Best Pull Exercises – Introduction
What are the best pull exercises to build your strength and fitness?
You can categorize strength training exercises in several different ways.
Grouping exercises together by type can be helpful when designing workouts.
Popular exercise classifications include:
- Isolation exercises (aka single-joint exercises)
- Compound exercises (aka multi-joint exercises)
- Freeweight exercises
- Resistance machine exercises
- Bodyweight exercises
- Unilateral exercises
- Bilateral exercises
- Open chain exercises
- Closed chain exercises
However, one of the most straightforward ways to categorize exercises is identifying them as “push” or “pull” exercises.
There are even entire programs based around this idea – such as the push-pull workout.
This article explains what pulling exercises are, identifies the main pulling muscles, presents the 7 best pull exercises for strength and fitness, and provides you with a pulling workout to try.
What Is A Pull Exercise?
From an anatomical perspective, ALL exercises are pulling exercises.
That’s because muscles can only pull and cannot push.
Your muscles aren’t pushing you up off the floor when you do push-ups.
Instead, your triceps, pectoralis major, and deltoids are pulling your joints straight.
That said, most exercisers accept the notion that pushing exercises involve pushing a weight away from you, and pulling exercises involve pulling a weight towards you.
Some exercises are a little harder to classify.
For example, lateral raises involve neither pushing nor pulling.
However, because they involve your deltoids, a pushing muscle (as detailed below), they are best thought of as a pushing exercise.
Because of this, in some instances differentiating between pushing and pulling exercises may require a judgment call.
That said, most push and pull exercises are easy enough to identify.
What Muscles Do Pull Exercises Involve?
One way to identify push and pull exercises easier is knowing which specific muscles are involved in each type of exercise.
Pulling muscles are joint flexors as opposed to joint extensor muscles.
To that end, the main pulling muscles are:
- Biceps brachii – front of the upper arm
- Latissimus dorsi – sides of the upper back
- Trapezius – central upper back
- Rhomboids – between the shoulder blades
- Posterior deltoids – rear shoulders
- Hamstrings – back of the thighs
- Adductors – inner thighs
- Iliopsoas – hip flexors
- Rectus abdominus – front of the abdomen
- Forearm flexors – forearm muscles
- Tibialis anterior – front of the shins
The gluteus maximus, or glutes for short, is often categorized as a pulling muscle because it’s strongly involved in most lower body pulling exercises, such as the deadlift.
However, it’s a pushing muscle as the glute’s primary function is the hip extension.
A joint extension is a push-type of movement.
The 7 Best Pull Exercises for Strength and Fitness
It’s not easy to pick the best pulling exercises because each one serves a purpose, and if that exercise works well for the person doing it, it will be a good choice.
Sumo deadlifts and good mornings are the best for some lifters but could be less than ideal for others.
That said, here’s a list of some of the most productive pulling exercises for your lower and upper body.
Build your pull workouts around the following examples of pull exercises, and there is an excellent chance that it will be effective.
Lower Body Pulling Exercises
- Conventional deadlifts
- Romanian deadlift
- Sumo deadlift high-pull
- Single-leg Romanian deadlifts
- Good mornings
- Kettlebell swings
- Leg curls
Best Upper Body Pull Exercises
- Deadlifts
- Pull-ups/chin-ups
- Lat pulldowns
- Bent-over barbell row and seated cable rows
- Single-arm rows
- Pullovers
- Face pulls
- Biceps curls
No, it’s not a typo; deadlifts are in both lists!
That’s because they involve the major muscle groups of your upper and lower body pretty equally.
So, for example, bodybuilders do deadlifts to develop bigger, broader upper backs.
At the same time, powerlifters and athletes use them to strengthen their posterior chain, which is the collective term for the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
And regular folk like me use the deadlift for body transformation to get fit after 50 and stay in shape.
If you are looking for the absolute best pull workout exercise, deadlifts are hard to beat.
For example, try pairing classic strength training exercises deadlifts and push-ups with “walking with purpose” for an excellent recipe to stay lean and fit no matter your age.
