What is Pull Day?

What is Pull Day?

Pull day is the training session in a push/pull/legs (PPL) split dedicated to every muscle that pulls a load toward your body, as opposed to push day, which trains the muscles that press a load away from it. The name describes the joint action, not a body part: any exercise where the hands travel toward the torso, whether that is a vertical pull like a pull-up or a horizontal pull like a barbell row, belongs on pull day.

That groups together muscles that do not share a single location but do share a function — the latissimus dorsi and trapezius of the upper back, the rhomboids between the shoulder blades, the rear deltoids at the back of the shoulder, the biceps brachii and brachialis of the upper arm, and the forearm flexors that grip the bar. A well-built pull day pairs a vertical pulling movement (pull-up, chin-up, lat pulldown) with a horizontal pulling movement (barbell row, seated cable row), adds targeted rear-delt work (face pull, reverse fly) for shoulder health, and finishes with direct biceps and sometimes forearm or trap isolation. The PPL split itself traces back to bodybuilding programming from the 1960s and 70s, and it remains popular because it trains every muscle through its natural movement pattern exactly once (or twice, on a six-day rotation) each week without the awkward overlap you get from splitting by body part alone — rows recruit the biceps, so pairing them on the same day avoids working the biceps twice in 48 hours.

How it works

Pull day works through the same stimulus-recovery-adaptation cycle as any resistance session, but the muscles involved share a specific set of joint actions: shoulder extension and adduction (bringing the upper arm down and in, the job of the lats), scapular retraction (pulling the shoulder blades together, the job of the rhomboids and middle trapezius), shoulder horizontal abduction (moving the upper arm backward at shoulder height, the job of the rear deltoids), and elbow flexion with forearm supination (the job of the biceps brachii and brachialis). Vertical pulls like the pull-up and lat pulldown put the lats through a long stretch overhead and are the primary drivers of back width; horizontal pulls like the barbell row and seated cable row keep the arm closer to the torso and recruit more rhomboid and mid-trap fiber, which is what builds back thickness and the visible detail between the shoulder blades.

Research comparing chin-ups to lat pulldowns found greater biceps brachii and erector spinae activation during chin-ups, while pulldown activation rose with heavier loading — both are legitimate lat-builders, and the choice often comes down to whether you can already do enough bodyweight pull-up reps to overload the muscle. Because nearly every pulling exercise also flexes the elbow, the biceps accumulate meaningful indirect volume from rows and pull-ups before you ever pick up a curl bar, which is why direct biceps work on pull day is usually lower in set count than back work. Grip and forearm fatigue is frequently the limiting factor on heavy rows and deadlift variations, which is one reason some lifters place straps-free pulling early in the session while grip strength is fresh.

The formula

Weekly pull volume = sessions per week × hard sets per exercise, summed per muscle

Back tolerates more weekly volume than smaller muscles because it is several large muscles working through varied angles; biceps and rear delts need less direct work since pulling compounds already train them indirectly.

How to apply it

• Vertical pull for back width: Pull-ups, chin-ups, and lat pulldowns stretch the lats overhead and are the main width-builders on pull day. Chin-ups (underhand grip) bias the biceps more; a wider, overhand grip shifts more work to the lats and lower traps.
• Horizontal pull for back thickness: Barbell rows, Pendlay rows, T-bar rows, and seated cable rows keep the elbow closer to the torso and load the rhomboids and mid-traps hard, building the thickness you see from the side. Keep the torso angle consistent and pull to the lower ribs, not the neck.
• Rear delt and upper-back isolation: Face pulls and reverse flyes horizontally abduct the shoulder, a joint action rows only partially train, so they are the most reliable way to bring up a lagging rear delt. Run them for 12–20 reps with a strong pause at end range.
• Direct biceps work: Barbell curls, dumbbell curls, and incline curls isolate elbow flexion once rows and pull-ups have already pre-fatigued the biceps. Because indirect volume is already high, 2–4 direct sets per session is usually enough to close the gap to your weekly target.
• Trap and shrug work: Barbell or dumbbell shrugs isolate the upper trapezius through scapular elevation, a motion rows barely touch. Add them when upper-back thickness or a stronger lockout on deadlifts and shrugs specifically is the goal, not as a default on every pull day.
• Forearm and grip work: Reverse curls, dead hangs, and farmer's carries build the wrist flexors and grip that limit how much weight you can row or deadlift before the bar slips. Place grip-intensive accessories at the end of the session so fatigue there does not cap your heavier pulls.

Worked example

A balanced pull day covers a vertical pull, a horizontal pull, dedicated rear-delt work, and biceps, heaviest and most technical work first while grip is fresh. Adjust the loads to your own numbers; the order and pattern coverage matter more than the specific weight on the bar.

That is roughly 11 direct back sets plus 3 rear-delt and 3 biceps sets in one session — near the middle of the weekly ranges research supports once you add the second pull day of the week. If you only train pull once a week, add one more row variation to reach the top of the back's 10–20-set range.

Pull day vs push day

Pull and push are complementary opposites: nearly every pull-day exercise loads the muscles that decelerate and stabilize a push-day lift, which is why an imbalance between the two — rounded shoulders from overtrained pushing and undertrained pulling — is one of the most common postural issues in lifters who skip pull day.

