Full body
High Pulls
A powerful pull from the floor to chest height. It trains your upper back, shoulders and traps, and the hip drive makes it a full body move.
- Works
- Upper back, traps, shoulders, glutes, hamstrings
- Equipment
- A pair of dumbbells
- Load
- Medium to heavy, powerful but clean
How to do it
- 1Stand with the dumbbells in front of your thighs, feet hip width apart.
- 2Hinge at your hips with a flat back until the dumbbells are just below your knees.
- 3Stand up fast, driving your hips forward, and use that momentum to pull the dumbbells up to chest height, elbows high and out.
- 4Lower the dumbbells under control and hinge into the next rep.
Cues
- Deadlift to standing, then drive your elbows up and out.
- The power comes from your hips, not your arms.
- Elbows stay above your hands at the top.
Common mistakes
- All arms, no hips. Snap your hips forward first; the pull follows.
- Rounding your back at the bottom. Keep your chest proud and your back flat.
- Pulling too high. Stop at chest height. Higher than that pinches the shoulders.
Easier
Go lighter and turn it into a slow upright row with no hip drive.
Harder
Go heavier, or move faster while staying in control.
Try it: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.
Is a high pull the same as an upright row?
Close. An upright row is all arms and shoulders. A high pull adds a hip drive, so you can move more weight and it works your whole body.