Pull Exercise Workout
Now you know how to separate the pushing from the pulling exercises and know seven of the best, it’s time to put them into a pull routine.
This pull day workout is a general strength and fitness program built around some of the exercises listed above.
However, for best results, you should pair this workout with a push day built around the pushing exercises to ensure you train all of your major muscle groups equally.
Done alone, it could lead to muscle imbalances.
Before you start, spend a few minutes warming up to prepare your body for what you’re about to do.
First, do 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for the muscles and joints you are about to use.
This pulling workout is essentially a full-body workout, so warm up accordingly.
No: | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery |
1 | Deadlift | 3 | 6-8 | 2 minutes |
2 | Leg curls | 3 | 10-12 | 60 seconds |
3 | Single-leg Romanian deadlift | 3 | 8-10 per leg | 60 seconds |
4 | Pull-ups/chin-ups | 3 | AMRAP | 90 seconds |
5 | Seated cable rows | 3 | 10-12 | 60 seconds |
6 | Face pulls | 3 | 12-15 | 60 seconds |
7 | Biceps curls | 3 | 8-10 | 90 seconds |
Pull Workout Exercise Descriptions
There are two ways to do any exercise: the right way and the wrong way.
The right way is the safest and most effective, while the wrong way could lead to a risk of injury.
It’s always best to choose the right way!
Follow these step-by-step instructions to get the most from each exercise.
#1. Deadlift
Target muscles: Glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae, lats, traps, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, biceps, core.
If you only do one exercise for your pulling muscles, the deadlift should be it.
The reason is that deadlifts train almost every muscle that you can classify as a puller.
Indeed, the deadlift is such a productive exercise that Victorian physical culturists used to call it the health lift.
As well as being one of the best compound pull exercises on the planet, deadlifts teach you how to lift heavy objects off the ground safely, that is, using your legs and without rounding your lower back.
How to do it:
- Stand behind your barbell with your toes underneath and feet about hip-width apart.
- Squat down and grab the bar with an alternating/mixed or overhand grip.
- Straighten your arms, drop your hips, lift your chest, and brace your core.
- Without rounding your lower back, drive your feet into the floor and stand up.
- Your hips and the bar should rise at the same speed.
- Stand fully upright but don’t lean back.
- Lower the bar to the floor, let it settle for 1-2 seconds (no bouncing!), and repeat.
Conventional Deadlifts
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#2. Leg curls
Target muscles: Hamstrings.
Leg curls isolate your hamstrings, your main lower body pulling muscles.
They also give your lower back a break after deadlifts.
You can use any leg curl machine – seated, prone, or standing.
How to do it:
- Align your knees with the machine’s lever arm pivot point.
- Place the leg pad across your lower calves.
- Bend your legs and pull your feet up and into your butt.
- Lower the weights but do not let them touch down between reps.
Seated Leg Curls
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#3. Single-leg Romanian deadlift
Target muscles: Glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae, core.
Single-leg Romanian deadlifts are easier on your lower back than regular deadlifts.
However, they work many of the same lower body pulling muscles.
This exercise is also helpful for developing better balance and hip mobility and ensuring that your left and right legs are equally developed.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet together, arms by your sides.
- Hold dumbbells or kettlebells if you wish.
- Shift your weight onto one foot, and bend your supporting knee slightly for balance.
- Hinging from your hips, lean forward and extend your other leg out behind you for balance.
- Descend as far as you can without rounding your lower back.
- Stand back up and repeat.
- Rest a moment, swap sides, and then do the same number of reps with the other leg.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
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#4. Pull-ups/chin-ups
Target muscles: Lats, biceps, posterior deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids.
Pull-ups and chin-ups are very similar and work the same muscles.
Both are effective upper body pulling exercises.
Another pull-up variation is neutral grip pull-ups that are more comfortable for your elbows than chin-ups.
If you can’t do pull-ups or chin-ups, feel free to do lat pulldowns instead, as they work all the same muscles.
