Life — and your workout routine — is all about balance. So while there's a lot of emphasis on pushing exercises (ones that target your chest, shoulders and triceps, such as bench press, push-up, chest fly and shoulder press), it's equally important to perform pull exercises.
These are exercises that work the exact opposite muscles: your back, biceps and hamstrings (sometimes forearms are also included). These muscles are responsible for, yes, pulling motions like opening a door, pulling a rope and hauling your luggage.
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"Pull workouts are also important for posture and keeping an upright position when so much of what we do is anteriorly [front of your body] dominant," New York–based trainer Noam Tamir, CSCS, owner and founder of TS Fitness NYC, says.
They can also help prevent some overuse injuries by keeping your neck, shoulders and pelvis in a more neutral position, he says.
This pull-day workout from Tamir helps you balance out all the pushing movements you do every day to help prevent muscle imbalances and improve your overall strength and stability.
20-Minute Pull-Day Workout
Block 1
Do both of the exercises below, back to back, for 30 seconds each. Perform 3 rounds total, resting 15 seconds in between each round. Then, rest 1 minute before beginning the next block. That's 4 minutes and 45 seconds total.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand in the front of your thighs, palms facing down.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge your hips back behind you, lowering the dumbbells as you do and keeping them close to your legs.
- Press your feet into the floor and hinge forward, using the strength of your hamstrings and glutes to returning to standing.
Single-Arm Bent-Over Row
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in your right hand. Rest your left hand on a bench for support. Hinge your hips back and lean your torso forward, back flat.
- Using your back muscles, row the right arm up, keeping the elbow at your side and bringing the weight up to your abdomen.
- Then, reverse the motion and lower the weight with control.
- Do 15 seconds on the right arm, then switch sides for 15 seconds.
Block 2
Do both of the exercises below, back to back, for 30 seconds each. Perform 3 rounds total, resting 15 seconds in between each round. Then, rest 1 minute before beginning the next block. That's 4 minutes and 45 seconds total.
Supinated Bent-Over Row
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a weight in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing up.
- Press your hips back and hinge forward at least 45 degrees, keeping your back flat.
- Extend your arms toward the ground, palms still facing up. This is the starting position.
- Draw your elbows up toward your ribs and pull the weights up.
- Lower the weights back down.
Back Extension With Lat Pulldown
- Lie on your stomach, all four limbs extended — arms reaching overhead and legs out straight, toes flexed and on the ground.
- Keeping your hip bones and stomach glued to the ground, lift your arms into the air. As you lift, avoid shrugging your shoulders.
- Hold here as you bend your elbows and pull them down toward your rib cage, engaging your upper-back muscles.
- Press your hands back up over your head.
- You can either continue without lowering to the floor or lower to the floor in between reps.
Block 3
Do both of the exercises below, back to back, for 30 seconds each. Perform 3 rounds total, resting 15 seconds in between each round. Then, rest 1 minute before beginning the next block. That's 4 minutes and 45 seconds total.
Chest-Supported Facepull
- Set a bench at around a 45-degree incline.
- Lay your stomach and chest down on the bench, feet on the floor. The top of the bench should be around mid-sternum.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing toward your body and let your arms hang down from your shoulders.
- Draw your shoulder blades together, as you bend your elbows and draw the weights toward the sides of your face. Your elbows should be slightly behind your shoulders.
- Lower the weights back down to the start with control.
Chest-Supported Rear Delt Fly
- Set a bench at around a 45-degree incline.
- Lay your stomach and chest down on the bench with your feet on the floor. The top of the bench should be around mid-sternum.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other and let your arms hang down from your shoulders.
- Drawing your shoulder blades together, raise the dumbbells up and out to the side with a slight bend in your elbows. Your arms should form a shape somewhere between a T and a U.
- Lower the weights back down to the start with control.
Block 4
Do all three exercises below, back to back to back, for 20 seconds each. Perform 3 rounds total, resting 10 seconds in between each round. That's 3 minutes and 30 seconds total. Remember to cool down after you're finished.
Hammer Curl
- Begin standing tall with your arms at your sides, holding a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing each other.
- Brace your core and curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders, holding the weights vertical.
- Keeping your elbows at your sides, slowly lower the weights back down with control.
Spider Curl
- Set a bench at around a 45-degree incline.
- Lay your stomach and chest down on the bench with your feet on the floor. The top of the bench should be around mid-sternum.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing forward and let your arms hang down from your shoulders.
- Bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells to your shoulders.
- Lower the weights back down with control.
Reverse Curl
- Stand tall with elbows at your sides, back flat and core engaged.
- Hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand with your palms facing down.
- On an inhale, curl the dumbbells up to your shoulder, keeping the overhand grip.
- Then, lower the weight back down to your sides with control, maintaining your elbows close to your sides.
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