Master Lower-Body Pull Exercises: A Comprehensive Guide

The pull/push/legs workout split is one of the most popular workout splits among gym-goers. It targets all muscle groups in the body by putting the ones that are more connected to each other in the same group. However, sometimes, you’ll need to get even more specific in your workout routine to meet your goals. For instance, if your legs need more work, you’ll have to isolate your leg muscles. In that case, dedicating a day to lower-body pull exercises could help you reach your goals faster.

In this article, we’ll explain what pull exercises are and how they benefit you. We will also introduce the top 5 lower-body pull exercises. Additionally, we’ll help you perfect your form and master these movements.

What’s a Pull Exercise?

Before you start performing pull lower body exercises, you should understand what a pull exercise is. Some say that a pull exercise is one where you bring a weight to your body; but this explanation is not always accurate: Good mornings are a perfect example of pull exercises where you don’t pull anything towards your body. Also, chin-ups are a bodyweight pull exercise where you pull your body towards a bar and not weights towards your body.

Here's a more scientific explanation. Most exercises are composed of two main types of muscle contraction: concentric and eccentric (We also have isometric but that doesn’t apply here). The concentric movement is when your muscle shortens; this is where you feel the most pressure. Conversely, the eccentric movement is when your muscle lengthens. Take biceps curls for example: When you raise the dumbbells towards your torso, you’re doing the concentric movement. On the other hand, when you’re lowering the dumbbells, you’re performing the eccentric part.

A pull exercise involves concentric contractions. During a biceps curl, you feel the most tension on the concentric movement. On the contrary, a cable triceps extension puts the most tension on your triceps when they’re lengthened; that is when you bring your hands down.

Benefits of Lower Body Pull Exercises

Compared to concentric movements, exercises with eccentric contraction (which generally include push exercises) play a slightly greater role in muscle hypertrophy, or in common speaking, getting bigger muscles. This is probably because you can lift more when you’re performing an eccentric exercise. However, this doesn’t mean that pull exercises are without benefits. All exercises play their unique part when it comes to building muscle.

Lower body pull exercises target the muscles in your posterior chain (on the back of your body): glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles. These muscles are responsible for a wide range of daily movements, such as hip extension (standing up or climbing stairs), hamstring flexion (running or walking), and calf extension (standing on tiptoe). You can see how these exercises are important in overall health and strength.

5 Most Important Pull Lower Body Exercises

A workout plan is one of the things that should be determined before you go to the gym. Studies show that exercise variation is beneficial for muscle gain if done in moderation. A workout split is designed to ensure that you benefit from different exercises without aimlessly doing whatever comes to mind. With it, you’ll know what exercises you’ll have to do on each specific day, providing you with a goal and a clear path to reach that goal.

We have gathered a list of the 5 most important lower-body pull exercises in case you’ve decided to incorporate them into your workout routine. These exercises are among the most effective resistance training exercises. They target some of the most important muscles in your posterior chain. Most athletes have one or more of them in their routine, and they’re doing them regularly.

However, you should avoid doing too much too fast. Make sure that your routine is balanced and targets all your muscles. Let’s see what these exercises are:

1. Deadlift

Squats may be the king of exercises, but deadlifts are definitely up there. The amazing thing about deadlifts is that they activate so many muscles, such as glutes, hamstrings, lower back, trapezius, quads, core, forearms, etc. However, the primary focus of deadlifts is the glutes and the hamstrings. The other positive aspect of deadlifts is that you usually can lift heavy weights during this exercise, which promotes muscle gain. Here’s how to perform deadlifts:

• Put the bar on the ground and load it with the proper weight.
• Lock the plates on the bar with collars.
• Move close to the bar. The middle of your shoes should be directly under the bar.
• Position your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Lean forward and bend your knees slightly. This is different from a squat; your knees shouldn’t be fully bent.
• Grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Your hands should be placed right outside of your knees. You have two grip options: overhand (both hands on the barbell) and mixed (one hand on and one under the bar). The mixed grip reduces grip failure but could cause muscle imbalances in the long run.
• Keep a straight back and bring your chest forward.
• Engage your core and push your feet onto the floor, raising the bar and standing straight.
• Take a breath and squeeze your abs and glutes.
• Come down, reversing the same movement. The bar should be as close as possible to your legs throughout the whole movement.

2. Sumo Deadlift

Sumo deadlifts are one of the variations of conventional deadlifts. Studies show that for beginners with longer torsos, it may be more convenient to perform sumo deadlifts than conventional ones. Plus, you can usually lift heavier weights during sumo deadlifts. Just like a conventional deadlift, sumo deadlifts target the glutes and hamstrings. However, they also activate quads and adductors. To perform a sumo deadlift:

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed out.
• Place your feet under the bar.
• Slightly bend your knees and hips and grab the bar with a mixed or overhand grip. Your hands should be placed inside your legs.
• Adopt a hollow body position to stabilize your core and keep a straight back.
• Push through the floor and raise the bar by extending your knees and hips.
• At the top, make sure your shoulders are back and your chest forward.
• Slowly come down in the same movement, keeping a flat back.

