Training
Build a full pull day without ever touching a barbell.
You can train your entire pull day on cables: back, rear delts, and biceps, without touching a barbell. Cables keep constant tension on the muscle through the whole rep, something free weights can't always do. Here are five movements that cover the full pull, and how to order them.
Key takeaways
- You can train a full pull day on cables alone: back, rear delts, and biceps, without touching a barbell.
- Back: V-bar rows (horizontal pull for thickness) and lat pulldowns (vertical pull for width).
- Rear delts: face pulls with the cable at eye level, with external rotation as the focus.
- Biceps: cable curls with a flat bar for constant tension, and rope hammer curls for the brachialis and forearms.
- Order it big to small: rows and pulldowns first, then rear delts and biceps, since those small muscles support the big pulls.
Pull day is everything that pulls: your back, your rear delts, and your biceps, the muscles on the back of your upper body. Cables are a great way to train all of them, because the weight stays on the muscle the whole way through the rep instead of dropping off at the top the way a dumbbell does.
That constant tension is why a cable-only session works as a full pull day on its own. Here are the five movements, grouped by what they hit, and the order that works best.
Back
Your back is the biggest muscle group on pull day, so it gets the most work. Two movements cover it: one horizontal pull for thickness and one vertical pull for width.
V-bar rows. The V-bar grip keeps your hands close together with your palms facing in, which lets you drive your elbows back and really squeeze your shoulder blades together at the finish. Don't lean back to move more weight, and don't lean forward either. The best stretch happens sitting upright.
Lat pulldowns. Your vertical pull, and one of the best ways to build width in your back if pull-ups aren't there yet. Lead with your elbows and think about pulling them down toward your hips, not just hauling the bar to your chest.
Rear delts
The rear delts sit on the back of your shoulders and get almost no work from pressing. Pull day is where you train them, and one movement does the job.
Face pulls. Set the cable to about eye level, grab the rope with your thumbs facing you, and pull toward your face while flaring your elbows out wide. The external rotation is the whole point. Turn your palms to face forward as you pull, don't just yank the rope straight back.
Biceps
Your biceps do plenty of work on every row and pulldown, so hit them last, once the bigger muscles are done. Two curls cover both the biceps and the brachialis underneath.
Cable bicep curls (flat bar). A straight bar on the low pulley keeps constant tension on your biceps through the entire rep, something a dumbbell can't do at the top. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides. If they drift forward as you curl, the weight's too heavy.
Rope hammer curls. Grab the rope with a neutral grip, palms facing each other, and curl straight up. This one leans more on your brachialis and forearms than your biceps. Separate the ends of the rope slightly at the top of each rep for an extra squeeze.
Building your pull day
You don't need to overthink the order. A solid cable pull day usually looks something like this:
- One to two back movements (V-bar rows and lat pulldowns).
- One rear delt movement (face pulls).
- One to two bicep movements (flat bar curls and rope hammer curls).
Rear delts and biceps take a beating on pull day, so save them for after your rows and pulldowns, not before. They're the small muscles doing support work on the big pulls, and frying them early leaves you weaker on the movements that matter most.
Want Kovo to build your pull day for you? The app builds your whole program, tracks your weights, and adapts as you get stronger. Or browse every back, shoulder, and biceps exercise in the library, and put a session together yourself with our free AI workout generator. New to curls? Our guide to the three muscles behind bigger biceps breaks down what each one actually trains.
Frequently asked questions
Can you train pull day with only cables?
Yes. A cable machine covers every pull movement: horizontal rows and vertical pulldowns for your back, face pulls for your rear delts, and cable curls for your biceps. Cables also keep constant tension on the muscle through the whole rep, which free weights don't always do.
What muscles does pull day work?
Pull day trains the muscles on the back of your upper body: the back (lats and mid-back), the rear delts on the back of the shoulders, and the biceps. Any exercise where you pull the weight toward you belongs on pull day.
What order should I do pull day exercises in?
Big muscles first. Start with your back (rows and pulldowns), then rear delts, and finish with biceps. The rear delts and biceps assist on every row and pulldown, so training them first would leave you weaker on the movements that matter most.
Are cable exercises as good as free weights for building your back?
For muscle growth, yes. Cables keep tension on the muscle through the entire range and make it easy to hit both horizontal and vertical pulls. Free weights load the spine more and can move more total weight, but a cable-only back day holds up on its own.
What is the best cable exercise for biceps?
The cable curl with a straight (flat) bar on the low pulley. Unlike a dumbbell, the cable keeps constant tension on the biceps at the top of the rep, where a dumbbell curl loses it. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides so the biceps do the work.
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