The workout split of push-pull-legs is one of the most commonly used and effective workout splits around. It requires you to train six days per week but, if you’re consistent, will provide you with a fantastic return for your hard work. The exercises in this ‘pull-day’ workout cover the back muscles and arms (biceps), along with some accessory work on the rear delts and rotator cuff shoulder muscles.
A push-pull-legs workout split is often done with either six consecutive workouts or three, followed by a day off. It could look like the below:
| Monday | Push | OR | Monday | Push |
| Tuesday | Pull | Tuesday | Pull | |
| Wednesday | Legs | Wednesday | Legs | |
| Thursday | Push | Thursday | Off | |
| Friday | Pull | Friday | Push | |
| Saturday | Legs | Saturday | Pull | |
| Sunday | Off | Sunday | Legs |
Gym Pull Workout – Pull Muscles Training
The main muscle group we’re working in a ‘pull-day’ session is the back. To maximize muscle growth in the back, a variety of exercises need to be used and as previously mentioned. Having access to a gym gives us the opportunity to utilize a range of equipment to achieve our goals.
This article contains a well-rounded list of exercises for the back, biceps and rear delts, as well as the rotator cuff muscles. Your gym may not have all the required equipment below, but there will be other exercises that target the same areas of the back using other equipment that is available to you in your gym. The list of equipment used in this particular workout is below:
- Pullup bar
- Cable pulley machine
- Cable low row machine
- Barbell and weight plates
- Bench and dumbbells
Anatomy of the Back Muscles
Before we begin with the exercises, we first need to understand the anatomy of the back. It is important to have the knowledge of the key muscles of the back and what their function is to understand how to train them effectively. Preparing ourselves with the knowledge of how the different muscles in the back work gives us an advantage when training. Ensure you have a read of the below:
- Rhomboids – the rhomboids are two muscles located in the inner portion of the upper back. The two muscles are called rhomboid major and rhomboid minor. The primary function of the rhomboids is to the retract the scapula. They also play a key role in stabilizing the scapula into position and reinforcing the shoulder
- Erector Spinae Muscles – the erector spinae muscles are nine muscles divided into three different groups: iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis. The muscles are important as they are used to extend and laterally flex the spine. They keep the spine erect and upright, important for many exercises when working the back muscles
- Trapezius – the trapezius muscle is a large, almost diamond shape muscle which runs from the neck all the way down to the mid-lower back and also reaches out to the shoulders too. The trapezius is split up in three parts, the upper traps, middle traps and lower traps. The upper traps run from the neck to the top of the shoulder. The middle traps run along the top of the back, in line with the rear delts. The lower traps run from inline with the arm pit down towards the middle of the spine
- Latissimus Dorsi – or more commonly referred to as the ‘lats’ is the widest muscle in the human body. It connects from the shoulders, and it covers all the back from the bottom of the shoulder blades down to the tail bone. When well developed, it will give the ‘wings’ look to somebody as it widens the back significantly.
How to shift the focus to different parts of the back by changing form:
When training the back, it is crucial to pay attention to which part of the back is doing most of the work to ensure every muscle gets a fair workout and to avoid muscle imbalances. The easiest way to change the emphasis on different muscles is by altering the arm position. When the arm is flared out at a 90-degree angle, the focus will be put mainly on the upper back such as the upper traps and the rear delts. When at a 45-degree angle, the emphasis will be on the upper-mid back with the mid traps and rhomboids doing most of the work. And finally, when the arms are tucked close to the body, the emphasis will be on the lats.
However, just because the arm is at a certain angle, it doesn’t mean the other parts of the back are not getting any engagement. All muscles will be working during the movements, but just not to a greater extent as others. It’s important to build the mind-to-muscle connection so you can feel the muscle you’re aiming to target during the exercises. This will help you a lot when the weights get heavier so you know that the muscle is still being worked effectively.
Anatomy of the Biceps
Before moving into the different exercises, it’s important to understand the anatomy of the muscle we are trying to grow. We can then understand how to better activate it for maximum gains. The bicep is used to flex the elbow and, as the name suggests (bi), is made up of two main muscles, the long head and the short head.
The long head runs on the outside of the arm and this muscle will give the look of big biceps when viewed from the side. The long head is targeted best when the upper arm is positioned behind the body.
The short head is smaller and runs next to the long head, but on the inside of the upper arm. This muscle will make the biceps look bigger and wider when viewing from the front. The short head is targeted best when the upper arm is positioned in front of the body.
However, there is another muscle which plays a role in the bicep, which is the bicep brachii. This muscle runs almost underneath the other two and it’s important not to overlook the development of this muscle when building the biceps.
The Exercises
There are five exercises below which target the whole of the back and two that directly target the biceps for extra growth in the arms. If you are newer to the gym, you could get by with just the one arm focused exercise to save time, this is up to you.
The Pullup – Whole Back
The pullup is the ultimate back exercise. When done correctly, it will engage all of the back muscles. It will primarily engage the lats as the main job of this muscle is to pull the arms down and toward the body, especially from a vertical angle above the head. Along with the lats, the trapezius muscle will also do a lot of the work. The main job of the trapezius muscle is to assist with vertical pulls like the pullup. The rear deltoid will also be engaged during this movement.
Really focus on engaging the back muscles with this movement. It’s very easy to forget this and just pull with your arms. If you’re newer to the gym/this movement, try using assistance from an assisted pullup machine or by using resistance bands. You can progress this exercise by adding sets and reps but also by adding weight. Ensure you’re able to perform the exercise with great form before making it any harder, however.
