pattern (secondary): Split squat or lunge – 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps. 4) Push pattern (secondary): Overhead or incline press – 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps. 5) Core/Carry: Farmer’s or suitcase carry – 3 trips of 20–40 meters.

Day 3 – Balanced Full-Body + Accessories

Main lifts (squat and hinge)

Use 3–4 work sets. Reps: 3–8 per set depending on the week and emphasis. Rest 2–3 minutes between heavy sets, 90–120 seconds for moderate sets. Prioritize technique and control over chasing fatigue; leave 1–3 reps in reserve most sets.

Upper body compound lifts (push and pull)

Use 3–4 work sets of 6–12 reps. Rest 60–120 seconds. Slightly higher reps for upper body help you accumulate volume without the systemic fatigue of heavy lower-body work.

Accessory, core, and carries

Use 2–3 sets of 10–15 reps or 20–40 seconds for isometrics and carries. Rest 45–90 seconds. These moves support the big lifts, so don’t push them to technical breakdown—focus on quality and feeling the targeted muscles.

If you are a beginner

Keep it simple: 2 days per week, 1 exercise per pattern per day, 2–3 sets each. Focus on learning movement quality, consistent technique, and gradually increasing load. Avoid excessive variation; stick with the same main lifts for at least 8–12 weeks.

If you are intermediate

Use the 3-day plan or slightly increase weekly sets toward the middle of the recommended ranges. Incorporate one heavier and one moderate day per pattern. Add a second variation for any pattern that lags (e.g., an extra row if your back is weak).

If your goal is muscle gain

Lean toward the higher end of set and rep ranges (10–16 sets per pattern weekly, 6–12 reps per set). Use more controlled tempos, emphasize the eccentric (lowering phase), and keep rest 60–120 seconds for most sets.