🏋️‍♂️ 11 killer pull-day exercises

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Here’s what’s waiting for you inside this edition:

• 11 best moves for your next pull day

• Barbell back training that doesn’t involve the deadlift

• Mitchell Hooper challenges Hafthor to a deadlift duel

Exercises

Pulling for You

Whether you’re doing a classic push/pull/legs split or you have some other way of making sure you train your back, the “pull” portion of your life can sometimes be the most difficult to compile cohesively. That’s exactly why we’ve compiled 11 pulling movements that make staying on the right path to the Emerald City of Big Backs significantly easier.

You can’t go wrong with a deadlift, but if you need a greater range of motion and isolation, a huge rack of dumbbells, perfect for single-arm dumbbell rows, are just a short jaunt from the platform. You can usually find the lat pulldown and low cable row (eternally bonded by friendship and strong welds) hidden within the same machine, making it a convenient love triangle to insert yourself into. 

Stop being confused by the strange road signs you see on back day, and start focusing on all the pulling you should be doing.

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Training

Barbell Classics

On the subject of back exercises, we’ve also got this list of seven essential barbell back movements that aren’t the deadlift.

There is a reason bodybuilders like Jay Cutler don’t like the deadlift; it really isn’t the ideal choice for muscle growth. What is also sometimes left unsaid is the untapped strength you are missing out on by not including more barbell movements to augment your basic deadlift training. 

Pendlay Rows, in various forms, have been used for years to upgrade to a better back. Variations of that same theme, such as seal rows or T-bar rows, are just as useful at building up the dense muscles of the upper and middle back.

The barbell is unquestionably the most versatile piece of gym equipment ever invented. Whether or not you will unlock its many mysteries is up to you to decide.

Strongman

The Case of Hooper v. Björnsson

To add to the hype train surrounding the massive collision between Mitchell Hooper and Hafthor Björnsson at the Rogue Invitational in early November, Hooper has thrown his name into the ring of men trying to become the first to deadlift 505kg (or 1,113 pounds.)

This came in the form of a direct challenge from Hooper to Björnsson, who is the current deadlift world record holder. As internet nerds will sometimes whinge to you about, these massive world records are set at semi-official events specifically designed to allow the likes of Björnsson and Eddie Hall the chance to move more weight than any human has before. 

Hooper hopes that by including him in the event, he can push beyond his, or anyone else’s, limitations and set the record in a head-to-head duel.

Everything Else

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