Press Day Basics for Beginners

How to Build an Effective Press Day for Big Muscle and Strength Gains

In this article:

• What is Press Day?

• Reasons to include a Press-focused day in your training routine.

• Criteria for an effective Press Day.

• Common Press Day exercise options.

• Multiple sample Press Day routines.

• Let’s hear from subscribers!

What is Press Day?

I swear, the most cared about exercise on the planet is the Barbell Bench Press. If you’ve never been asked ‘whaddya bench?’ then I don’t think you’ve ever actually talked training with anyone. And if you look at the name of the exercise, the word ‘Press’ is in the name, which leads me into my definition of Press Day.

To me, Press Day is a training day that focuses on the muscles we use to press or push something away from our body.

These muscles include the pecs (chest muscles), front and medial delts (shoulder muscles), and the triceps (the muscles on the backsides of the upper arms). These three major areas of muscle are all used to press things away from our bodies, hence the term Press Day.

To give you a visual idea of what Press Day looks like, here are a few pictures of common Press Day compound exercises:

Bench Press (Pecs, Front Delts, Triceps)

Incline Bench Press (Pecs, Front Delts, Triceps)

Barbell Overhead Press (Front/Medial Delts, Triceps)

Close Grip Bench Press (Pecs, Front Delts, Triceps)

The theme with all of the exercises above is the motion of holding a weight, bringing that weight toward the body, and then pressing it away from the body. This can be done through a variety of angles, as the pictures illustrate.

Press Day compound exercises are part of the equation, but isolation exercises also make up the most popular training day. Monday isn’t known as International Bench Day for nothin!

Press Day isolation exercises take a single muscle group used during a compound exercise and work it exclusively. In the case of Press Day isolations, the targets are the pecs, front delts, medial delts, or the triceps. To give you a visual idea of what Press Day isolations look like, here are a few pictures:

Pec Deck Chest Flye (Pecs)

Tricep Pressdown w/ Rope Attachment (Triceps)

Dumbbell Front Raise (Front Delts)

Now that you’ve read my definition and seen what Press Day looks like, I want to go over why I feel it’s important to include Press Day in your training split.

Three Reasons Why Press Day is Important

Being Able to Do What You’re Supposed to Do

In reality, our upper bodies are designed to press things away or pull things toward us. This is why, when it comes to upper body training, you’ll commonly come across Press/Pull setups.

Pressing is 50% of what our upper bodies are designed to do.

This fact alone speaks to the importance of a Press Day for gaining upper body muscle and strength.

Strength Balance and Joint Integrity

Outside of the monstrous reason above, strength balance is hugely important when it comes to injury prevention. Strength imbalance between antagonist (opposing) muscle groups causes abnormal/uneven stress on joints and the inability of a joint to maintain it’s integrity during physical work.

This abnormal/uneven stress and loss of integrity leads to a higher potential for injury during everyday activities, as well as focused training.

An example of antagonist muscle groups is the biceps and triceps. The biceps are responsible for bending the elbow (think of a bicep curl), while the triceps are responsible for straightening the elbow (think of a tricep kickback). Both of these muscle groups cause movement at the same joint, but in opposing directions, which is why they’re antagonists.

Ensuring joint integrity is important for everyone, not just athletes. If you’re going to take part in strength/resistance training, make sure your program is balanced.

Including both pressing and pulling compound and isolation exercises in your routine, at even levels, is how you do it right. This is another great reason for including Press Day in your training split.

Aesthetics and Symmetry

My last reason for including Press Day in your regimen is for aesthetics and symmetry. You’ve seen the pictures of guys with huge upper bodies and skinny legs; I know you have. Well, it would be equally as strange if they had undeveloped upper bodies sitting on a pair of tree trunk legs.

They’d look like a pear and nobody wants to look like a pear.

So obviously, you’re not likely to skip an upper body day, but it’s important to note that balanced development throughout the entire upper body is what produces the ultimate physique, visually.

If you have a developed back, you need developed chest and shoulder muscles to match. Large biceps would look strange next to small triceps. Of course, you also need a pair of built shoulders to cap everything off. The pecs, front/medial delts, and triceps are obviously major parts of your upper body.

Slacking on Press Day or leaving it out the equation would be a major mistake in your quest for the body of your dreams. Aesthetically and symmetrically, Press Day is a necessity.

Criteria for an Effective Press Day

Now that I’ve shared a few good reasons for press training, let’s move on and get into the criteria for an amazing Press Day. There are many combinations for Press Day exercise selections, simply because there are multiple angles to work with and different grip variations to choose from. Not to mention the multitude of resistance options (barbells, dumbbells, machines, bodyweight).

The criteria below will cover the basics and you can evolve your Press Day as you wish, while keeping the criteria and your goals in mind. Also, I’ll be providing you with multiple sample Press Day routines later on in this article.

• Include a Chest-Focused Compound Press exercise.

• Include a Shoulder-Focused Compound Press exercise.

• Include a Tricep-Focused Compound Press exercise

• Include a Chest Isolation exercise.

• Include a Tricep Isolation exercise.

• Include a Front/Medial Shoulder Isolation exercise.

As you can see, this list of criteria covers the major muscle groups responsible for pressing. The Pecs, Shoulders, and Triceps are activated through multiple exercise types.

Exercise Options

I’ve listed the criteria for an effective Press Day and now I’d like to list out a handful of exercise options that satisfy each criteria point. This will give you multiple options, which is helpful in creating variety and maintaining mental engagement in your programming over time.