3. Romanian Deadlift

It’s called a Romanian “deadlift,” but it’s definitely not the same as deadlifts. While deadlift seems to be the do-it-all of exercises, RDL targets fewer muscle groups. It focuses more on the hamstrings and glutes. So, if you want bigger glutes and more defined hamstrings, we suggest that you try RDLs.

Lifters usually perform deadlifts to increase their strength; so, they do them with heavier weights and fewer reps. On the other hand, you can pick up lighter weights and dedicate more time to RDL. In general, though, the main difference between RDLs and deadlifts is that RDLs start from a standing position while deadlifts start from the bar on the ground. That’s why it’s easier to reach grip failure during RDLs as there’s no putting the bar down.

Here's how to properly do this pull lower body exercise:

• Start just as you would in a conventional deadlift.
• Once the bar is raised and your torso straight, begin by pushing your hips back.
• Keep your back straight and avoid rounding your back at any point of the movement.
• Bring the bar down by pushing your hips back without bending your knees. Keep the bar as close as possible to your legs.
• Once the bar reaches your knees, bend them very slightly.
• Lower the bar until you feel like you can’t push your hips back any further. Don't lower the bar too much. Usually, it’s enough to reach the middle of your shins.
• Go up slowly by straightening your knees and pushing your hips forward.

Tip: Single-leg RDLs are also a great variation that you can do to increase your strength and target underworked muscles individually. This exercise is performed on individual legs, improving balance and allowing lifters to build muscle more efficiently.

Single-leg RDLs are performed with a dumbbell and a platform to hold on to for balance. The same movement should be done on one leg, while the other leg goes up from behind as the weight lowers.

4. Hip Thrust/Glute Bridge

Hip thrusts may seem like a push exercise—you’re pushing the weight with your hips after all. However, as mentioned before, pull exercises involve concentric contraction, which is the case for hip thrusts. You feel tension in your hips when you’ve pushed them up, which is their shortened position. Hip thrusts and glute bridges are among the few exercises that activate the glutes in the shortened position, and that’s necessary for muscle growth. To learn more about the shortened and lengthened positions of muscles, watch the following video from Bret Contreras (the Glute Guy!):

Now, let’s see how to perform a hip thrust:

• Sit on the floor with your back leaning against a bench.
• Bring the weighted bar over your hips.
• Open your legs slightly wider than your hips and your toes slightly pointed out.
• Place your upper back against the edge of the bench.
• Hold the bar with your hands to keep it in place. Tuck your chin throughout the whole movement.
• Push your hips up until they make a straight line with your torso.
• Squeeze and lock your glutes for a few seconds.
• Slowly lower the bar until it’s a little bit higher than the ground. Make sure to complete the range of motion, as it increases muscle strength and hypertrophy.

Tip: A glute bridge is basically the same thing, except that there’s no bench. You should lie on the ground and put a dumbbell or a plate on your hips. Then, you should perform the same movement.

5. Cable Pull-Through

The exercises mentioned earlier are the giants of resistance training. However, we're not saying that these kinds of exercises are the only ones that matter. Truth is, many beginners find it hard to perform a deadlift or an RDL without practice. That’s why we have chosen cable pull-through as the last on our list.

Cable pull-through is also a compound lower-body pull exercise that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. The movement is similar to that of a deadlift, but you won’t have to go through the hassle of loading and unloading a bar. Plus, the gripping situation in this movement is more convenient; so, you won’t have to worry about dropping the bar. Here’s how you should do a cable pull-through:

• Bring the cable pulley machine to the lowest setting.
• Attach a rope handle to the machine and pick a desired weight.
• Face away from the machine and grab the rope. Your hands should be facing each other and placed between your legs.
• Place your legs wider than shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and keep a flat back.
• Take a few steps from the machine to ensure that the lifted weight won’t touch the weight stack as it comes down.
• Push your hips back and bend your waist while your hands come between your legs. Only go as far as you can without rounding your back.
• Push your hips forward and allow your body to return to the starting position.

Final Word

There are many other pull lower body exercises that you can incorporate into your workout routine. The ones that we mentioned are among the most important in the world of weightlifting. Many of them, such as deadlifts, are far too versatile to be reduced to a lower-body pull exercise. These exercises help you gain muscle in different areas of your body.

The journey towards health and fitness is far from over. You need to be in the know of different exercises and fitness prerequisites to reach your goals. That’s why Flex has been created: To help you choose the best workouts, perfect your form, and track your progress. All you need to do is download the app for free and begin your journey to better health.