Whether you have just started working out or are a season gym rat, the desire for larger gains is always present. The best way to achieve that goal is by incorporating a pull-day workout into your routine. Not only will your guns grow bigger than ever, but the exercises you see today will also improve your strength, performance, and efficiency.
If you are new to bodybuilding, as the name suggests, a pull-day workout routine incorporates exercises focusing on your pulling muscles, specifically the biceps, lats, rear delts, traps, lower muscles, and grip.
Considering this routine is a must if you want to grow bigger and stronger, we’ll be taking a deep dive into pull-day workouts, covering the best exercises, and sets and reps for the same, as well as the benefits you’ll enjoy from them and some tips to track your progress. Grab your protein shakes, and let’s start pumping!
What Is A Pull Day Workout?
As previously mentioned, a pull-day workout uses all of your pulling muscles. Typically, the routine mostly consists of compound exercises such as lat pulldowns, deadlifts, and pull-ups, but it also features isolation ones like bicep curls. Aside from building muscle and strength, pull-day exercises also lead to improved mobility and posture, which is essential for everyday functional movement, as simple as lifting grocery bags from your last supermarket run.
In contrast to push-day workouts that target the opposing muscles in the chest, shoulder, and triceps, the pull counterpart utilizes a pulling motion. Alternating between the two is essential because while certain groups of muscles rest, others are engaged, enhancing strength. In other words, you’ll be able to workout more as you’re not using the same muscle groups, meaning there’s no need for rest days. Still, taking a day off is more than recommended for your torso to grow as big as you wish.
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Muscles Worked in a Pull-Day Routine
These are the major muscle groups covered when doing pull-day exercises:
- Lats
- Lower Back
- Traps
- Grip
- Rear Delts
- Biceps
To get a better understanding of how to train each group properly, we’ll go into detail about each of them.
1. Lats
Lats are some of the widest muscles in our bodies, running from the thoracic and lumbar spine down to the top of your hip bone. Because of their nature, they allow exercises with a wide pulling range, such as the lat pull downs and barbell rows. You can also combine various exercises depending on which part of the lats you want to define. For instance, you can go for vertical pulls (pull-ups) and horizontal ones (rowing).
2. Lower Back
Our lower back contains a multitude of muscles, some of which include the erector spinae and multifidus. As a whole, they are responsible for keeping our bodies stabilized and extended, as well as rotating our spine. Since we use these muscles regularly, you should pay close attention, and you can do so by incorporating exercises such as deadlifts and back extensions in your pull-day workout routine.
3. Traps
Traps are another large muscle group that extends throughout your upper back and are divided into three parts - upper, middle, and lower traps. The upper fibers start from the skull base, and their primary function is to elevate your collar bones and shoulders. Middle traps, on the other hand, run from your cervical and upper thoracic spine to the shoulder blades and are responsible for rotating and retracting the shoulders. Finally, the lowest parts of the traps are found in your lower thoracic spine and they help pull your shoulders up and down.
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4. Grip & Forearms
Working out your grips is a must, especially if you plan on lifting heavier loads. Our forearms contain many muscles, extending all the way to the fingertips. Aside from their gripping function, they can also help flex your wrists.
Also Read: The Ultimate Push Day Workout for Muscle & Strength
5. Rear Delts
The posterior deltoids consist of three muscle fiber sets, while the other two are found in the front and lateral delts. They originate from the spine of the shoulder blade and insert themselves on the outside of your upper arm. What this means is they can both extend and externally rotate your shoulder. If you want to define them more, include exercises like barbell rows and face pulls in your pull-day workout.
6. Biceps
Even seasoned gym pros get confused when talking about the biceps, mainly because they believe they’re only located in the front of your upper arm. However, the biceps consist of two equally large muscles - the brachii and brachialis. While the former is known as the “popular” bicep, the latter is much closer to the bone and is responsible for bending your elbows. Considering its function, the brachialis is a more powerful elbow flexor than the biceps brachii!
Pull-Day Workout Routine
The gym heads behind MuscleTech have designed this pull-day workout routine just for you, providing growth and strength of epic proportions!
- Pull-Ups: 3 sets x 8-10 reps.
- Barbell Rows: 2 sets x 8-10 reps.
- Deadlifts: 3 sets x 12-15 reps.
- Lat Pulldowns: 3 sets x 10-12 reps.
- T-Bar Rows: 3 sets x 10-12 reps.
- Pullovers: 3 sets x 12-15 reps.
- Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 10-12 reps.
1. Pull-Ups
If a well-defined upper body is the goal, incorporating pull-ups in your pull-day workout plan is a must. Although it’s one of the most challenging exercises out there, the rewards that come from it are second to none, some of which include enhanced back, bicep, and grip strength.
Still, when doing pull-ups, you must be extra careful on your form. Beginners may find trouble doing them at first, but luckily, many grip variations are available. For one, the classic pull-up enhances your lats and rhomboids, while an underhand grip mainly focuses on your biceps. Additionally, if you’re looking for a more challenging pull-day workout, you can use advanced techniques like weighted pull-ups.
