Pull Day Workout: Best Exercises for a Bigger Back & Biceps

Most lifters walk into the gym, use the same two or three machines every week, and leave. Then they wonder why their back stays flat and their arms stall.

The real problem is the structure of their workout. When you don’t organize it around the movement patterns that load your latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii, you miss out on the size and strength you could be building.

That’s why in this guide we break down what a pull day is, the muscles it trains, and how to structure it. You’ll also get the best exercises grouped by movement pattern, each with sets and reps. Lastly, we’ll hand you a ready-to-run routine you can start this week.

What Is A Pull Day Workout?

A pull day workout is a session built around pulling movements. You essentially contract your muscles to draw a weight toward your body. Every pull day workout leans on two movement families:

• Vertical pulls bring the weight down toward you, like a lat pulldown.
• Horizontal pulls draw the weight into your torso, like a row.

Keep those two patterns in mind. They shape every exercise choice you’ll make below.

What Muscles Does A Pull Day Work?

A pull day trains the entire back of your upper body plus the elbow flexors. Here are the muscles doing the work:

• Latissimus dorsi: the largest back muscle; drives width on vertical pulls.
• Trapezius and rhomboids: control the shoulder blades and build mid-back thickness on rows.
• Posterior deltoids (rear delts): recruited on most rows and face pulls.
• Biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis: the elbow flexors that assist every pull and get finished with direct curls.
• Erector spinae: stabilize the spine during bent-over and free-weight pulls.

Why Pull Day Belongs In Your Split

Pull day balances all the pressing you do on push day, keeping your shoulders strong and holding your posture upright. That said, what you need to consider is that frequency drives the growth.

A meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn, and Krieger (2016) found that training a muscle group twice per week produced more hypertrophy than once per week. So run your pull day roughly twice across the training week.

How To Structure A Pull Day Workout

Order your session by size and demand. Run compound lifts before isolation, and train your back before your biceps, so your biggest muscles get your freshest energy.

Most lifters need 5 to 7 exercises to cover a full pull day. Pair at least one vertical pull with one horizontal pull to build both width and thickness in the same session.

Note: Schoenfeld and colleagues’ research shows that around 10 or more hard sets per muscle group per week supports greater growth than lower volumes. Run 3-4 sets per exercise, 6-12 reps on compounds and 10-15 on isolation, and stop 1-2 reps shy of failure.

Best Pull Day Exercises for a Bigger Back & Biceps

These are the pull day exercises we build our own sessions around, grouped by pattern so you can swap within a group and keep your routine balanced. Every one of these pull exercises loads your back or biceps hard, with no filler.

Work through them in order, and you hit every muscle listed above.

1) Lat Pulldown (vertical pull)

The lat pulldown is the go-to width builder for the latissimus dorsi. It’s also a scalable start for lifters who can’t do pull-ups (yet).

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Sit on the machine seat with your thighs under the support pads.
• Hold the handle at shoulder-width with an overhand grip.
• Begin each repetition with your elbows straight and your shoulders up at your ears.
• Pull the handle down at least until it is below your chin.
• Return to the starting position and hold for a moment before initiating the next rep.

Sets/reps: 3-4 sets of 8-12.

2) Pull-Up (vertical pull)

The pull-up is the bodyweight benchmark for back width, and it works well for home and limited-equipment training. A band or an assisted machine is ideal for beginners.

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Grip the bar at shoulder-width with an overhand grip, elbows fully extended, and shoulders up at your ears.
• With legs straight and knees locked, pull yourself up at least until your chin is above the bar.
• Descend in a controlled manner.
• Before initiating the next rep, pause for a moment at the bottom.

Sets/reps: 3-4 sets to 1-2 reps short of failure.

3) Bent-Over Barbell Row (horizontal pull)

The bent-over barbell row builds your lats and mid-back (traps, rhomboids, and rear delts), with a secondary emphasis on your biceps. Here’s how to do it properly:

• Place the bar hip level on the rack.
• Hold the bar slightly wider than your stance with an overhand grip.
• Unrack the bar and take a few steps back.
• Lower the bar until your chest is parallel to the floor.
• Let the bar hang straight down at arm’s length.
• Pull the bar up until it touches your upper abs.
• Bring the bar back down until your arms are straight.
• Hold the bottom position for a moment before initiating the next rep.
• Make sure your back is flat and your chest stays parallel to the floor throughout the movement.

Sets/reps: 3-4 sets of 6-10.

