A pull day workout trains back, rear delts, and biceps together, since all three drive rowing and pulling movements. The routine below explains the difference between width and thickness work for the back, how to keep your elbows driving correctly to protect your joints, and ready-to-run pull day workouts.
Why Pull Muscles Train Together
Every pulling movement, from a pull-up to a barbell row, recruits the lats, upper back, rear delts, and biceps in a connected chain. The lats and upper back generate the pulling force, the rear delts stabilize the shoulder blade, and the biceps flex the elbow to complete the movement. Training them on the same day, as in a push pull legs vs upper lower split, keeps related muscle groups working together instead of competing for separate recovery windows.
For the pressing counterpart to this session, see our push day workout guide.
Lats vs Upper Back: Width vs Thickness
These are two distinct goals within pull day, and most effective routines train both:
- Width (lats): vertical pulling movements like pull-ups, lat pulldowns, and straight-arm pulldowns target the lats, the muscles that give the back its V-taper.
- Thickness (upper back): horizontal pulling movements like barbell rows, cable rows, and chest-supported rows build the traps and rhomboids, adding depth to the back when viewed from the side.
A pull day that only does one direction of pulling leaves noticeable gaps in back development. Alternate a vertical pull and a horizontal row every session. For the full four-pattern breakdown, including hip hinge and spinal extension work that pull day sessions often leave out, see the back exercises selection guide.
Grip and Elbow Drive Mechanics
The most common technical error on pull day is pulling with the hands and forearms instead of the back. Two cues fix this on almost every exercise:
- Drive your elbows back and down, rather than just bending your arms. Think about pulling your elbow toward your hip, not your hand toward your shoulder.
- Use a grip width that lets your elbows track naturally. A grip that’s too narrow or too wide forces the shoulder into a compromised position and shifts load onto the biceps and forearms instead of the back.
Pull Day Exercise Order
- Pull-up or lat pulldown - vertical pull, done first while fresh
- Barbell row or seated row - horizontal pull for upper back thickness. If the barbell row’s hinged position is fatiguing your lower back before your upper back, see bent-over row alternatives for supported substitutes.
- Single-arm dumbbell row - unilateral work to correct imbalances
- Face pull or rear delt fly - rear delt and upper back health
- Barbell or dumbbell curl - biceps isolation
- Hammer curl - forearm and brachialis emphasis
3-Day Pull Day Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Pull-up (or lat pulldown) | 4 | 6-10 |
| Barbell row | 3 | 6-8 |
| Single-arm dumbbell row | 3 | 10-12 |
| Face pull | 3 | 12-15 |
| Barbell curl | 3 | 8-10 |
| Hammer curl | 2 | 10-12 |
6-Day Pull Day Workout (Two Sessions)
In a 6-day push pull legs workout plan, pull day runs twice a week, so split width and thickness work across sessions.
| Day | Focus | Key exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Pull A | Width/heavy | Weighted pull-ups, barbell row, barbell curl |
| Pull B | Thickness/volume | Cable row, chest-supported row, face pull, hammer curl |
Let the Plan Balance Your Back
Getting an even split between width, thickness, and rear delt work on pull day is easy to get wrong when you’re programming it yourself. Your PT’s AI plan generator builds a pull day workout that balances all three and adjusts as your pull-up and row strength improves.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What muscles does a pull day workout train?
- A pull day workout trains the muscles that pull weight toward your body: the lats and upper back (traps, rhomboids), the rear delts, and the biceps. These muscles work together in rowing and pulling movements, mirroring how push day groups chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Should I do lat work or upper back work first on pull day?
- Start with the movement that best matches your priority. Vertical pulls like pull-ups and lat pulldowns build width through the lats; horizontal pulls like rows build thickness through the upper back. Most pull day workouts alternate: a vertical pull first, then a row, so both get trained while you're fresh.
- Why do my biceps get tired before my back on pull day?
- The biceps assist on nearly every back exercise, so they accumulate fatigue across the whole session even before you reach direct biceps work. Using a slightly wider grip and focusing on driving your elbows back, rather than pulling with your hands, shifts more work onto the back muscles and less onto the biceps.
- How many pull exercises should be in one workout?
- 5 to 7 exercises is standard: one or two vertical pulls, one or two horizontal rows, one rear delt or trap exercise, and one or two biceps isolation moves. That covers roughly 16-20 sets, matching the weekly volume back and biceps typically need.
- Is pull day harder to recover from than push day?
- Often, yes. The back is a large muscle group made up of several distinct areas (lats, traps, rhomboids, lower back), so a thorough pull day accumulates more total fatigue than a push day. Leaving a full rest day, or at least a leg day, between pull sessions helps the back recover fully.