Workout of the week: 25-min full-body strength pull workout

8th July 2024

ALL LEVELS / full-body strength pull workout / 25 minutes

Equipment: Dumbbells, hip thrust machine, barbell & kettlebell

Never heard of pull workouts? Don’t worry — they’re not some secret fitness cult or anything complex; in fact, it’s quite simple. Pull workouts, as the name suggests, focus on exercises with pulling movements. This means you’ll put forth your force towards your body, bringing it to you, like when you’re doing pull-ups, rows, bicep curls, and lat pulldowns. Pull workouts are usually part of the push and pull routine that we covered extensively here.

Curious to test this approach? Start with this full-body strength pull workout. It consists of 3 groups, each containing 2 exercises. Complete 3 rounds of each group before moving on to the next one. Each exercise is performed in a “45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest” format. Altogether, this workout will take approximately 25 minutes to complete.

Group 1

Deadlift to row
Hip thrust

Group 2

Barbell deadlift
Dumbbell deadlift

Group 3

Bent over row
Kettlebell swings

Let’s pull this workout off!

WORKOUT SETUP

3 groups
2 exercises each group
45 seconds on, 15 seconds off
3 rounds
25 minutes total
Equipment: Dumbbells, hip thrust machine, barbell & kettlebell

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

3 groups

GROUP 1

1 – DEADLIFT TO ROW

45 sec on, 15 sec off

Standing up proud, hold two dumbbells in each arm.
Now, bend forward until your upper body is slightly above parallel to the ground. Your back should remain under tension/straight throughout the motion.
Row the dumbbells up and down one time. Bend your elbows and retract your shoulder blades.
With your arms returned to the lower position, raise your upper body back up.

2 – HIP THRUST

45 sec on, 15 sec off

Position yourself in the machine, placing your feet hip-wide apart and at a distance that keeps your shins vertical when extending the hip (see video).
Lower the cushion on your pelvis.
Drive your hips up, lifting the weight. In the top position, your knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle, and your shoulders should be near the top of the bench, with your body forming a straight line between them.
Pause at the top of the lift and squeeze your glutes, then lower your hips slowly.
Lower your hips and repeat.

GROUP 2

1 – BARBELL DEADLIFT

45 sec on, 15 sec off

Stand with your feet under the barbell, hip-width apart. When you look down, the barbell should run halfway over your feet.
Bend down and grasp the barbell with a shoulder-width grip.
Keeping your torso upright and your back and arms straight, stand and pull the bar up the front of your legs, driving with your legs.
At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes, pull your shoulders back, and exhale.
To return the bar to the floor, push your butt backwards and lower the bar down the front of your legs, keeping your back straight.
Once the bar passes your knees, bend your knees and lower the bar to the floor.
Keep your arms and back straight, your torso upright, and your feet and knees pointing in the same direction.
At the top of the lift, do not hyperextend your back.
Keep the barbell close to your body to improve mechanical leverage.
Start light and add weight gradually to give your lower back time to adapt.
When lifting heavy, you can wear a support belt to protect your lower back.

2 – DUMBBELL DEADLIFT

45 sec on, 15 sec off

Begin in standing, holding a dumbbell in each hand. As the video shows, the dumbbells can be positioned in front of the body; however, if this puts too much stress on your lower back, hold the dumbbells by your side.
Engage the core and begin the movement by bending the knees slightly and hinging the hips. Then continue the bending by pushing the hips backwards, lowering the dumbbells as far as comfortable.
At the bottom of the movement, actively engage the glutes, push the feet into the floor and drive the hips upwards and forwards to return to the start position.
Repeat.

GROUP 3

1 – BENT OVER ROW

45 sec on, 15 sec off

Stand over a loaded barbell, with the bar lining up with your toes.
Bend at the hips and a little at the knees and grasp the barbell with hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Your back should be straight and close to horizontal.
Exhale as you pull the barbell up to your waist. Count to two and squeeze your back muscles.
Inhale as you lower the barbell in a controlled manner until it nearly touches the floor. Repeat.
Keep your back straight and close to horizontal; keep your elbows close to your body.
Pull with your back muscles, not your arms.

2 – KETTLEBELL SWINGS

45 sec on, 15 sec off

Hold the kettlebell with both hands.
Hinge the hips to initiate the swing movement.
Rapidly drive hip extension to swing the kettlebell upwards.
Control your swing descent with a hip hinge by swinging the kettlebell between your legs.
Repeat.