2. Barbell Rows
Barbell rows not only keep your physique balanced, but they also build your strength up – which is very much needed for multiple functional movements. Their ability to target different muscle groups due to grip and rowing variations makes them one of the greatest compound exercises out there.
Like with most pull-day exercises, proper form is very much needed, especially because you don’t want to risk an injury. Many seasoned gym-goers often make the mistake of using excessive weight while doing barbell rows, thinking it leads to better gains. On the contrary, this exercise focuses on controlled movement, so always maintain a neutral spine and avoid excessive arching.
3. Deadlifts
We’ve mentioned deadlifts throughout this guide – for all the right reasons! Mainly, there isn’t an exercise that comes close to this one, as it is undoubtedly the ultimate compound lift. Additionally, it also has all kinds of variations targeting all sorts of muscle groups, so you can achieve your strength and definition goals with ease.
Also Read: What Does Post Workout Mean?
By including the standard deadlift in your pull-day workout for men, you’ll challenge your posterior chain, specifically your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. On the other hand, sumo deadlifts are perfect for targeting your inner thighs, while Romanian ones focus solely on the hamstrings and glutes. However, it is crucial to understand the proper form, keeping your core engaged and spine neutral throughout the lift. Make sure to push your hips back as you’re doing deadlifts, as this keeps the lower back less strained and relaxed.
4. Lat Pulldowns
Consider lat pulldowns as the ideal pull-day exercise for a strong back. They have been a favorite for gym rats for decades as they provide the ever-desired V-shaped torso. You can find pulldown machines in any gym, but you can still do numerous variations with resistance bands if you prefer working out at home. These will allow you to sculpt your back even outside the gym, posing an excellent choice for people who don’t want to skip working out even when they’re on vacation!
5. T-Bar Rows
This pull-day exercise mainly focuses on your middle back and lats, paving the way to a symmetrical upper body. As you can imagine, the setup plays a crucial role – the barbell needs to stay as stable as possible.
What makes T-Bar rows so appealing is the versatility in handles and grips. For instance, by using different grip widths, you can emphasize which parts of the back and lats you want to be emphasized. In contrast, varying handles can further stimulate muscle engagement.
6. Pullovers
While pullovers are usually seen in many chest routines, they can easily fit into your pull-day workout. One of the best things about it is that it simultaneously activates multiple muscle groups, thus enhancing coordination and body strength.
Another thing that makes this exercise so unique is that it focuses both on the contraction and stretch phases of muscle movement. In turn, this promotes flexibility and an improved range of motion. You can do pullovers either with a barbell or dumbbell, each offering its own set of benefits. For one, the former option offers stability and symmetry, whereas the latter provides a deeper stretch.
7. Barbell Curls
We can’t think of a better pull-day exercise for defining your arms than the barbell curl. This isolation movement creates the ideal basis for focus arm strength in the bicep, further leading to their development. Why many gym-goers go crazy for them due to their ability to isolate the biceps, and you can manipulate them the way you see fit!
Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to Trap Workouts
To maximize your pull-day workout efficiency, don’t cheat through the momentum! This usually happens when your back and shoulders are too engaged, paying the biceps dust. With that in mind, keep a straight posture, don’t swing your arms around, and ensure that the arm does all the lifting. This is the only way that’ll lead you to the guns you want!
Reps, Sets, & Rest
As you can see by our pull-day workout routine, the number of sets ranges around the 8 to 12 mark, which we consider ideal. Normally, you’ll do fewer reps with heavier weights in compound exercises, while you should do more reps with lighter weights for the isolation ones. Again, take this number only as a suggestion, as it will undoubtedly lead to muscle building and increased strength. In other words, organize your pull-day workout plan as you see fit.
Much like the reps, you’re free to do as many sets as you want. According to research, the number of sets you perform is closely linked to the amount of muscle and strength gained. For seasoned gym-goers, doing more than twenty weekly will lead to optimal growth.
Finally, never underestimate the power of rest! Even if you feel like a beast and could go on doing your sets for as long as possible, remember that these exercises are pretty strenuous, and you’re only putting yourself at risk. With that in mind, take long breaks, about three to four minutes long. This will enable you to do more reps in the long run, stimulating the muscle's growth. Still, if you’re hitting the gym in a New York minute, consider lowering the number of sets.
Tips & Tricks for Optimal Pull-Day Results
Before we go, we’d like to share a few pull-day workout tips that will surely contribute to your growth journey.
You don’t need too much introduction for the first one – eating clean = better results. Protein is a crucial nutrient, and while you may take a lot of it from food, protein supplements are more than recommended. Don’t forget to get your sleep hours in as well!
As previously mentioned, you need to stay consistent to ensure maximum gains. In other words, you should do your pull-day workout routine at least two times per week. Keep to your schedule and make adjustments when needed. But whatever you do – never quit!
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Most importantly, as your muscles and performance are growing, you need to track how much they’re doing so. Take note of your reps and weights, and notice when it’s the ideal time to amp them up. We understand that you want to give it your all as soon as possible, but you’ll only put yourself back if you expose yourself to injury.
We’ve come to the end of our pull-day workout guide. Remember: results won’t come in the blink of an eye, so always remain consistent and pay close attention to your form and performance. Big guns and strength will come to you in no time!
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