To perform:
- Grab a pullup bar with both hands, they should be just over shoulder width apart on the bar
- Try and retract the scapula when hanging by bringing the shoulder blades back and down, this will help with the engagement of the back muscles when pulling
- Pull yourself up and think about driving the elbows down and behind you, hold the peak contraction at top for a second before lowering down to complete a repetition.
Barbell Row – Upper Back
The barbell row is one of the most well-known back exercises. It’s a very popular exercise for building strength and muscular size in the upper back. It can be altered to engage the lats more by using an underhand (supinated) grip but we will use the overhand (pronated) grip to focus the on the upper back. One of the key benefits to this exercise is that, when performed with correct form, it requires full body activation in under to have constant balance and stabilization. This will lead to improved posture over time due to the engagement of often underdeveloped and neglected muscles.
It can be a difficult exercise for some people, however. A weak core and other stabilizer muscles can make the movement hard and also increases the risk of injury. Also, it can be a tough exercise for those who suffer from lower back pain or people who are limited by pre-existing mobility issues.
To perform:
- Load a barbell and place it on the floor or on a rack that’s low enough for you to lift off
- Grab the barbell with a pronated grip and stand up straight before leaning forward slowly, engaging the core and keeping your back straight, avoid arching forward and overarching back
- Row the weight up towards your chest, think about driving your shoulder blades back and hold the peak contraction for a second
- Lower the weight back down to complete a repetition.
Low Lat Row – Lats
So far, the lats have been hit from a vertical pulling movement, the pullup. Now we will target them from a different angle, horizontally, to develop the muscle further. To do this, the horizontal cable pulley machine will be used. Hitting muscles from alternative angles will mean that if there are muscle fibers running in different directions, they will also have chance to do the major work, building their strength and size. Although the main job the lats is to pull the arms down from above the head, they are also engaged when pulling horizontally with the arm/elbow tucked in close to the body. This will target the lower lats to a great degree.
As mentioned above, the lats will be directly engaged through keeping the arm tucked in close to the torso when performing the rowing movement. For this reason, use an attachment on the machine that’s narrow, avoid wide handled attachments. It can also be best to use an attachment that has the palms facing slightly upwards as this angle can engage the lats even further.
To perform:
- With a narrow grip attachment, grab it with both hands and set yourself for the movement
- Lean slightly forward, this will isolate the lats over the other back muscles and think about rowing with the lats
- The handle should be rowed towards your sternum, just below your lower chest
- Hold the contraction at the peak before releasing the resistance to complete a repetition.
Chest Supported Dumbbell Row – Upper Back
The chest supported dumbbell row can be used to target all the muscles in the back, but this version will focus on the upper back. Despite both arms working at the same time, due to dumbbells being used, it allows each side of the back to work on its own, avoiding muscle imbalances. The chest supported dumbbell row is best utilized when you have a bench/other supporting object. You can complete a dumbbell row without a bench but using a bench eliminates the risk of injury which is there when performing the bent over row.
To perform:
- Lay face down on a bench set at a 30–45-degree angle with a dumbbell of desired weight in each arm
- To focus on your upper back, have your arms at a ~60-degree angle and row the weight up towards your chest, emphasizing the use of the back over the arms
- Bring the weight back down to complete a rep.
Face Pull – Rear delts/rotator cuff muscles
The face pull targets often neglected muscles. The rear delts are muscles that are in the shoulder muscle group, but are often utilized during pulling movement in a back workout. The rotator cuff muscles are stabilization muscles found in the shoulder joint and if not developed correctly, can cause issues with injury in the future. It’s important to not overlook muscles like these.
The face pull is performed using a cable pulley machine with a rope attachment. It involves the motion of rowing the cable towards your face while also pivoting at your elbows to bring your forearm up to a vertical position. This rotation is where the rotator cuff muscles come into play. Developing these muscles will also give you strength on other lifts, like push exercises such as the bench press.
To perform:
- Set the cable pulley so it’s at head level or just under
- Hold a rope attachment with both hands and pull the resistance towards your face and rotate at your elbows until your forearms are perpendicular to the floor
- Slowly release the resistance back to the pulley machine to complete a repetition.
Barbell Bicep Curl
The barbell bicep curl targets the whole of the bicep. Because of this, it’s fantastic for growing the muscle effectively. It’s also very easy to overload and track your progress. Some people can struggle with this movement when using a flat bar due to a lack of mobility in the wrists and this can lead to injury. If your gym has an EZ bar, this will help you with these issues. EZ bars change the angle you hold the bar at slightly, making it kinder on the wrists.
To perform:
- Hold a bar with your hands shoulder width apart
- Keeping your upper arms by your side, curl the weight up towards your chest – you can bring your arms slightly forward at the top of the movement to achieve better range of motion
- Slowly lower the weight down to increase the time under tension to complete a repetition.
The Drag Curl
If you feel you require more direct arm work to build bigger biceps, add this second, optional, bicep exercise to your pull workout. The drag curl is similar to the standard bicep curl, however when it’s performed correctly it will shift the focus to the long head of the bicep as the upper arms will come behind the body. As mentioned earlier, well developed long head muscles in the bicep will make them look big when viewed from the side.
To perform:
- Pick up a dumbbell of the same, manageable weight with each hand and either stand up or sit up right on a sturdy object such as a bench (make sure you have room to let your arms down by your side)
- With a supinated grip, curl the weight by bringing your hands up towards your shoulders, but this time focus on bringing your elbows back behind your body until your hands are where the elbows would be, make sure to focus on tensing/squeezing the bicep
- Control the weight on the eccentric part of the movement until your hands are back at the starting point – this completes a repetition.
Conclusion
This wraps up the pull-day workout utilizing gym equipment. The seven exercises come together to focus on building muscle in the back and biceps. As always, focus on form on the movements before building up on the weight. This will put you in a better place as you develop in the future.