Pull day workout
Two pull day workouts for back and biceps — a barbell-and-pull-up day and a cable-and-dumbbell day.
A pull day trains every muscle that pulls: the lats, the upper back, the rear delts and the biceps. Start with a vertical pull or a heavy row, cover both directions of pulling, and finish with the rear delts and biceps.
Pull day workout
A vertical pull, a heavy row, a cable row, then rear delts and biceps.
Pull-up- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 5–10
- Rest
- 2 min
Barbell Bent Over Row- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 6–8
- Rest
- 2 min
Seated Cable Row- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–12
- Rest
- 90 s
Face Pull- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 15
- Rest
- 60 s
Barbell Curl- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–10
- Rest
- 90 s
Dumbbell Hammer Curl- Sets
- 2
- Reps
- 12
- Rest
- 60 s
Pull day, cables and dumbbells
No barbell needed.
Lat Pulldown- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 8–12
- Rest
- 2 min
Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–12 each side
- Rest
- 90 s
Cable Straight Arm Pulldown- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 12–15
- Rest
- 60 s
Dumbbell Rear Fly- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 15
- Rest
- 60 s
Dumbbell Incline Curl- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–12
- Rest
- 60 s
Dumbbell Shrug- Sets
- 2
- Reps
- 12
- Rest
- 60 s
Can’t do one of these?
Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.
Tips
- Pull with your elbows and pause with the weight pulled in; the back should do the work, not momentum.
- Do biceps last. Tired biceps limit how much you can row and pull.
- If you deadlift, put it on leg day or at the start of pull day, not both.
Run this workout in SPLYT
Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.
Exercises to swap in
Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.
Lats
Questions
What muscles does pull day work?
The lats, the upper back (rhomboids and traps), the rear delts and the biceps.
Should deadlifts be on pull day or leg day?
Either works. On pull day they pair with the back work; on leg day with the hamstrings. Pick one so you don’t deadlift twice in a few days.
How many exercises should be on pull day?
Five or six: a vertical pull, one or two rows, a rear-delt exercise and one or two curls.