Pull day exercises, as the name suggests, are strength-building moves that involve pulling with cables, bars, dumbbells, and more. Reviewing workouts by movement type (leg day, anyone?) rather than by body part (leg day, anyone?) may take some getting used to, but there are benefits to be gained, especially if you keep moving from one exercise to the next instead of resting between sets.
“Combining lower body and upper body pulling movements forces blood to move between muscles and enhances aerobic exercise benefits known as ‘peripheral cardio training,'” says Rafael Conforti, Senior Director of Fitness. ufit gym in San Diego. “Essentially, you can do strength training and cardio training at the same time.”
Additionally, pull routines are great for improving the “posterior chain”, the muscles in your back, shoulders, and glutes. Strengthening the muscles in these areas improves posture and overall mobility, and also helps prevent injury.
It also makes your workout more efficient as it covers multiple muscle groups with each daily pull routine. “It saves time, but it’s still progress,” says Conforti.
One thing to keep in mind. According to Conforti, traditional workouts broken down by body part typically involve her six to seven or more exercises for each muscle group. “But in his one-day push/pull workout, he only does three to four exercises for each muscle group. Low volume means he needs to be more intense,” he says. That means picking a slightly heavier weight than his normal 15 picks.
Ready to get started? These 10 moves work the pulling muscles of your upper and lower body, primarily building strength in your back, biceps, core, glutes, and hamstrings. For maximum results, run this pull day workout as one continuous circuit, alternating push days, pull days, and rest days, aiming for his four resistance his workouts per week.
10 Best Pull Exercises for Your Pull Day Training
For each exercise here, choose a weight that allows you to comfortably complete 1-2 fewer reps than the total number of reps. The last two times should be difficult. Conforti recommends aiming to do a total of three sets for each move.
Movement: Barbell deadlift
function: latissimus dorsi, trapezius, glutes, hamstrings
How to: Stand behind a barbell with your feet hip-width apart. With your knees slightly bent, your back flat and leaning forward, place your hands in overhand grips slightly wider than your shins and grab the barbell. Straighten your legs, squeeze your heels, and lift the barbell to hip height while keeping your arms and back straight. Bend your knees and lower the barbell back to the floor.
Some: 3 Set x 5-8 times
Movement: weighted pull-up
function: Latissimus dorsi, biceps, trunk
How to: Place the weighted belt around your waist. Extend and grab the pull-up bar overhead with an overhand grip. Squeeze your core and bend your elbows, pull your shoulders back, and draw your elbows to your sides as you lift your torso until your collarbones reach the bar. Start by straightening your arms.
Some: 3 sets x 5-8 reps
Movement: Weighted Hip Extension
function: back, trunk, buttocks
How to: Use a hip extension machine or lie prone on a flat, elevated surface with your hips on the edge of the surface and your torso suspended in the air. Keep your legs and torso in line and tuck your toes under the edge for stability. Place the weight plate against your torso and cross your arms in front of you. Bend your hips forward and lower your torso toward the floor. Keep your back straight and return your torso to a flat position.
Some: 3 sets x 10 reps
Move: Barbell Row
function: Latissimus dorsi, back, biceps
How to: Stand behind a barbell with your feet hip-width apart. With your knees slightly bent, your back flat and leaning forward, grab the barbell with your hands in an overhand grip, slightly wider than your shins. Keeping your knees slightly bent, press your heels and bend your elbows to lift the bar up to your chest. Extend your arms and lower the barbell back to the floor.
Some: 3 sets x 10 reps
The Move: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
function: back, triceps, hamstrings
How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. With your knees slightly bent, your back flat and hinged forward, hold a dumbbell on the floor in one hand. Keeping your gaze forward, legs straight, heels engaged, back straight, lift the weight with straight arms to hip height. Bend your knees and return your weight to the floor.
Some: 3 sets x 12 reps
Technique: Lateral Lunge
function: gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings
How to: Stand with your feet together. Face forward and take a big step to the right. Shift your weight to the right, bend your right knee, and sink your hips back as if you were sitting. Push through the ball of your right foot to push off the ground and return to your starting position. Repeat once on the left side.
Some: 3 sets x 12 reps
The Move: Closed Grip Pulldown
function: latissimus dorsi, trapezius, shoulder
How to: Sit under the gym’s pull-down machine. Reach down and grab the bar with an overhand grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your arms straight. Bend your elbows and lean back slightly, pulling the bar toward your chest and bringing your arms closer to your body. Pull the bar down until it is almost parallel to your chin. release.
Some: 3 sets x 12 reps
Move: Dumbbell Curl
function: triceps, biceps brachii
How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells in both hands, palms facing forward. Contract your biceps, bend your elbows (bring your arms close to your body), and raise the dumbbells to your chest. Start by straightening your arms.
Some: 3 sets x 10 reps
Technique: Bent Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly
function: chest, latissimus dorsi, triceps
How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your back flat, your knees slightly bent, and hinge forward from your hips so your torso is at his 45-degree angle to the floor. Let your arms hang toward the ground. Squeeze your shoulder blades back and toward each other and raise your arms to the sides until they are parallel to the ground, palms facing the floor. When you let go, it will return to the beginning.
Some: 3 sets x 15 reps
Remedy: Stop doing sit-ups
function: core
How to: Place the decline bench at an angle of 30-45 degrees. Sit on a bench with both knees bent and tuck your feet under the padded bar for support. Lie on your back so that your entire back rests on the bench. Strengthen your core and curl your body into a sitting position. Pause, then return to the beginning.
Some: 3 sets x 12 reps