By goal

• Beginners: Start with one pull day a week and four exercises: a vertical pull (assisted pull-up or lat pulldown), a horizontal pull (seated cable row or dumbbell row), a face pull, and a curl, at 3 sets of 8–12 reps. Master pulling with the shoulder blades, not just the arms, before adding load.
• Hypertrophy / intermediate: Split pull work across two sessions a week totaling 10–20 sets for back, 8–14 for biceps, and 8–16 for rear delts, training one to three reps shy of failure (RIR 1–3). Alternate a vertical-pull-emphasis day with a horizontal-pull-emphasis day so no single session runs past about 15 sets.
• Strength / advanced: Center pull day around a heavy row or weighted pull-up variation, periodizing intensity across a training block (for example 5x5 at 75% building to 3x3 at 85–90%), then add rear-delt and biceps accessory volume based on which weak point is limiting your bench or overhead lockout.

Common misconceptions

• "Pull day is just back exercises." A complete pull day also trains the rear delts, biceps, and forearms, since every pulling movement flexes the elbow and most horizontal pulls involve the rear deltoid. Reducing pull day to rows and pulldowns alone leaves the rear delts, which respond poorly to rowing alone, chronically undertrained.
• "More curls always means bigger biceps, regardless of your back work." Rows and pull-ups already deliver meaningful indirect biceps volume before you touch a curl bar, so total effective weekly sets — direct plus indirect — is what matters. Stacking a high direct-curl count on top of heavy rowing volume usually adds junk volume and recovery cost, not extra growth.
• "You need pull-ups every pull day for a wide back." Studies comparing chin-ups and lat pulldowns show both drive meaningful latissimus dorsi activation, with pulldown activation rising as load increases. Back width comes from total lat training volume and progressive overload, not from any single exercise being mandatory.
• "Rear delts don't need direct work if you already row." Rows train the rear delt only as a secondary mover during scapular retraction, not through the horizontal-abduction pattern that recruits it hardest. Face pulls and reverse flyes isolate that motion directly, which is why rear delts are one of the most commonly lagging muscles even in lifters who row heavy.

Related terms

Pull Day FAQ

What is pull day in simple terms?

Pull day is a workout built around exercises where you pull weight toward your body — rows, pull-ups, lat pulldowns, and curls — instead of pushing it away. It trains the back, rear shoulders, biceps, and forearms in one session as part of a push/pull/legs split.

What muscles does pull day work?

A complete pull day trains the latissimus dorsi and trapezius (upper back), rhomboids (between the shoulder blades), rear deltoids (back of the shoulder), biceps brachii and brachialis (front of the upper arm), and the forearm flexors that grip the bar during rows and pull-ups.

What exercises should I do on pull day?

A balanced pull day mixes a vertical pull (pull-up, chin-up, or lat pulldown), a horizontal pull (barbell row or seated cable row), rear-delt work (face pull or reverse fly), and direct biceps work (barbell or dumbbell curl). Four to six exercises covers every pulling muscle in one session.

How many exercises should a pull day have?

Most effective pull days use four to six exercises: one vertical pull, one or two horizontal pulls, a rear-delt isolation move, and one or two biceps exercises. Beginners can cover the basics in four exercises; adding more won't build muscle faster once your weekly set target is met.

How often should you do pull day?

Most lifters do best training pull once to three times per week. Once a week can work if you hit 10–20 back sets in that single session; twice a week, splitting the same total volume into two smaller sessions, tends to be more recoverable and matches current training-frequency research.

Is pull day back and biceps or back and shoulders?

Both, in a narrower sense: pull day trains the back muscles (lats, traps, rhomboids) plus the biceps, which assist on every row and pull-up, and the rear deltoid specifically, not the whole shoulder. The front and side deltoids belong to push day instead.

Should you do pull-ups or lat pulldowns on pull day?

Both build the lats effectively; research shows chin-ups produce greater biceps and erector spinae activation, while lat pulldown activation rises as you add load. Choose pull-ups or weighted pull-ups once you can do more than about 8–10 clean reps; use pulldowns to build toward that or to add volume afterward.

Why are my biceps sore after pull day even without curls?

Every row and pull-up flexes the elbow, so the biceps work hard as a secondary mover throughout the session even if you never pick up a curl bar. This indirect volume is real training stimulus, which is why direct biceps work on pull day usually needs fewer sets than on an arm-only day.

What is the difference between push day and pull day?

Push day trains muscles that extend a limb away from the body — chest, front and side delts, triceps — through presses and dips. Pull day trains muscles that draw a limb toward the body — lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delts, biceps — through rows, pull-ups, and curls.

How long should a pull day workout take?

Most structured pull days run 45 to 70 minutes including warm-up sets, covering four to six exercises with two to three minutes of rest after heavy rows and pull-ups and 60–90 seconds after isolation work like curls and face pulls. Rushing rest on heavy rows hurts grip and bar-path quality on the next set.

References

1. Anatomy, Back, Latissimus Dorsi Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
2. Anatomy, Back, Trapezius. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
3. Anatomy, Back, Rhomboid Muscles. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
4. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Biceps Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
5. Doma K, et al. Kinematic and electromyographic comparisons between chin-ups and lat-pull down exercises. Sports Biomech, 2013. PubMed 24245055
6. Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2019. PubMed 30153194
7. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2009. PubMed 19204579