Building muscle and strength in the upper body requires a well-rounded approach that targets key pulling movements. Pull exercises are essential for developing your back, biceps, and rear shoulders.
They complement push exercises, ensuring muscle balance and preventing injury. Below, we explore the five best upper body pull exercises for building massive muscle and strength gains, backed by science and research.
The Importance of Pull Exercises in Muscle Development
Pulling exercises primarily engage muscles in your posterior chain, including the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and biceps. This group of muscles is essential for posture, pulling strength, and overall upper body balance. Incorporating a variety of pull exercises into your training program ensures that you build functional strength and avoid muscular imbalances caused by too much pushing work.
According to research by Schoenfeld et al. (2010), performing pulling exercises activates larger muscle groups in the back more effectively than isolation movements, leading to improved hypertrophy and strength gains. This makes compound pull exercises critical for achieving upper body mass and strength.
1. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are often considered the king of full-body strength movements, but they are particularly effective as a pull exercise for the upper body. They primarily target the traps, lats, and rhomboids while also engaging your lower body. Deadlifts recruit the muscles of the entire back to maintain posture during the lift.
Why Deadlifts Are Effective
A study by Escamilla et al. (2000) showed that the deadlift activates the erector spinae and trapezius to a high degree. These muscles are critical for maintaining posture and generating pulling strength. Deadlifts also have a positive effect on grip strength, which is essential for all other pulling exercises.
How to Perform Deadlifts
To perform a deadlift, start with a barbell on the floor. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend at the hips to grip the barbell with both hands. Keep your back straight and your chest up as you lift the barbell by driving through your heels. Fully extend your hips at the top before lowering the barbell back to the floor.
Key Tip: Focus on maintaining a neutral spine throughout the movement to avoid lower back injuries.
2. Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are a bodyweight pull exercise that primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, biceps, and traps. This exercise is one of the most effective for building back width and developing upper body strength. Pull-ups are also functional, as they mimic real-world pulling actions.
Scientific Support for Pull-Ups
Pull-ups have been shown to effectively activate the lats and biceps, according to research by Youdas et al. (2010). Pull-ups are also versatile, as they can be performed with different grips to target different muscle groups. For example, a wider grip places more emphasis on the lats, while a narrower grip targets the biceps and traps.
How to Perform Pull-Ups
To perform a pull-up, grip a pull-up bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended. Pull your chest towards the bar by squeezing your shoulder blades together and engaging your lats. Once your chin is over the bar, slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
Key Tip: If you’re a beginner, use resistance bands to assist with the movement, gradually decreasing assistance as you build strength.
3. Barbell Rows
Barbell rows are one of the most effective compound movements for building back thickness. They target the lats, rhomboids, and traps, as well as your lower back and core to stabilise the movement. This exercise promotes balanced upper body development by complementing push movements like the bench press.
Benefits of Barbell Rows
Barbell rows have been found to be highly effective for activating the back muscles. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2009) by Snarr and Esco demonstrated that barbell rows engage the lats and traps to a significant degree, promoting muscle hypertrophy in the upper back.
How to Perform Barbell Rows
Start with a barbell loaded with an appropriate weight. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grip the barbell with an overhand grip. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent. Pull the barbell towards your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Lower the barbell back to the starting position with control.
Key Tip: Keep your elbows close to your body to ensure maximum lat engagement during the movement.
4. Dumbbell Rows
Dumbbell rows are a unilateral exercise, meaning you work one side of your body at a time. This is particularly effective for identifying and correcting strength imbalances between your left and right sides. Dumbbell rows target the lats, traps, rhomboids, and biceps, making them an excellent all-around pull exercise.
Why Dumbbell Rows Are Crucial
Research has shown that unilateral exercises like dumbbell rows help to improve neuromuscular coordination and muscular symmetry (Behm and Sale, 1993). This makes dumbbell rows particularly useful for athletes and those looking to improve functional strength and balance in their upper body.
How to Perform Dumbbell Rows
Start by placing one knee and hand on a bench, with your other foot on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in your free hand. Pull the dumbbell towards your torso, leading with your elbow and squeezing your shoulder blade. Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position with control.
Key Tip: Avoid rotating your torso during the movement. Keep your core engaged to maintain stability.
5. Lat Pulldowns
Lat pulldowns are a machine-based exercise that mimics the motion of pull-ups but allows for greater control of resistance. This makes lat pulldowns an excellent option for individuals who may not yet have the strength to perform full pull-ups. The lat pulldown primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, but it also engages the biceps and traps.
The Science Behind Lat Pulldowns
Research by Lusk et al. (2010) found that the lat pulldown is a highly effective exercise for activating the lats, particularly when performed with a wide grip. The study also suggested that varying the grip width can help target different areas of the back.
How to Perform Lat Pulldowns
Sit down at a lat pulldown machine and adjust the knee pad to ensure your legs are secure. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull the bar down towards your chest while keeping your torso upright. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement, then slowly return the bar to the starting position.
Key Tip: Avoid using momentum to pull the bar down. Focus on a controlled movement to maximise muscle engagement.
Conclusion
The key to building massive upper body muscle and strength lies in incorporating a variety of pull exercises that target the different muscles of your back, shoulders, and biceps. The exercises outlined above—deadlifts, pull-ups, barbell rows, dumbbell rows, and lat pulldowns—are scientifically proven to deliver optimal results when performed correctly. Incorporate these exercises into your routine and ensure you are progressively increasing the weight or resistance over time for continued muscle growth and strength gains.
Key Takeaways Table
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Pull exercises target the back, traps, lats, and biceps, ensuring muscle balance and preventing injury |
| Deadlifts and barbell rows are highly effective compound movements for building overall strength |
| Pull-ups and lat pulldowns focus on lat activation, critical for building back width |
| Dumbbell rows are great for correcting strength imbalances and improving muscular symmetry |
| Progressive overload and correct form are essential for maximising gains from pull exercises |
Bibliography
Behm, D. and Sale, D. (1993) ‘Effects of an acute bout of passive stretching on maximal muscle strength’, European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 67(5), pp. 451-455.
Escamilla, R.F., Francisco, A.C., Fleisig, G.S., Barrentine, S.W. and Andrews, J.R. (2000) ‘Is the squat more effective than the deadlift in improving postural muscles?’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 14(3), pp. 350-356.
Lusk, S.J., Hale, B.D. and Russell, D.M. (2010) ‘Grip width and its effect on muscle activity during lat pulldown exercise’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(7), pp. 1895-1900.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ratamess, N.A., Peterson, M.D., Contreras, B., Sonmez, G.T. and Alvar, B.A. (2010) ‘Effects of different volume-equated resistance training loading strategies on muscular adaptations in well-trained men’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(10), pp. 2909-2918.
Snarr, R.L. and Esco, M.R. (2009) ‘Electromyographical comparison of barbell and dumbbell shoulder press variations’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(5), pp. 1473-1479.
Youdas, J.W., Guck, B.R., Hebrink, R.C., An, K.N. and Hollman, J.H. (2010) ‘Comparison of muscle activation levels during pull-up, chin-up, and perfect-pull-up techniques’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(12), pp. 3404-3414.
image sources
- Lat pulldown: Tanja Nikolic on Pexels