Chest-Focused Compound Press Exercise Options

• Flat, Incline, or Decline Barbell Bench Press

• Flat, Incline, or Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

• Flat, Incline, or Decline Machine Press

• Flat, Incline, or Decline Pushup

Shoulder-Focused Compound Press Exercise Options

• Seated or Standing Barbell Overhead Press

• Seated or Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press

• Seated or Standing Machine Overhead Press

• Handstand Pushup

Tricep-Focused Compound Press Exercise Options

• Close Grip Flat, Incline, or Decline Barbell Bench Press

• Close Grip Flat, Incline, or Decline Dumbbell Press

• Close Grip Flat, Incline, or Decline Machine Press

• Close Grip Flat, Incline, or Decline Pushup

• Dip or Bench Dip

Chest Isolation Exercise Options

• Flat, Incline, or Decline Dumbbell Chest Flye

• Cable Chest Flyes (Multiple Angles)

• Pec Deck

Front/Medial Shoulder Isolation Exercise Options

• Barbell, Dumbbell, or Cable Shoulder Front Raise

• Dumbbell, Machine, or Cable Lateral Shoulder Flye

• Barbell, Dumbbell, or Cable Upright Row

Tricep Isolation Exercise Options

• Cable Tricep Pressdown with Straight Bar, V Bar, or Rope Attachment

• Cable Overhead Tricep Extension w/ Straight Bar, V Bar, or Rope Attachment

• Barbell or Dumbbell Skullcrusher

• Tricep Extension Machine

• Dumbbell Tricep Kickback

Of course, there are more exercise options than I’ve listed above. But again, this article is meant to provide you with basic foundational principles and options for putting together a great Press Day and you can let it naturally evolve over time.

When the time comes to introduce exercises that aren’t included in my lists, just make sure they fit the category you’re placing them in.

For example, replace a Tricep-focused compound exercise with another Tricep-focused compound exercise.

Do you have a Press Day exercise you like, but it’s not on my lists? Leave me a comment and I’ll give you my thoughts on where it fits into your routine.

Sample Press Day Routines

It’s great to read an article and come away with something you can put to use. These sample routines are meant to provide you with that ‘something.’ I’ll give you a handful of possible Press Day routines and you can pick one and stick with it, or try them all over time.

My advice is to stick with each one for a solid 8-12 weeks to give yourself time to progress in all of the exercises, letting them work for you.

Note: When possible, follow the order of the exercises as they’re listed for each routine.

The Trifecta Routine

I call this routine The Trifecta because it makes use of all three angles of activating your press muscles. You’ll see a flat press for crushing the pecs as a whole, a high incline press for front delt and upper chest activation, and a decline angle press that hits the triceps hard. Of course, a balance of isolation exercises will follow.

• Flat Barbell Bench Press

• 60 or 75 Degree Incline Dumbbell Press

• Dips

• Pec Deck Chest Flye

• Standing DB Lateral Shoulder Flye

• Tricep Pressdown with Straight Bar Attachment

The Upper Chest Routine

The upper chest is a region of the body that we all want developed. It pops off the collar bones and looks amazing in a tee shirt. No great chest lacks upper chest development. As a bonus, I’ve written an article breaking down the science of chest development, the upper chest in particular.

• 30 Degree Incline Barbell Bench Press

• Close Grip 15 Degree Incline Barbell Bench Press

• Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press

• 45 Degree Incline DB Chest Flye

• Overhead Cable Tricep Extension with Rope Attachment

• Machine Lateral Shoulder Flye

The All-Purpose Dumbbell Home Gym Routine

This routine will work well if you don’t have access to the amenities of a commercial gym, such as a barbell and a spotter, a Smith machine, or various other machines.

• Flat Dumbbell Bench Press

• Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press

• Bench Dips or Close Grip Pushup/Close Grip Flat Dumbbell Press

• 30 or 45 Degree Incline Dumbbell Chest Flye

• Standing Dumbbell Front Raise

• Lying Dumbbell Skullcrusher with Neutral Grip

The ‘I Have Shoulder Issues’ Routine

Outside of lower back pain, shoulder pain could very well be the runner up for most common pain among serious weight lifters. Honestly, many people simply Flat Barbell Bench Press incorrectly, or too much/too often, and the barbell ends up hurting their shoulders. If you’re in this camp, this routine is the one you should try first.

• Slight Decline Barbell or Dumbbell Bench Press

• Close Grip Standing Barbell Overhead Press

• 15 or 30 Degree Incline Close Grip Barbell or Dumbbell Bench Press

• Pec Deck Chest Flye

• Seated Dumbbell Lateral Shoulder Flye

• Tricep Pressdown with V Bar Attachment

As I said above, choose the sample routine that sparks your interest the most and use it for 8-12 weeks in the gym. You’re free to use your own set/rep schemes, or you can learn more about set/rep schemes by reading my Set/Rep Scheme article. I know which option I’d pick!

What Did The Community Say?

I really wanted to hear from fellow lifters for this article, so I asked my subscribers and social media following to tell me their favorite Press Day exercises. Here’s a few of their answers:

That’s All Folks!

OK, my hope in writing this article is that you’ve read it, digested the information, commented with any questions or feedback you might have, and will put one of the sample routines to use right away.

I’m serious about you commenting with your questions and feedback too. I would love to hear from you and to help you make the most of your gym time.

I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to raise your gym IQ and make you a better weightlifter. Thanks for your time.

If you’d like to train like Bryant, here’s his (and my own) training program.