How to do it:
- Hang from your pull-up bar
- Use an overhand, wider than shoulder-width grip for pull-ups or an underhand shoulder-width grip for chin-ups.
- Brace your core, pull your shoulders down and back, and lift your legs clear of the floor.
- Without swinging or kicking, pull yourself up until your chin is above the level of the bar.
- Lower yourself back down under control and repeat.
- AMRAP = as many reps as possible. Just continue until you are unable to do any more reps.
Pull Up Grip Variations
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#5. Seated cable rows
Target muscles: Lats, biceps, posterior deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids.
Where pull-ups/chin/ups are vertical pulling exercises, seated cable rows are horizontal.
They work the same muscles but from a different angle.
Hitting your muscles from different angles is good for joint health and muscular development.
How to do it:
- Sit on the seated row machine with your legs out in front of you, knees slightly bent.
- Grab the handle using an underhand, overhead, or neutral grip, depending on your fitness level and preference.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
- Sit up straight.
- Bend your arms and, leading with your elbows, pull the bar into your abdomen.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Seated Cable Rows
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#6. Face pulls
Target muscles: Biceps, posterior deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids.
Face pulls are so-called because, when you do them, it looks like you’re going to poke your thumbs into your ears and make a funny face!
They’re a horizontal pull exercise that preferentially targets the muscles across and between your shoulder blades.
Strengthening your rear delts and upper back musculature will help you balance out the modern-day scourge of slouching:
- while typing at your computer
- when sitting on the couch
- at the kitchen table
- on your cell phone, and
- the typical focus on pushing exercises because you can see those anterior chain muscles (front of your body) in the mirror
As such, face pulls are an excellent postural exercise.
How to do it:
- Attach a rope handle to a pulley machine set to shoulder height
- Then, grab the handles with your thumbs at the end of the rope
- With your arms out straight, step back to tension the cable
- Use a staggered stance for balance
- Bend your elbows and pull your hands back toward either side of your face
- Keep your upper arms parallel to the floor
- Imagine you are trying to poke your thumbs in your ears
- Extend your arms and repeat
Face Pulls
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#7. Bicep curls
Target muscles: Biceps.
Your final exercise targets your biceps, located in the front of your upper arm.
To be fair, your biceps have already done a lot of work as they’re involved in all upper body pulling exercises, so don’t be surprised if you can’t use heavy weights for this exercise.
How to do it:
- Hold a barbell with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Stand with your feet shoulder to hip-width apart, knees slightly flexed for balance.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
- Keeping your upper arms close to your sides, bend your elbows and curl the bar up to your shoulders.
- Lower the bar back down and repeat.
- You can also do this exercise with dumbbells or a low cable machine.
Barbell Biceps Curl
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7 Best Pull Exercises for Strength and Fitness – Wrapping Up
Separating exercises into pushes and pulls is a great way to ensure that you train all your major muscles relatively equally.
For every pushing exercise you do, such as a bench press, balance it with a pulling exercise, for example, single-arm dumbbell rows.
However, grouping lots of pulling (or pushing) exercises together can also be problematic, as it means doing several overlapping exercises using the same muscle groups.
As such, those muscles will fatigue as you move through your workout.
That could mean you are unable to use such heavy weights.
In the case of upper body pulling exercises, your biceps are the weak link.
For upper body pushing exercises, it’s your triceps.
That said, the push-pull workout method has been popular for decades, and for most, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Is the push-pull training method right for you?
You’ll have to try it to find out!
What’s Next
Beyond push-pull style of training, there are other workouts that are worth your time.
Here are some additional strength training methods to check out:
- 3×5 Workout: The Only Strength Training Program You’ll Ever Need
- Best Beginner Powerlifting Program for Fitness and Strength
- Strength Training for Men Over 50 + Full-Body Workout
- Beginner Powerbuilding Program: Big & Strong Workout + Free PDF
- The Ultimate 12-Week Body Transformation Workout Plan
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer), an