4) Seated Cable Row (cable back)

The seated cable row keeps constant tension on the mid-back through a long, controlled range. It also stays easy on the lower back. And it puts a secondary emphasis on your biceps and traps and neck.

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Sit upright with your back arched and chest raised.
• Hold the handle at shoulder-width with an overhand grip.
• Begin the repetition with your arms straight and shoulder blades extended forward.
• Bring your elbows as far back as possible and keep them close to your ribs.
• Hold the end position for a moment.
• Return with control to the starting position.

Sets/reps: 3 sets of 10-12.

5) Single-Arm Dumbbell Row (single-arm variation)

The single-arm dumbbell row trains one side at a time, which fixes strength imbalances. It also lets you chase a bigger range of motion per lat. And it puts a secondary emphasis on your biceps and obliques.

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Lean on the bench with your knee and arm, keeping your torso parallel to the ground.
• Keep your back flat (neutral spine).
• Pull the dumbbell towards your hip by lifting your elbow as high as you can.
• Row with the dumbbell close to your side with the intention of bringing it to your pocket.
• Descend with control.

Sets/reps: 3 sets of 10–12 per side.

6) Standing Cable Pullover Bar (lat isolation)

The standing cable pullover bar isolates the latissimus dorsi with almost no bicep involvement. That makes it ideal for feeling your lats work with a secondary emphasis on your triceps and chest.

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Grip the bar at shoulder-width and step away from the pulley machine.
• Stand comfortably and bend your knees slightly.
• Begin with the handle at eye height with your elbows locked.
• Lean forward and lower the handle toward your knees.
• Return to the starting position and hold for a moment before initiating the next rep.

Sets/reps: 3 sets of 12–15.

7) Cable Face Pull

The cable face pull primarily targets the posterior deltoids and upper back that pressing tends to neglect. It also has a secondary emphasis on your biceps and neck.

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Stand upright.
• At the starting position, have your arms fully extended forward at eye height.
• Pull the rope handle backwards, bringing the back of your palms to the side of your head.
• Concentrate on leading with your elbows back, keeping them at the same height as your eyes.
• Hold the end position for a moment before returning to the starting position in a controlled manner.

Sets/reps: 3 sets of 15–20.

8) Biceps Finisher: Dumbbell Curl & Hammer Curl

The dumbbell curl and hammer curl finish the biceps brachii and brachialis after your back work. It also puts a secondary emphasis on your forearms.

Here’s how to do it properly:

• Stand upright.
• At the starting position, hold the weight at a dead hang with your arms straight, using a neutral grip.
• In a controlled manner, perform the curl by bending your elbows until the dumbbells are in front of your neck.
• Control the descent and avoid using momentum.

Sets/reps: 3 sets of 10–12 each.

Sample Pull Day Workout (Sets & Reps)

Run this pull day workout plan top to bottom. Beginners should take the lower set and rep end, and advanced lifters should take the higher end.

Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps
1	Lat Pulldown	4	8-12
2	Bent-Over Barbell Row	4	6-10
3	Single-Arm Dumbbell Row	3	10-12 per side
4	Seated Cable Row	3	10-12
5	Standing Cable Pullover Bar	3	12-15
6	Cable Face Pull	3	15-20
7	Dumbbell Curl + Hammer Curl	3	10-12 each

Note: Train at home with only dumbbells? Swap the pulldowns and cable rows for single-arm rows, chest-supported dumbbell rows, and band pull-aparts. You’ll still hit every muscle described above.

Common Pull Day Mistakes

• Using momentum to swing the weight instead of controlling the negative.
• Running only vertical pulls, so mid-back thickness never develops.
• Skipping rear delts, which leaves your shoulders unbalanced.
• Curling too heavy and turning every rep into a full-body cheat.

Are You Ready To Stop Guessing On Pull Day?

GymVerse builds you a personalized pull day plan designed by professional trainers. And it adds weight for you as you get stronger, week after week.

Every exercise comes with video guidance, so your form stays sharp. And best of all, you pick your equipment, your schedule, and your goal. Then the app builds the plan around you.

Start your GymVerse pull plan and train your back and biceps with a structure that grows with you. Find the app on both iOS and Android.

Conclusion

A strong pull day is a session organized around vertical and horizontal pulls that train your latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, rear delts, and elbow flexors as one group.

Run 5 to 7 movements, and hit roughly 10 or more hard sets for your back across the week. Pair compounds with isolation, train pull day about twice a week, and stop each set 1–2 reps shy of failure.

All the research we referenced points in the same direction; consistent volume and frequency build the back you want.